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Late and overweight - Germany's new frigates found wanting
Reuters ^ | May 12, 2017 | Sabine Siebold

Posted on 05/15/2017 6:05:45 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki

Germany's much-delayed new frigates, built by ThyssenKrupp (TKAG.DE) and Luerssen for at least 650 million euros (£551.4 million) apiece, are overweight and float with a persistent list to starboard, according to a confidential report seen by Reuters.

The ships, designed to need a crew of only 120, less than half their predecessors, are a crucial element in Germany's plans to beef up its military to face an increasingly uncertain European security landscape and a more assertive Russia.

Designed to remain at sea for far longer than the German armed forces' existing fleet, the new F125 frigates need extensive servicing only once every two years, compared to once every nine months for their predecessors.

The 1.3 degree starboard list and excess weight, which emerged during testing in September, means the ship is now close to the limit of its design parameters and will raise the class's lifetime maintenance costs by around 20 million euros, according to a confidential annex to a regular German defence ministry report.

A defence ministry spokeswoman declined to comment on the confidential report, but said "in general terms" that the development of the four ships, the first of which was to have been delivered in 2014, remained on track.

(Excerpt) Read more at uk.reuters.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Germany; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: f125; frigate; germany; warship
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1 posted on 05/15/2017 6:05:45 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
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To: sukhoi-30mki

2 posted on 05/15/2017 6:07:14 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
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To: sukhoi-30mki

Germans probably had Muzzies design this frigate.


3 posted on 05/15/2017 6:08:48 AM PDT by dforest
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To: sukhoi-30mki

A factory installed list to starboard? How does that work?


4 posted on 05/15/2017 6:08:56 AM PDT by Former Proud Canadian (We live in interesting times)
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To: sukhoi-30mki

There must have been a staunch conservative on the design team.


5 posted on 05/15/2017 6:13:01 AM PDT by polymuser (There's a yuuuge basket of deportables.)
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To: Former Proud Canadian

The list to starboard comes from poor design and/or possibly changed requirements late in the build stage. In any case, definitely not typical German engineering.


6 posted on 05/15/2017 6:14:56 AM PDT by House Atreides (Send BOTH Hillary & Bill to prison.)
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To: sukhoi-30mki

A permanent list?
Well, so much for German engineering.


7 posted on 05/15/2017 6:15:01 AM PDT by BuffaloJack ("If you're going through Hell, keep going." Winston Churchill)
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To: Former Proud Canadian
A factory installed list to starboard? How does that work?

Obviously the chow hall is on the starboard side.

8 posted on 05/15/2017 6:15:48 AM PDT by rjsimmon (The Tree of Liberty Thirsts)
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To: sukhoi-30mki

Didn’t the Mary Rose have a slight list to starboard?


9 posted on 05/15/2017 6:17:45 AM PDT by South Dakota (We need a real independent investigation of Bill/Hillary and Obama's actions)
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To: Former Proud Canadian

You can see it in the picture, not to worry however, they made all the floors list to port so it’s level inside.


10 posted on 05/15/2017 6:18:58 AM PDT by ImJustAnotherOkie
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To: sukhoi-30mki

Same complaints I get from my wife.


11 posted on 05/15/2017 6:22:40 AM PDT by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> ---)
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To: dforest

Wonder if there’s a prayer room? Mounted on a gimbal so that it points to Mecaca no matter what the ship’s course? Halal galley? Pens in the hold for the goats?


12 posted on 05/15/2017 6:24:07 AM PDT by VietVet876
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To: dforest

Why does it need a water canon?


13 posted on 05/15/2017 6:27:40 AM PDT by smokingfrog ( sleep with one eye open (<o> ---)
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To: Former Proud Canadian

They left the Turn Signal on.


14 posted on 05/15/2017 6:35:05 AM PDT by Big Red Badger (UNSCANABLE in an IDIOCRACY!)
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To: sukhoi-30mki

15 posted on 05/15/2017 6:41:53 AM PDT by Mr Ramsbotham (Laws against sodomy are honored in the breech.)
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To: House Atreides; BuffaloJack

Perhaps, the German Navy itself wasn’t so sure. For a ship that’s as big as a destroyer, its armament is less than that of a modern corvette.

Compare what this German Navy ship holds versus what the same design’s export variant does.

https://www.aspi.org.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/26503/Kamerman-The-German-experience-slides.pdf


16 posted on 05/15/2017 6:42:16 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
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To: BuffaloJack
Kaiser Wilhelm II built a large navy, but it was of insufficient size to successfully challenge the British blockade of Germany. The German Navy sunk more ships during the Battle of Jutland, but that battle was a strategic defeat, for the goal of ending the blockade was not achieved. Hitler saw the navy primarily in the role of submarine warfare, in order to disrupt Allied supply lines between Britain, the U.S., and the Soviet Union. The Allies, though suffering some losses, thwarted the German attempt to disrupt seaborne commerce.

Historically, Germany and, before that Prussia, was a preeminent land power. German commerce has the rest of Europe as its primary customer. Since the end of World War II, Germany's overseas commerce has been protected by NATO. For all the design flaws noted, it appears that Germany is stepping up its game. Trump has asked other NATO members to increase their military spending, and the Germans may be doing just that.

17 posted on 05/15/2017 6:44:10 AM PDT by Wallace T.
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To: smokingfrog

Its to fight in a more humanitarian environment!

“The vessels of the class are armed with eight remote controlled guns of three different calibers (from 12.7mm to 127mm!) as well as with non-lethal weapons such as water cannons, sonic weapons and Light Emitting Diode (LED) Incapacitators for non provocative deterrence and defence.”

http://navalanalyses.blogspot.in/2016/05/baden-wurttemberg-class-frigates-of.html


18 posted on 05/15/2017 6:45:32 AM PDT by sukhoi-30mki
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To: Former Proud Canadian

Makes it easier to be sunk by a torpedo fired at them from that side....


19 posted on 05/15/2017 6:53:33 AM PDT by alloysteel (Why does anyone vote Republican, anyway? The Democrats STILL impose their will.)
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To: Former Proud Canadian

Fire the naval architect in charge of weight & balance. Sheesh! Seriously though, it would appear that like everybody else the Germans are trying to pack too much mission into a small displacement vessel. It’s a frigate, not a cruiser.


20 posted on 05/15/2017 7:05:12 AM PDT by Tallguy
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