Posted on 12/24/2017 8:18:25 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
ARGE F125/Lerssen-Defence
Just weeks ago we told the story of Germany's puzzling Baden-Wurttemberg class Type 125 (F125) frigate program. Not only did we discuss the ship's odd mission and design features, but we also highlighted some of the troubling post-delivery issues with the lead ship in the class. These problems include a persistent list to starboard and the fact that the ship is dramatically overweight, which would limit its performance, increase its cost of operation, and most importantly, negatively impact the Deutsche Marine's ability to add future upgrades to the somewhat sparsely outfitted vessel.
Now the German Navy has officially declined to commission the vessel and will be returning it to Blohm+Voss shipyard in Hamberg. The decision to do so was based on a number of "software and hardware defects" according to German media reports. The noted software deficiencies are of particular importance because these destroyer-sized vessels will supposedly be operated by a crew of just 120-130 sailors—just half that of the much smaller Bremen class frigates they replace—continuously for months at a time. On top of that, the design's reliability is paramount as the four ships in the class are supposed to deploy far from German shores for up to two years at a time.
According to Navaltoday.com, this is the first time the German Navy has returned a ship to a shipbuilder after delivery. Baden-Wurttenberg had already missed its planned commissioning date last summer.
Complicating things further is the fact that the fourth and final F125 frigate, the Rheinland-Pfalz, was already christened last Spring. Because of the concurrent construction and testing procurement strategy, these vessels are likely to suffer from at least some of the same issues as the lead ship in the class.
Aside from this troubling situation, Germany is going through some major tribulations with its naval arm, including the embarrassing reality that the country currently has no operational submarines.
We'll keep you updated as the F125 frigate saga continues to unfold.
As pointed out in an earlier article, this class is quite deficient in anti-air, anti-sub, and anti-ship weaponry.
It does have water cannons and strobe lights, though...so if they have to fight pirates in speedboats armed with nothing but AK-47s, they’re good to go!
All the better for doing donuts in the parking lot.
Forget Adolph-—Bismark would have had a fit—as would any able leader of the German People. Still, for a nation that will not exist why not get rid of her navy to invest in Mosques and pre-nadal hospitals. Start Arabic Language Madrassas—That or learn Russian.
Here’s a ‘high tech’ carrier with a deisel engine and insufficient protection
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3616553/posts
It’s perfect for anti-warfare operations!
A friends much beloved BMW, brand new pulled to the left.
Every time he returned to Knauz it cost a GRAND or more.
Oh! You must have hit something! The tire is damaged$$$, the wheel is out$$$...
One day he was by the house and while looking under the hood I saw tiny bits of overspray???
He insisted that his baby never had so much as a scratch, ever! I don’t believe the engine is in the car when it is painted???
Years later he takes it to Mr BMW, for a few hundred dollars he will examine your BMW, just look no touch.
The minute he sees the car, he tells my friend “I know this car”! You bought it from Knauz on ...
Hans at the dealer liked to try out the new models after work.He hit a curb with this one!!!!
Must have hit it very hard.
Where is that Schettino guy???
I would not bet against that already being out there.
Well at least the didn’t run into anybody.
Immediate Request previously posted...!
;-) Merry Christmas!
“We build them good in Germany, ja Heinie “ -The Enemy Below Curt Jurgens
Little known nugget: The first few US Navy Ticonderoga Class cruisers were found to be very top heavy in high speed maneuvers and unstable. The Navy dumped heavy stuff (lead I think) in the keel to get stability, but made the "too much weight" problem that much worse. So they initiated a program called "Taking Off Tons, Sensibly" or TOTS. Eventually by the time they introduced the Vertical Launching System they had resolved the issue but the first five ships were doomed to never really be all they could be. They've since been decommissioned.
Stuff happens.
The extra room for Muslim quarters made it overweight.
I guess they found it had no resale value.
rwood
Well, the Germans refuse to fight at home or on deployment, so what if this ship cannot either?
You'd think the USN would remember from WWII. Once it became clear that air power was the threat, they started additional secondary AA to the existing destroyers, causing them to be top heavy.
You'll notice that on some, the aft 5" turret had its top cut off, and replaced by water-proofed canvas to reduce the weight.
“Aside from this troubling situation, Germany is going through some major tribulations with its naval arm, including the embarrassing reality that the country currently has no operational submarines.”
They’re too concerned with diversity enforcement to pay for an actual military.
we could just pull a total weight right off the CAD system.
Germans spend 1.2% of their GDP on defense, roughly $40 billion, depending how you count it.
In that same range are Japan (1%), Canada (1%), Netherlands (1.2%) and Spain (1.2%).
None of them do enough to support their own defense, much less contribute to international missions like NATO or SEATO.
It would lean towards Mecca.
My project this winter is a 1/350th ( about a meter long) model of the Bismarck.....
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