German Navy submarine U 34 left its homeport in Eckernförde, Germany on March 30 to join the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1.
The submarine is headed for Scotland where it will meet with the group ahead the Joint Warrior exercise scheduled to take place from April 11 – 22.
Apart from SNMG 1 the exercise will involve NATO’s Standing Mine Countermeasures Group 2.
“After a long period of preparation, the crew wants to prove their skills in the first major exercise” , Lieutenant Commander Stephan Busch , U 34 Commander, said about his crew’s motivation.
“Once we finish this demanding maneuver we have further training plans ahead of us in preparation for the bilateral training with the Norwegian Navy” , the Commander further said.
The submarine is expected to return to her homeport in May 2016.
The U 34 is a Type 212 A submarine of the German Navy equipped with the HDW air-independent fuel cell propulsion system. The 56-meter submarine can stay submerged for up to three weeks without surfacing.