Kölle Alaaf for the corvette "Köln"

The sixth Köln: A special day that the naval enthusiasts of the cathedral city and the "Freundeskreis Marineschiffe Köln" had been longing for: on 21 April, the sixth Köln officially received her name. However, the corvette is even more eagerly awaited by the navy, as the orders and missions are extensive and increasing.

The welcoming speeches by the guests of honour followed at 10.30 am. Speaking on behalf of ARGE 130 was Tim Wagner, CEO of NVL B.V. & Co. KG, the company managing the project together with thyssenkrupp Marine Systems GmbH and GERMAN NAVAL YARDS KIEL GmbH, the Parliamentary State Secretary Siemtje Möller spoke on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Defence and Andy Grote, Senator of the Interior for the City of Hamburg. The Inspector of the Navy, Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, emphasised how urgently this "warfighter" is needed for the Navy, how high the demand is and that combat power is "sexy". From his own experience, he also emphasised the importance of the sponsorships of naval units with cities and countries, especially inland. The godmother Henriette Reker, Lord Mayor of Cologne, emphasised the pride of her city that a ship with the name Cologne will once again set sail.

The traditional christening ceremony began with the cutting of the champagne bottle's tether and the traditional wish for good sailing at all times and a hand's breadth of water under the keel. It was supposedly planned to christen the ship with a bottle of Kölsch, but this break with a centuries-old tradition was unthinkable. Nevertheless, the special Rhenish flair was not neglected thanks to the musical support of the Kiel Naval Music Corps, which concluded the ceremony with the national anthem.

Following the naming ceremony, the guests were invited to lunch in the shipyard hall. Greetings were spoken, the certificate of sponsorship was signed and small gifts were distributed over Rhenish sauerbraten. The K 130 II is also available for assembly: with plastic building blocks.

The other corvettes 7 and 8 are being fitted out in Hamburg. Construction number 9, the corvette "Augsburg", is still in the production phase. The future "Lübeck" is to be the last unit of the second batch of Class 130 for the German Navy for the time being. Whether this is the final decision or not is something we will be following closely over the next few months.

Deployment and procurement of the class 130 corvettes