''Sachsen'' is a ''Sachsen''-class

frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied somewhat. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and ...

of the German Navy, the lead ship of her class.

Construction and commissioning

Built by Blohm+Voss,

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

, ''Sachsen'' was the first of the ''Sachsen'' class to be launched and then commissioned into the German Navy. She is based at Wilhelmshaven, initially as part of ''1. Fregattengeschwader'' with the other ships of the ''Sachsen'' class, and from 9 January 2005 as part of the ''2. Fregattengeschwader'', which itself became part of the new ''

Einsatzflottille 2 ''Einsatzflottille 2'' (EinsFltl 2 or EF 2) is one of the three brigade-level units of the German Navy, in addition to '' Einsatzflottille 1'' and the Naval Air Command. It is based in Wilhelmshaven, Lower Saxony, and is subordinated to Navy Com ...

'' on 27 June 2005.

Service

In August 2004, ''Sachsen'' completed a series of live missile firings at the Point Mugu missile launch range off the coast of California that included a total of 11

ESSM The RIM-162 Evolved SeaSparrow Missile (ESSM) is a development of the RIM-7 Sea Sparrow missile used to protect ships from attacking missiles and aircraft. ESSM is designed to counter supersonic maneuvering anti-ship missiles. ESSM also has the ab ...

and 10 SM-2 Block IIIA missiles. The tests included firings against target drones such as the BQM-74E Chukar III and BQM-34S Firebee I, as well as against missile targets such as the AQM-37C Jayhawk and air-launched Kormoran 1 anti-ship missiles. While serving in Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 in 2004, ''Sachsen'' took part in training operations with the United States'

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

. She was part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 in 2007, and in 2009 participated in the

UNITAS Gold UNITAS Gold was the 50th iteration of UNITAS, which began in 1959 and is the longest-running multilateral maritime exercise. The 2009 exercises included 25 ships and 70 aircraft from 12 nations and was the 50th time the operation was conducted. ...

exercises, during which she took part in the sinking of a

target ship A target ship is a vessel — typically an obsolete or captured warship — used as a seaborne target for naval gunnery practice or for weapons testing. Targets may be used with the intention of testing effectiveness of specific types of ammuniti ...

, the former destroyer . In July 2012 she deployed as part of

Operation Atalanta Operation Atalanta, formally European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia, is a current counter-piracy military operation at sea off the Horn of Africa and in the Western Indian Ocean, that is the first naval operation conducted by the E ...

, combatting

piracy off the coast of Somalia Piracy off the coast of Somalia occurs in the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel and Somali Sea, in Somali territorial waters and other surrounding areas and has a long and troubled history with different perspectives from different communities. I ...

. From 26 August 2013 to 14 December 2013 ''Sachsen'' was part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2. ''Sachsen'' deployed from Wilhelmshaven on 9 October 2015 to participate in the NATO exercise "Trident Juncture". ''Sachsen'' replaced the Dutch frigate in Standing Nato Maritime Group 2 on 12 December 2016, serving as the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

of Admiral Axel Deertz during this time. The frigate replaced her as flagship of the taskforce in early April 2017. On 5 January 2018 ''Sachsen'' was assigned to

EU Navfor Med Operation Sophia, formally European Union Naval Force Mediterranean (EU NAVFOR Med), was a military operation of the European Union that was established as a consequence of the April 2015 Libya migrant shipwrecks with the aim of neutralising esta ...

, replacing the frigate . On 21 June 2018, ''Sachsen'' was operating with near the

Arctic Circle The Arctic Circle is one of the two polar circles, and the most northerly of the five major circles of latitude as shown on maps of Earth. Its southern equivalent is the Antarctic Circle. The Arctic Circle marks the southernmost latitude at w ...

when it attempted to fire a SM-2 Block IIIA missile, and it exploded above the ship. The explosion scorched the paint off the bridge and the vertical launch cells battery. Two German sailors suffered minor injuries. After a brief port call in

Harstad ( se, Hárstták) is the second-most populated municipality in Troms og Finnmark county, Norway. It is mostly located on the large island of Hinnøya. The municipal center is the Harstad (town), town of Harstad, the most populous town in Centra ...

, Norway, both frigates returned to their homeport of Wilhelmshaven, Germany.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sachsen Sachsen-class frigates 2001 ships Ships built in Hamburg Frigates of Germany