The Type 423 ''Oste'' class are purpose built
signals intelligence (SIGINT/ELINT) and
reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities.
Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...
ships of the
German Navy
The German Navy (, ) is the navy of Germany and part of the unified ''Bundeswehr'' (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Mari ...
. Officially designated as "fleet service ships", they replaced the Type 422 class.
Accommodation for the crew was designed to civil standards, and the ''Oste'' class offers much more comfort for the crew than other ships in the German Navy.
List of ships
The ships were built at
Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft
Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft is a German shipbuilding company located in Flensburg. The company trades as ''Flensburger'' and is commonly abbreviated ''FSG''.
History
''Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft'' was founded in 1872 by a group of ...
in
Flensburg.
All ships are currently based in
Eckernförde and belong to the ''
1st Ubootgeschwader'' (1st Submarine Squadron) stationed in Eckernförde. The vessels received the same name and pennant numbers as the three Type 422 class vessels they replaced. To avoid the confusion, the ship names are sometimes suffixed with ''II''.
''Oker'' (A53) was reportedly spotted near the
Syrian coast in August 2012. Later she was seen in Greenwich, UK in February 2017
References
;Notes
;Bibliography
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Electronic intelligence ships
Auxiliary surveillance ship classes
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