New commander at the "Burg"

Today, on 17 January 2025 at 10 a.m., Rear Admiral Christoph Müller-Meinhard, Commander Support and Head of the Operational Support Department at Naval Command, handed over command of the Mürwik Naval School (MSM) from Flotilla Admiral Jens Nemeyer to Captain Jens Grimm.

The Kiel Naval Music Corps accompanied the military ceremony under its proven lively direction. Jens Nemeyer took command of the MSM in September 2021. The first few months of his term of office were dominated by the pandemic and a variety of organisational challenges. Nevertheless, he managed to ensure the training of future naval officers and thus avoid a gap in the availability of personnel for the fleet.

In his very personally formulated farewell speech, he recalled this challenging time and how it was used to lead the school onto new educational paths. In the crews of the two following years, he also saw academic training and the maritime character of the cadets as equally important. After more than three years, Flotilla Admiral Nemeyer left the officer school and moved to the naval command in Rostock as commander of the task forces and head of the operations department. As a naval aviator and helicopter pilot, he did not miss the opportunity to play "Flieger, grüß mir die Sonne" as a farewell song.

Gorch Fock, Photo: Holger Schlüter

To his surprise, the Gorch Fockwhich provided a wonderful backdrop beneath the MSM in the fog of the fjord. He expressed his gratitude for this farewell gift in a moving voice, which was emphasised musically with "Sailing". His successor Jens Grimm, known in the navy as a committed submariner, took office to the sounds of "Beyond the Sea". Grimm began his career as an officer in July 1994 at the Naval Academy, then completed his training to become a submarine commander and was commander of the 1st Submarine Squadron in Eckernförde and the Naval Operations School in Bremerhaven. In national and international staffs, he accompanied and led naval, Bundeswehr and NATO operations. Among other things, he was adjutant to Inspector General Eberhard Zorn, who was also present as a guest, as was Admiral (ret.) Rühle - an impressive number of "stars" among those present.

At the reception that followed, gifts were presented, the obligatory "green pen" was handed over and the important role of the wives was also recognised. It was a wonderful day for all the guests from politics, the Bundeswehr and the associations that the outgoing commander of the MSM prepared for everyone on this misty weekend.