"Bonn" and "Rhön": VJTF not without the Tross squadron

Fuel transporter "Rhön" leaves home port, "Bonn" returns

On Easter Monday, the fuel transporter "Rhön" left its home port of Wilhelmshaven with 43 crew members. The ship will be deployed until the end of August as the German contribution to the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force Maritime (VJTF M) in the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG 1). The operational area will be the North and Baltic Seas, as well as the North Atlantic. As a floating refuelling station, the "Rhön" will ensure the supply of fuel for the NATO partners.

Meanwhile, the relatives of the crew of the task force supply ship "Bonn" waited for their loved ones to return on Friday 5 April. The "Bonn" left Wilhelmshaven on 15 January this year under the command of frigate captain Eike Deußen (50) to take part in the NATO Very High Readiness Joint Task Force Maritime (VJTF M). The 183-strong crew of the "Bonn" travelled around 11,000 nautical miles (approx. 20,372 km) in just under three months.

In the best Wilhelmshaven spring weather, the "Bonn" sailed calmly and proudly into her home harbour without tug assistance and with a music corps.

The commander said in a press conference that it had got off to a somewhat bumpy start, as the "Bonn" had to undergo unscheduled repairs in Rostock, but after that it was all the more successful on an international scale. Attractive harbours, many contacts and a visit to Sweden as a new NATO partner. It was a difficult and at the same time very enjoyable task, said Eike Deußen.