{"id":48004,"date":"2025-08-22T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/marineforum.online\/?p=48004"},"modified":"2025-09-29T20:46:35","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T18:46:35","slug":"final-good-bye-speedboats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marineforum.online\/en\/endgueltiges-good-bye-schnellboote\/","title":{"rendered":"Final \"goodbye speedboats\"!"},"content":{"rendered":"

A legend has now finally embarked on its last voyage - albeit not on its own keel!\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The last seven of the Class 143A fast patrol boats decommissioned at the end of 2016 and laid up at the Kiel Naval Arsenal (MArs Kiel) have been transferred to the Dutch heavy-lift transport vessel MV \"Happy Sky\" in a loading and securing operation lasting several weeks. An initial transport project failed in November 2024 due to mussel growth on the underwater hulls caused by the long laytime - the growth would have prevented secure mooring with straps on the \"Happy Sky\" and the short-term cleaning of the hulls would have caused some problems. A second attempt with a Chinese transport ship also fell through. Now it seems to have worked - as the series of pictures shows.<\/p>\n

\"The
The last seven speedboats of the class, photo: Michael Nitz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The transport ship left Kiel on 14 August 2025 with the rare cargo on board, bound for Aliaga near Izmir, deep on the west coast of Turkey. There, the speedboats are now to be processed for decommissioning the 42 MTU diesel engines (28 AnDiMot and 14 EDiMot) scaffolded on board. However, further utilisation of the boats is contractually excluded.<\/p>\n

After the heavy-lift transport ship passed through the Strait of Gibraltar on 20 August 2025, the transport is expected to reach its port of destination on 25 August 2025, according to calculations by Schiffstracker. According to informed sources in the shipping industry, the buyer of the seven 57.6 metre-long boats, which used to travel at speeds of up to 42 knots, is located in the area of the scrapping and recycling companies in Aliaga.<\/p>\n

\"Upper
Upper deck cargo. Photo: Michael Nitz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While the speedboats ex-S80 HY\u00c4NE, ex-S79 WIESEL, ex-S75 ZOBEL (in a triple pack forward from port to starboard), ex-S76 FRETTCHEN and ex-S73 HERMELIN (aft) are moored on the upper deck of the heavy-lift transport vessel, ex-S78 OZELOT and ex-S72 PUMA are in the hold.<\/p>\n

Since 2016, the S71 GEPARD has been a museum ship in the German Naval Museum<\/a> in Wilhelmshaven. S74 NERZ and S77 DACHS were sold to a L\u00fcbeck-based company for further utilisation in March 2012 following their decommissioning due to personnel and spare parts shortages.<\/p>\n