Category: Magazine

More than sluggish

Once put into service as tugs, the various types of naval vessels quickly turned out to be versatile quick-change artists. But after many decades at sea, it is now time to decide on a successor. A Swiss Army knife is a useful little thing, usually carried inconspicuously on a belt or in a trouser pocket so that it is immediately available when needed. There are many very useful and few or no useless functions on such a multi-purpose knife. This is no surprise, as experts have been working on the development of such tools for decades, supported by user feedback. Basic functions and tried and tested...

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Sail training ships - so old and so modern

A moment of carelessness and a wave took me off my tired legs and I slid roughly across the wooden deck. Somewhat shocked and dripping, I heard the boatswain shouting at me in the wind through the water in my ears "All right? Then watch sailor - to the sheet!" There we pulled on the rope with a loud rhythm of "haul away". This went on for hours. It wasn't an exercise or a harassing drill, but a battle with a storm. What were harmless lines on the chart below deck in meteorology were harsh reality up here. Why do people do this to themselves? Sailing...

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Kiel defies all upheavals

Geography determines the strategic and military policy significance of the navy, which is stationed in and around Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, to a disproportionately high degree. As a strategic partner, Kiel's naval shipbuilding companies are highly relevant in terms of security, economic and employment policy as well as technology. Kiel has traditionally been closely associated with the navy. This goes back to two epoch-making strategic military decisions that still shape the city today: firstly, the decision of the Frankfurt National Assembly on 14 January 1848 to build the first German imperial fleet, with Kiel becoming the main war port of the German navy, and secondly, the order issued to the city of Kiel on 24 March 1865 immediately after the end of the German-Danish War...

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Powerful tugs for France

It is a colourful ship that has been at the disposal of the French Navy for a few weeks now. The rescue and emergency tug Abeille Normandie arrived at German Naval Yards Kiel (GNYK) on 13 September 2021 together with its sister ship Abeille Méditerranée for modernisation work. Over the past few months, both ships have been converted into particularly efficient emergency towing vessels with rescue capacity in the largest dry dock in the Baltic Sea region with a length of 426 metres. After carrying out the final tests and inspections, GNYK handed over the Abeille Normandie to the customer, the French shipping company Les Abeilles from Le Havre, on 5 May. The 91 metre long and 22...

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The naval arsenal mobilises

On board the floating units, the servicemen and women are to carry out more repairs themselves again. They receive support from the naval arsenal. In this day and age, you might ask yourself what the headline is supposed to mean. Is the naval arsenal calling in reservists for support? Has it recently started using its own boats in order to be more mobile? To answer these questions, a short preface is necessary. The Inspector General of the German Armed Forces, General Eberhard Zorn, has commissioned the Navy to take the lead in addressing the issue of immediate repairs in order to increase operational readiness. By January 2021, cooperation with the Naval Arsenal (MArs) in...

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