Even though the German Navy’s combat support ship EGV Berlin was more than 24 hours early, around 250 people gathered at the Naval Base Wilhemshaven to welcome the ship’s crew home.
EGV Berlin was forced to sail into port earlier due to a strong hurricane warning, as locking in the harbor would have been impossible in bad weather. The ship, therefore, had to sail at full power in order to reach the base in time. The actual arrival was planned for today, February 3.
Led by Commander Marcel Rosenbohm , the ship and her crew started their deployment in Operation Sophia in October 2015. The ship saved 1.944 people from 16 unseaworthy boats in the Mediterranean Sea.
Commander Rosenbohm said: “This is the second time the ship is returning from the Mediterranean deployment and can be proud of what it achieved there in Operation Sophia. The last deployment was special in that we were away from our homes during Christmas and New Year’s Eve.”
During her latest deployment, EGV Berlin carried out a total of 37 replenishment at sea maneuvers, thereby supporting ships from Great Britain, Spain, Italy, Belgium and France. A novelty was a RAS with the German minehunter Weilheim, as replenishment oilers only supply ships. The EGV sailed a total of 20.000 nautical miles during her four months of deployment.
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