From a press release by the Rostock Naval Command:
On 16 July at 10 am, the frigate "Mecklenburg-Vorpommern" returns from the Very High Readiness Taskforce (VJTF) to its home port of Wilhelmshaven. During her six-month deployment, the ship was involved in multinational exercises in the North Sea and Arctic, together with the carrier group of the American aircraft carrier "USS Gerald Ford". In addition, she acted as the flagship and command platform for the unit commander, Flotilla Admiral Thorsten Marx (55) and the 20-strong staff of Task Group 441.01 of the VJTF (M).
"It was a long, demanding deployment with a consistently high 'beat rate' and at the same time a special atmosphere from the months of close cooperation with ships from various NATO nations. The crew can look back with pride on their time as a NATO flagship, but we are also very happy to be able to return to our families and friends," says the commander of the "Mecklenburg-Vorpommern", frigate captain Hendrik Wißler (44).
Once in the Arctic Circle and back
The "Mecklenburg-Vorpommern" left Wilhelmshaven in winter for Den Helder in the Netherlands and then set course for the Arctic Circle. During her transit, she took her place as the flagship of the VJTF (M). On her way across the Arctic to the Baltic Sea, she also moored in Runavik and the Faroe Islands. Of course, a harbour like this is something special for every marine soldier, as the Faroe Islands are not usually among the typical ports of call. The entire mission was characterised by months of demanding cooperation with the ships of the various NATO nations. During the 180-day deployment period, the Brandenburg-class frigate and its crew travelled more than 33,000 nautical miles. This corresponds to approximately 61,116 kilometres or around 1.5 circumnavigations of the earth. In addition to the 220-strong crew, two Sea Lynx Mk88A helicopters and their personnel, as well as a dental team, were also on board at the time of arrival. The mission will continue in the second half of the year, with the 20-strong staff of the VJTF's Task Group 441.01 leader taking up duty on the frigate "Hessen" after the "Mecklenburg-Vorpommern" arrives.
The crew look back with pride on their time as the association flagship and are looking forward to returning to their home port and spending time with their loved ones after such a long time at sea.
"Mecklenburg-Vorpommern" in the Baltic Sea. Photo: Bundesehr/T.Kistenmacher
Background information VJTF
Very High Readiness Joint Task Force refers to a rapidly deployable task force that is subordinate to NATO. As a result of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the regional defence plans along NATO's eastern flank have been activated and additional forces have been deployed. Since then, they have been used to reinforce Eastern European NATO countries and are thus intended to provide increased deterrence and defence capabilities.
Background information frigate type F123
Since their commissioning, four ships of the F123 class have been used primarily for submarine hunting. To this end, they can deploy both their bow sonar and two Sea Lynx helicopters. These extend the submarine-hunting range of the ships with their diving sonar and torpedoes. Brandenburg-class frigates are equipped with powerful radar systems for sea and air surveillance and fire control. Sonar, electronic warfare systems and telecommunications and data transmission systems round off the equipment.
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