Category: Shipbuilding

Small forces, big impact

The Swedish navy also reduced the number of its units after the end of the Cold War. However, Putin's annexation of Crimea in 2014 prompted those responsible to change their minds. On 18 May, the Swedish government officially submitted its application to join the NATO defence alliance. At the same time, NATO headquarters in Brussels received an application for membership from neighbouring Finland. In addition to the two Scandinavian countries, NATO itself will also benefit greatly from the accession - once all hurdles have been cleared and all 30 existing NATO member states have given their approval. Both countries bring modern and highly trained armed forces to the alliance, whose respective priorities...

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It doesn't always have to be an import

In some sub-Saharan African countries, a shipbuilding industry is emerging that can also fulfil military orders. The Republic of South Africa is leading the way. Although African navies continue to import the majority of their equipment, a few countries on the continent have their own shipyard industry that specialises in both the maintenance and production of ships and boats. In general, the African market is limited to smaller units up to the size of an Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) and growth prospects for local shipyards are largely limited to the regional level. One exception is the shipbuilding industry in the Republic of South Africa, which is also globally...

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The first yacht from Kiel

Today, the planks of the state yacht Hohenzollern would certainly have a lot to tell. However, the proud ship only covered very few nautical miles under her keel. The state yacht Hohenzollern was intended as a peaceful ship - built to represent the splendour and claim to power of the German Empire and its monarch. She did this on many voyages, and the mighty of Europe met on her time and again in a relaxed atmosphere. But on one of her voyages, the then brand-new ship caused trouble. On board in 1881, accompanied by his chancellor Otto von Bismarck, Emperor Wilhelm I met with a group of...

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Inlet for the WTD 71

There is a lot of movement in the maritime fleet of the Defence Technical Service 71. Two more multi-purpose boats are due for delivery in the coming year. The Wehrtechnische Dienststelle für Schiffe und Marinewaffen, Maritime Technologie und Forschung, WTD 71, is looking forward to replacing three boats in its fleet. On 22 July last year, the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) commissioned the Fassmer shipyard to manufacture and deliver two sea trials coastal measuring boats. They will take the place of the class 745 multi-purpose boats, Breitgrund and Mittelgrund, and the class 741 Wilhelm Pullwer barrage weapon test boat. The capabilities of the predecessors will also...

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Submarines: harvest time for the navy

In recent years, the German submarines have actively contributed to improving submarine hunting procedures. The knowledge gained will also benefit the future frigates 126. Last year, the 1st submarine squadron deployed two submarines simultaneously on two different missions. In addition, a fleet service boat and the MAIN submarine support unit with a command staff were also deployed for just over 70 days. In both very different missions, our weapon systems were able to fully convince as individual operators, but above all in combination. The simultaneous integration of a submarine and a fleet service boat into a sensor reconnaissance network for the first time in 2020 and 2021...

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