On Tuesday, 26 October 2021 at 10 a.m., the minehunting boat "Homburg" will return to its home port of Kiel. The 43-strong crew from the 3rd Minehunting Squadron has been participating in the Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 1 (SNMCMG 1) for the past three months.
Together with ships and boats from seven NATO nations, the crew trained in the North and Baltic Seas under the leadership of the US Navy - a first in the history of SNMCMG 1. At the beginning of October, the leadership of the NATO group was then handed over to Poland. Part of the crew of the minehunting boat "Homburg" is a Portuguese Navy mine diving team consisting of four soldiers, who actively supported the Kiel crew in the search for contaminated sites.
In addition to naval and other unit exercises, the programme also included Historic Ordnance Disposal Operations, missions to search for and remove old munitions. These were carried out in the coastal waters off the Netherlands, Belgium, France and the United Kingdom. "The cramped conditions and lack of privacy on board are always a challenge in our everyday life on board. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic was also a dominant topic for us," says Corvette Captain Florian Holzhüter (32). However, specific shore leave regulations adapted to local incidences and new cases in the respective countries made it possible in some cases for the soldiers to leave their boat again under certain conditions.
Overall, the commander, who was first promoted to corvette captain at sea, draws a more than positive conclusion: "The entire operational commitment has further welded the crew together and made us all better. Every single one of my men and women has made a significant contribution to NATO's mission in the North Atlantic region, of which they can be proud."
After the "Homburg" arrives, the crew can look forward to a short holiday. Not so for the commander: "Unfortunately, I only have four days' leave, as the command academy is calling for the staff officer course. That's just the way it is in our job. Sometimes it's all at once." His greatest joy, however, is the short time he has with his wife and son, who was born just six days before the "Homburg" sailed.
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