FGS Ludwigshafen am Rhein joins Op Sophia

January 8, 2016

The German Navy corvette FGS Ludwigshafen am Rhein will depart her homeport in Warnemünde, Germany on January 11 to join the EUNAVFOR Med Operation Sophia.

Commanded by Commander Juniorgrade Marco Köster, she will be the first German corvette to take part in Op Sophia.

Commander Köster said: “This deployment puts new challenges before us. We are prepared for the tasks ahead and I am confident that my crew will master this deployment in a professional manner.”

The ship and her crew are expected to return to the Naval Base Warnemünde at the end of April, 2016.

FGS Ludwigshafen am Rhein, a 90-meter Korvette K 130-class ship, was commissioned in 2013 and joined the German 1st Corvette-squadron as the fifth and last ship of the class.

The Korvette K 130 is a new class of ocean-going corvettes in the German Navy which is supposed to supplement the Gepard-class fast attack craft.

Technical problems initially delayed the commissioning of the ships. All five units were originally scheduled to be delivered to the Navy in 2008 and 2009. Only two were delivered in 2008 while the last ship, the FGS Ludwigshafen am Rhein joined the Navy in March 2013.

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Naval Today Staff