Start of construction for the Navy's largest combat ships to date

Shipbuilding - Start of construction for the Navy's largest combat ships to date

Construction of the German Navy's largest combat ships to date has begun. "Fully equipped armed forces are not a nice-to-have, but a must-have," said Parliamentary State Secretary Siemtje Möller (SPD) at the official start of construction of the four new F126 class frigates on Tuesday at the Peene shipyard in Wolgast, Western Pomerania.

Under the leadership of Dutch shipyard Damen Shipyards, four of the more than 160-meter-long ships will initially be built in Wolgast, Kiel and Hamburg, with an option for two more. According to Damen, the first ship is to be handed over in 2028. Damen puts the order volume at more than five billion euros. According to official figures, this is the navy's most expensive shipbuilding project to date. The Peene shipyard, which belongs to the Lürssen Group, is to build the rear ships.

Möller said that after the decision to procure the ships, the signs for German security and defense policy had changed fundamentally - due to Russia's attack on Ukraine. The attack on the Nord Stream pipelines and the confrontation between Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea, for example, showed just how important the navy is. Sea routes are important trade and transportation routes. The new frigates should help to credibly deter potential aggressors at sea and be able to defend the international order as well as its own interests and those of its partners.

The new frigates could be used flexibly as multi-purpose combat ships. At the same time, as specialists in anti-submarine warfare, they should help to close a capability gap in NATO.

Ladies on the F126 Bundeswehr on the F126

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1. Siemtje Möller, a Parliamentary State Secretary from the SPD party, highlighted the importance of fully equipped armed forces during the start of construction of the F126 class frigates at the Peene shipyard in Wolgast.
2. Shipbuilding for the German Navy's largest combat ships, the F126 class frigates, commenced at the Peene shipyard in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, with Damen Shipyards leading the project.
3. Four out of the more than 160-meter-long ships will be initially built in Wolgast, Kiel, and Hamburg, with an option for two more, according to Damen Shipyards.
4. The contract volume for this project, overseen by Damen, exceeds five billion euros, making it the navy's most expensive shipbuilding project to date.
5. The Peene shipyard, a subsidiary of the Lürssen Group, will construct the rear ships for this battlships project, which will significantly contribute to Germany's defense industry.
6. The decision to procure the ships altered Germany's security and defense policy fundamentally due to Russia's attack on Ukraine, as emphasized by Siemtje Möller.
7. According to Möller, the new frigates will help deter potential aggressors at sea and defend the international order, as well as its own interests and those of its partners.
8. Constructed as multi-purpose combat ships, the new frigates will aim to close a capability gap in NATO's anti-submarine warfare capabilities.
9. The terms of the billion euro project, aimed at bolstering Germany's naval forces, are drawing attention in shipbuilding hubs like Hamburg and Schleswig-Holstein, as well as in Russia.

Source: www.stern.de