German frigate Nordrhein-Westfalen
Baden-Württemberg-class Frigates of the German Navy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nordrhein-Westfalen (F223) is the second ship of the Baden-Württemberg-class frigates of the German Navy.
Nordrhein-Westfalen on 9 May 2017. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Germany | |
| Name | Nordrhein-Westfalen |
| Namesake | Nordrhein-Westfalen |
| Port of registry | Hamburg, Germany |
| Builder | Lürssen, Wolgast Blohm+Voss, Hamburg |
| Laid down | 24 October 2012 |
| Launched | 16 April 2015 |
| Commissioned | 10 June 2020 |
| Identification |
|
| Status | Active |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Baden-Württemberg-class frigate |
| Displacement | 7,200 tonnes |
| Length | 149.52 m (490 ft 7 in) |
| Beam | 18.80 m (61 ft 8 in) |
| Draught | 5 m (16 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 20 knots (37 km/h) on diesel only, 26 kn (48 km/h) max. |
| Range | 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km) |
| Boats & landing craft carried | |
| Capacity | Space for two 6.1 m (20 ft 0 in) containers |
| Complement | 190 (standard crew: 110) |
| Sensors & processing systems | |
| Electronic warfare & decoys | |
| Armament |
|
| Aircraft carried | 2 × NH-90 helicopters |
Background
Nordrhein-Westfalen was designed and constructed by ARGE F125, a joint-venture of Thyssen-Krupp and Lürssen. She is part of the Baden-Württemberg class has the highest displacement of any class of frigate worldwide, and are used to replace the Bremen class.[1][2]
Construction and career
Nordrhein-Westfalen was laid down on 24 October, 2012 and launched on 16 April, 2015 in Hamburg. She was commissioned on 10 June, 2020.[3]
In November, 2024, while patrolling the Baltic Sea near the port of Gdańsk, Poland, she encountered a Russian convoy consisting of an unnamed tanker and a corvette in the Baltic Sea, potentially breaking the international sanctions imposed on Russian oil.[4] When a NH90 helicopter from Nordrhein-Westfalen was sent to inspect the Russian vessels more closely, the corvette responded with five red flares instead of routine radio communication. The incident became public when German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock mentioned the act of aggression at a NATO meeting a week later.[5]
Gallery
- Nordrhein-Westfalen gallery
Nordrhein-Westfalen moored opposite Rheinland-Pfalz on 31 August 2019
Nordrhein-Westfalen being towed into dock 17 of the Blohm and Voss (B&V) shipyard on 10 November 2015.
Nordrhein-Westfalen on 22 May 2019.
