K 130: Second corvette of the second batch christened

On 4 May 2023, construction number 7 of the Braunschweig class was christened "Emden" by Ms Annette Lehnigk-Emden at the traditional Hamburg shipyard Blohm & Voss, which has belonged to Lürssen Defence since 2016 and is now part of the NVL Group. As a direct descendant of a crew member of the small cruiser "Emden" from the First World War, Mrs Lehnigk-Emden bears the traditional name affix and has now also taken over the sponsorship of the naval vessel. In addition she was recently appointed President of the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw) by the new Minister of Defence and performed one of her first official acts with the naming ceremony. Mr Tim Kruithoff, Lord Mayor of the sponsor city on the River Ems, was also present at the naming ceremony. The corvette "Emden" is the second unit of the second batch of five class 130 (K130) corvettes of the German Navy after the "Köln".

Capability spectrum

The corvettes are a key component of the navy for crisis response operations. Their main tasks are reconnaissance of the surface situation and maritime target engagement. The first five units of the Braunschweig class have been in service since 2008 and are deployed on international alliance missions, for example as part of the UN mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

Christening of the corvette "Emden", Braunschweig class construction number 7. photo: U. Mergener

Workplace Randmeer

In his speech, the Commander of the Fleet and Support Forces, Vice Admiral Frank Lenski, emphasised the importance of the corvette as a specialist in marginal sea warfare. The spectrum of operations ranges from peacekeeping presence and military crisis management tasks to combat in marginal seas and weapons effects on land.

Lead time first lot

The procurement of the K130 dates back to the second half of the 1990s. A requirement request from 1997 envisaged replacing the German Navy's 40 fast patrol boats with 15 corvettes. For budgetary reasons and due to the security policy assessment at the time, the number of corvettes was reduced. In December 2001, the procurement contract for the construction of the first batch of five units was signed. When the security policy situation and its consequences for the task profile of the armed forces were reconsidered in later years, the procurement of five more corvettes was initiated.

Photos: Holger Schlüter