Double change in the Indo-Pacific Association

No sooner had the Day of German Unity been celebrated than the crews of the "Echo" and "Charlie" faced six intense days of handover. On 9 October, after four months and more than 22,500 nautical miles, the commander of the "Echos", as the men and women of the crew to be relieved are called in naval language, frigate captain Sascha Huth, handed over the frigate "Baden-Württemberg" to frigate captain Bogislav von Puttkamer, the commander of the "Charlies". Behind the ship and crew lies a Pacific crossing from east to west, from San Diego to Singapore, including two intensive manoeuvres off Hawaii and Japan. Frigate Captain Huth sums it up emotionally: "Now it's time to go home, after three years in command, the IPD was a crowning finale for me. Over the last four months, we were able to make many new friends and strengthen existing partnerships in a strong fighting community. I am very grateful for that. It was an exhausting but very rewarding time."

The CTG IPD 2024, Flotilla Admiral Axel Schulz, hands over command of the frigate "Baden-Württemberg", photo: Leon Rodewald

The new crew on board will now continue their Indo-Pacific deployment with port calls in Port Klang, Malaysia and intensive exercises with the Indian Navy, which will conclude with a port visit in Goa, India. Commander "Charlie", frigate captain von Puttkamer, formulates his expectations: "It's time to finally set sail! A long and intensive voyage with many challenges is about to begin for us. We are particularly looking forward to it. We are grateful for this extraordinary opportunity. Even in a long naval life, something like this is not a matter of course."

Flotilla Admiral Axel Schulz hands over the post of Commander Task Group over TG 500.01 to Flotilla Admiral Helge Risch. Photo: Photo: Leon Rodewald

Change of command on the flagship

However, there were also signs of change at the top of the naval organisation. The Commander Task Group changed on 11 October: Flotilla Admiral Helge Risch, Head of Department PAO at the Naval Command, took over from Flotilla Admiral Axel Schulz, who made no secret of the fact that he had enjoyed seeing this extraordinary journey through to the end: "It was both an honour and a pleasure to lead this outstanding once-in-a-lifetime mission." Official reasons now require his presence in Germany. The original commander of Operational Flotilla 2 has led the Indo-Pacific Deployment from Wilhelmshaven across the Pacific and Atlantic to Singapore since it began in May. His statistics show a total of 34,500 nautical miles with 111 sea days and 46 port days, as well as numerous receptions and visits to friends and partners.

Text: SPAO IPD24/Gottschalk

Photos: Bundeswehr/Rodewald