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Frigate F208 Niedersachsen
Class overview
Builders:	Bremer Vulkan AG Weser Blohm & Voss Nordseewerke Howaldtswerke
Operators:	German Navy
Succeeded by:	F125 class frigate
Completed:	8
Active:	Bremen Niedersachsen Rheinland-Pfalz Emden Köln Karlsruhe Augsburg Lübeck
General characteristics
Displacement:	3,680 tonnes
Length:	130.50m
Beam:	14.60m
Draft:	6.30m
Propulsion:	CODOG (Combined diesel or gas) 2 MTU 20V956 TB92 diesel engines, 8.14 MW total 2 General Electric LM2500 gas turbines, 38 MW total 2 Renk STG 150-50 gearboxes, 10:1 (diesel) and 720:47 (turbine) 2 propeller shafts, controllable pitch, five bladed Sulzer-Escher propellerss, later replaced with seven bladed ones from Wegemann & Co ("Bremen" only) 4 Deutz MWM diesel-generators, 750kW
Speed:	30 knots
Range:	more than 4,000 nautical miles (7,000 km) at 18 knots
Complement:	202 crew plus 20 aviation
Sensors and processing systems:	1 EADS TRS-3D air search radar (three dimensional) 1 WM 25 combined surface search and fire control radar I/J band 1 Thales Nederland STIR 180 fire-control radar I/J/K band 1 Kelvin Hughes Nucleus 5000 I band navigation radar 1 STN Atlas DSQS-23BZ hull-mounted sonar
Electronic warfare and decoys:	ESM/ECM EADS FL 1800S 2 SCLAR decoys SLQ-25 Nixie torpedo decoy
Armament:	1 8-cell launch system, 16 Sea Sparrow surface to air missiles 2 MK 49 launcher, 21 RAM each 2 quadruple Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers 1 OTO-Melara 76 mm dual-purpose gun 2 Mauser MLG27 27 mm autocannons. 2 Mark 32 324 mm twin torpedo launchers, 8 DM4A1 or Mark 46 torpedo
Aircraft carried:	Place for 2 Sea Lynx Mk.88A helicopters equipped with torpedoes, air-to-surface missiles Sea Skua, and/or heavy machine gun.

The eight F122 Bremen class frigates of the German Navy have been commissioned between 1982 and 1990. The design is similar to the Dutch Kortenaer class but uses a different hull and propulsion system. The ships were built for anti-submarine warfare as primary task even though they are not fitted with towed array sonars. They are also suited for anti-aircraft warfare and anti-surface warfare.

This class of ship was one of the last to be constructed under post-war displacement limitations imposed by the WEU on West Germany.

The four oldest Bremen class frigates will be replaced by the planned F125 class frigates, starting probably around 2014. Until then they will serve as the backbone of the German Navy.

Employment

During the Cold War period, the ships' main war task was to escort convoys for reinforcement and resupply of Allied forces in Europe. They frequently took part in NATO Standing Naval Forces. Since 1990, all ships have served in additional supporting missions such as the embargo operations against former Yugoslavia in the Adriatic Sea or Operation Enduring Freedom against the international terrorism.

During their lifetime, the ships' equipment has frequently been modernised and a further adaptation of combat systems is foreseen in near future.

The Karlsruhe successfully assisted an Egyptian freighter repel pirates on December 25, 2008 in the Gulf of Aden.

Ships

All ships are based in Wilhelmshaven together they form the 4. Fregattengeschwader (4th Frigate Squadron) of the German Navy.

References

• "Fregatte BREMEN-Klasse" (in German). Deutsche Marine. http://www.marine.de/portal/a/marine/kcxml/04_Sj9SPykssy0xPLMnMz0vM0Y_QjzKLNzKOD_TxBMmB2d5mIfqRcNGglFR9X4_83FR9b_0A_YLciHJHR0VFAMCYG9U!/delta/base64xml/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS80SVVFLzZfMjNfUU5W?yw_contentURL=%2F01DB070000000001%2FW2698KJ4602INFODE%2Fcontent.jsp. Retrieved 4 August 2008.  
• naval-technology.com
• [1]
• {http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7799796.stm]

Gallery

Frigate F207 Bremen	F208 Niedersachsen in New York, 2004	Frigate F211 Köln	Frigate F209 Rheinland-Pfalz
Frigate F214 Lübeck