Double mission for NATO

On Monday, the minehunting boat Homburg and, after a few hours delay, the tender Elbe will leave her home port of Kiel to join the NATO Standing Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG 1) for the coming months. Under the command of Corvette Captain Sebastian Nacke, the Elbe as the lead ship for the US-led staff of the international naval organisation. The leader of the unit is the American Captain Samuel P. Brasfield - a first in the history of SNMCMG 1. This unit operates in the waters of the North and Baltic Seas and is generally led by the navies of the neighbouring nations on an annual rotation basis. The staff is supplemented by soldiers from Norway, Estonia and Bulgaria. In addition to its flagship function, the tender Elbe also serve to supply the smaller mine defence boats. A diving doctor and a diving hyperbaric chamber are available on board for the safety of the numerous mine divers in the convoy. The Elbe is expected to return home on 18 December.

Kapitänleutnant Fritz, commander of the Homburg

The minehunting boat Homburg from the 3rd Minesweeper Squadron will join the unit under the command of Captain Lieutenant Finn Fritz. Part of the crew is a Portuguese Navy minesweeper team consisting of four soldiers. One of the main tasks will be the removal of old munitions, including in the English Channel in the waters off the coasts of the Netherlands, Belgium, France and the United Kingdom. For Elbe and Homburg are Port Visits planned in Cardiff, Liverpool, Glasgow and London, as well as further visits to the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway. All soldiers were vaccinated before deployment. However, the dynamic development of the coronavirus pandemic and constantly changing local regulations mean that it is currently impossible to say whether the soldiers will be able to go ashore in the ports of call.

Frigate Captain Inka von Puttkamer, Deputy Commander of the 3rd Minesweeper Squadron

While the Homburg passed the pier heads in Kiel as scheduled in the morning, the crew of the tender had to Elbe still have to organise a repair. Damage to the anchor gear discovered the previous evening meant that the anchor had to be replaced with the sister ship Rhine had to be replaced. Careful sea-keeping and safety first! With a delay of just a few hours, the tender also left the harbour in the early evening hours. Elbe the Wik.

Corvette Captain Sebastian Nacke, commander of the Elbe, and Captain Sam Brasfield on the bridge of the tender

Text: hsc; Photos: Bundeswehr/Marcel Kröncke