On 17 June 2019, the F125 “Baden-Württemberg” was officially commissioned in a ceremony in the presence of German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen. The German Navy now has in service the most modern and powerful frigate which was ever built in Germany. “Baden-Württemberg” was built by ARGE F125 with ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems as lead company.
The newly designed class F125 ships, with their highly complex systems and approximately 28,000 sensors, have a very high degree of automation, which makes it possible to halve the crew size in comparison to previous German frigate classes. The ships can remain in their operational area for up to two years. This way, the number of the usually very long transits can be significantly reduced. The F125 “Baden-Württemberg” is the first ship worldwide to successfully implement the intensive use concept.
Next to the traditional tasks of national and alliance defense, the ships are designed for conflict prevention, crisis management and intervention and stabilization operations in the international arena. In addition to the ability to fight offshore and onshore targets, they also have anti-aircraft systems and helicopters specially equipped for submarine hunting.
The contract for the construction of the four frigates became effective in June 2007. The concept, design and a detailed design phase followed. Around 90 percent of the highly complex systems on board the F125 were specially developed for this new class of ships. Due to this high complexity and the related, different challenges as well as the further modular development of the ship during the project, “Baden-Württemberg” was delivered about 3 years after the contractually agreed date.
The second class F125 ship, the “Nordrhein-Westfalen” (“North Rhine-Westphalia”), will be ready to be handed over to the customer in 2019. The handing over of the 3rd and 4th ship is planned to take place successively within the next 2 years.
The ARGE F125 consortium comprises ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems as the lead company and Fr. Lürssen Werft in Bremen. The pre-fitted bow sections are being manufactured at the shipyards of the Lürssen Group in Bremen and Wolgast. Construction of the stern sections, the joining of the two sections and further fitting out was being carried out at Blohm+Voss Shipyards in Hamburg under the leadership of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems.
Specification data for the F125:
- Length: 149 m
- Width: 18 m
- Maximum speed: >26 knots
- Displacement: approx. 7,000 t
- Crew: max. 190 (of which up to 120 regular crew members)
With around 6,000 employees, ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems is one of the world’s leading marine companies and a systems provider in submarine and surface shipbuilding as well as maritime electronics and security technology. Over 180 years of history and the constant pursuit of improvements are the basis for the company’s success in constantly setting new standards. ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems offers customized solutions for highly complex challenges in a changing world.
Since 1875, the northern German group of companies, Lürssen, has been renown worldwide for the highest product quality as well as innovative technologies in yacht and naval shipbuilding. This family-owned company, based in Bremen-Vegesack, specialises in the design and manufacture of yachts, marine and coastguard vessels. With six highly specialised production sites in Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Lower Saxony and Schleswig-Holstein, the family company will continue to rely on the proven shipbuilding traditions of North German shipyards.
