Frankenthal-class minehunter

M1064 Grömitz, already equipped with the MLG 27
Class overview
Builders
Operators
Preceded byHameln-class minesweeper
Subclasses
In commission1992–present
Planned12
Completed12
Active10
Retired2
General characteristics
TypeMinehunter
Displacement650 t
Length54.4 m (178 ft)
Beam9.2 m (30 ft)
Draft2.6 m (8 ft 6 in)
Propulsion
Speed18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement41
Sensors and
processing systems
  • 1 × hull mounted DSQS-11A mine hunting sonar
  • DRBN 32 navigation radar
Electronic warfare
& decoys
Armament
Notes
  • mine diver equipment, decompression chamber
  • crane

The Type 332 Frankenthal-class minehunter is a class of German minehunters. The ships are built of non-magnetic steel. Hull, machinery and superstructure of this class is similar to the original Type 343 Hameln-class minesweeper, but the equipment differs. The class forms the 3 Minesweeper Squadron of German Navy. These function as Mine countermeasures vessels. Two of these vessels contribute to the two Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Groups SNMCG 1 and SNMCG 2.[1]

Slightly modified Frankenthal-class minehunters are also operated by the Turkish Navy, where they are referred to as the A class. In the beginning of 2019, the Indonesian Navy ordered two minehunters based on a modified Frankenthal class, referred to as Pulau Fani class, with a length of 62 metres.[2]

List of ships

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All active German ships are currently stationed in Kiel at the Baltic Sea. M1058, M1059, M1062, M1065 and M1069 are part of the 3. Minensuchgeschwader (3. mine sweeper squadron). The others belong to 5. Minensuchgeschwader. M1060 Weiden was sold to United Arab Emirates in 2006. As the German Navy closed the naval base at Olpenitz, all ships were relocated to Kiel and their squadrons incorporated into the Einsatzflottille 1 (Flotilla 1).[3]

Pennant
Number
Name Call
sign
Shipyard Commissioned Decommissioned
M1066 Frankenthal DREY Lürssen 16 December 1992 Sold to UAE (now M02 Al Murjan)
M1060 Weiden DRES Abeking & Rasmussen 3 March 1993 Sold to UAE (now M01 Al Hasbah)
M1061 Rottweil DRET Krögerwerft 7 July 1993 Refitted to be used with the SEK-M
M1063 Bad Bevensen DREV Lürssen 9 December 1993
M1067 Bad Rappenau DREZ Abeking & Rasmussen 19 April 1994 Refitted to be used with the SEK-M
M1064 Grömitz DREW Krögerwerft 23 August 1994
M1068 Datteln DRFA Lürssen 8 December 1994
M1065 Dillingen DREX Abeking & Rasmussen 25 April 1995
M1069 Homburg DRFB Krögerwerft 26 September 1995
M1062 Sulzbach-Rosenberg DREU Lürssen 23 January 1996
M1058 Fulda DRFC 5 June 1998
M1059 Weilheim DRFD 26 November 1998

Incidents

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On 21 February 2007, Grömitz ran onto a reef in the Floro fjord while on tour in western Norway and remained stranded in a spectacular way until being salvaged.[4]

In October 2018, the Iranian-backed Yemeni rebel group Ansar Allah released a video which included images that confirmed it sank one of the UAE Navy's Frankenthal class mine-countermeasures vessels in July 2017 in Al-Mukha. The video identified the vessel as Al-Qasnah and said it was attacked on 29 July 2017, which corresponds to a claim it made at the time that it had attacked an Emirati warship with a "suitable weapon".[5]

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References

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  1. ^ "3 Minesweeper Squadron". www.bundeswehr.de. Retrieved 2024-08-11.
  2. ^ "Contract signed for two mine counter measure vessels". Abeking & Rasmussen. 5 February 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2019.
  3. ^ "Minenjagdboot FRANKENTHAL-Klasse". Deutsche Marine. Retrieved 4 August 2008.
  4. ^ Image
  5. ^ "Houthi Rebels In Yemen Attacked Another UAE Ship and That's All We Know For Certain". Archived from the original on 2022-05-04. Retrieved 2020-01-22.
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