German frigate Bayern

Bayern is a Brandenburg-class frigate of the German Navy.

Bayern in 2008
History
Germany
Name:	Bayern
Builder:	Nordseewerke, Emden
Laid down:	16 December 1993
Launched:	30 June 1994
Commissioned:	15 June 1996
Identification:	MMSI number: 211210180 Pennant number: F217 Call sign: DRAJ
Status:	Active
General characteristics
Class and type:	Brandenburg-class frigate
Displacement:	3,600 tons (4,490t full load)[1]
Length:	138.85 metres (455.5 ft)[1]
Beam:	16.7 metres (55 ft)[1]
Draught:	4.35 metres (14.3 ft) (6.3 metres (21 ft) over sonar)[1]
Propulsion:	CODOG (combined diesel or gas) two propeller shafts, controllable pitch propellers two MTU 20V 956 TB92 diesel-engines, 8.14 MW each two General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, 38 MW total two Renk BGS 178 Lo gearboxes
Speed:	>29 knots (54 km/h; 33 mph)[1]
Range:	4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km; 4,600 mi)at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)[1]
Complement:	26 officers, 193 enlisted[1]
Sensors and processing systems:	One Thales LW08 air search D band radar one Thales SMART-S air/surface surveillance F band radar two Thales STIR 180 fire-control radar two Raytheon Redpath I band navigation radar one STN Atlas DSQS-23BZ hull-mounted sonar one STN Atlas TASS 6-3 (LFTASS) towed array sonar
Electronic warfare & decoys:	1 EADS FL 1800S ECM suite two OTO-Melara SCLAR launcher four TKWA/MASS (Multi Ammunition Softkill System) decoy launcher (currently under procurement)
Armament:	Naval guns: One OTO-Melara 76 mm/62Mk-75 multi-purpose naval gun Two Mauser BK-27 27 mm rapid-fire cannons Antiaircraft warfare: One Mk 41 Mod 3 vertical launch system for 16 Sea Sparrow antiaircraft missiles (ESSM planned) CIWS: Two x Mk 49 launcher for 21 x Rolling Airframe Missiles Antiship missiles: Four x MM38 Exocet antiship missiles (To be replaced by 8 Harpoon missiles) Antisubmarine warfare: Four 324 mm torpedo tubes, Mk 46 torpedoes
Aircraft carried:	Two Sea Lynx helicopters equipped with ASW torpedoes, or air-to-surface missiles Sea Skua, and a heavy machine gun.

Construction and commissioning

Bayern and the three other frigates of the Brandenburg class were designed as replacements for the Hamburg-class destroyers. She was laid in 1993 at the yards of Nordseewerke, Emden and launched in June 1994. She was christened by Karin Stoiber, the wife of the then Minister-President of Bavaria Edmund Stoiber. After undergoing trials she was commissioned on 15 June 1996, and assigned to 6. Fregattengeschwader. After the naval structure was reorganised, Bayern was assigned to 2. Fregattengeschwader, based at Wilhelmshaven.

Service

Bayern has been involved in several foreign missions since her commissioning, including deploying in the Adriatic in 1999 during Operation Allied Force, the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. Between April and November 2005 she served as the flagship for Wolfgang Kalähne, Commander-in-Chief of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2. Bayern was deployed with the Group in various manoeuvres, and to support Operation Active Endeavour.[2] Between September 2007 to March 2008 Bayern was the flagship of Hans-Christian Luther, Commander-in-Chief of the Maritime Task Force of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. In late January 2008 Bayern came to the assistance of the container ship Gevo Victory, which was in distress off the Lebanese coast. Bayern rescued 14 crew members.[3]

On 18 July 2011 Bayern left Wilhelmshaven to join Operation Atalanta, the anti-piracy mission off the Horn of Africa. She arrived on station on 13 August, with Thomas Jugel taking over command of the taskforce, with Bayern as his flagship. Bayern was deployed in support of the operation until 6 December, and then returned to Wilhelmshaven, arriving on 22 December 2011. Her next deployment was as flagship of Thorsten Kähler, commander of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2. This lasted until 1 June 2012, after which she took part in exercises, and manoeuvres related to Operation Active Endeavour.[4]

Bayern deployed once more, on 26 January 2015, to join Operation Atalanta, remaining on station until returning to her home port on 3 July 2015. She returned to Operation Atalanta on 23 March, serving as the flagship of Flotilla Admiral Jan Christian Kaack.[5] This deployment lasted for five months, Bayern sailing some 32,000 nautical miles, before returning home on 8 August 2016.[6] On 7 March 2018, Bayern sailed from Wilhelmshaven to rejoin Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 in the Aegean Sea, replacing the replenishment ship Frankfurt am Main. Bayern is expected to complete this deployment at the end of August 2018.[7]

References

1. Wertheim, Eric (2007). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems. Naval Institute Press. p. 246. ISBN 9781591149552.
2. "NATO-EINSATZ: Grußworte aus Bayern an die Besatzung" (in German). NWZonline. 1 April 2005. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
3. "Deutsche Marine: Die Fregatte BAYERN kehrt aus dem Einsatz zurück" (in German). presseportal.de. 12 March 2008. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
4. Presse- und Informationszentrum Marine (3 December 2012). "Zurück im Heimathafen – „Bayern" hat Einsatz als NATO-Flaggschiff beendet" (in German). Bundeswehr. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
5. Daniel Timme / Martin Kübel (31 March 2016). "„Bayern" übernimmt – Operation Atalanta wird von deutscher Fregatte aus geführt". www.einsatz.bundeswehr.de (in German). Retrieved 31 March 2016.
6. "FGS Bayern on her Way Home After Successful Counter-piracy Deployment with Operation Atalanta | Eunavfor". eunavfor.eu. Retrieved 8 August 2016.
7. "Die Fregatte „Bayern" verlässt Wilhelmshaven in Richtung Mittelmeer". www.marine.de (in German). Deutsche Marine. 7 March 2018. Retrieved 16 March 2018.