"Any bad day at sea is still better than a good day at the office"

Change at the head of the F125 crew "Charlie"

On Thursday, 11 April 2024, the commander of the 4th Frigate Squadron, Captain Matthias Schmitt, will hand over command of the F125 crew "Charlie" from Frigate Captain Stefan Rappelt to Frigate Captain Bogislav-Jesko von Puttkamer. Frigate Captain Rappelt took command of the crew "Charlie" almost exactly two years ago. His time in command included the commissioning of the frigate F125 "Rheinland-Pfalz" and proof of the full operational capability of the F125 ship class. Frigate Captain Rappelt will be deployed as Chief of Staff at IPD 2024. Frigate Captain von Puttkamer, who went to sea after his time with the minesweepers and on the frigates "Karlsruhe" and "Sachsen", is looking forward to going to sea after his time as staff officer for operational planning at Allied Maritime Command in Northwood. "(...) But any bad day at sea is still better than a good day in the office. (...), says Frigate Captain von Puttkamer.

Frigate Captain Bogislav-Jesko von Puttkamer
returns from NATO to Wilhelmshaven, Photo: McPhail/von Puttkamer

Background information The 4th Frigate Squadron commands the four Baden-Württemberg-class frigates and their eight crews. This unusual type of warship is designed for long-term stabilisation missions in crisis areas. In practice, this means large-scale maritime surveillance, such as the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mission off the coast of Lebanon or NATO activities in the Aegean Sea. In these and similar missions, the F125 class ships can recognise and fend off hybrid threats, secure supply routes at sea with NATO and EU allies or lead large multinational naval formations. Thanks to the multi-crew concept, the ships can perform these tasks in their area of operation for up to two years without having to call at their home port. The crews generally rotate every four months in a local safe harbour.