German Navy minehunter FGS Sulzbach-Rosenberg returned to its homeport in Kiel on December 12, concluding its NATO deployment.
The minehunter spent the past five months as part of the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1.
The group spent time training and clearing mines in areas ranging from Finland to France.
During this time, FGS Sulzbach-Rosenberg covered 10,000 nautical miles, visiting 16 ports in 10 countries.
In addition to international exercises Open Spirit, Joint Warrior and Northern Coasts, the group spent time training in the Bay of Kiel. A number of mines and aviation bombs were detected and identified during the training scenarios.
Throughout its deployment, the ship was also home to a five-man diving team from Lithuania.
Corvette Captain Pierre Limburg, the ship’s commanding officer, said that in addition to developing skills in a demanding environment, the training was an opportunity to demonstrate the importance of mine countermeasure activities to the public.
FGS Sulzbach-Rosenberg is a Frankenthal-class minehunter and belongs to the German Navy’s 3rd Minesweeping Squadron.