German frigate Bayern
{{Short description|German Navy frigate}}
{{other ships|German ship Bayern}}
| {{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image |Ship image=German frigate Bayern (F217) underway in the Baltic Sea on 10 June 2008 (080610-N-3396B-067).jpg |Ship caption=Bayern in 2008 }} {{Infobox ship career |Hide header= |Ship country=Germany |Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Germany|naval}} |Ship name=Bayern |Ship namesake=Bavaria |Ship ordered= |Ship builder=Nordseewerke, Emden |Ship yard number= |Ship laid down= 16 December 1993 |Ship launched= 30 June 1994 |Ship acquired= |Ship commissioned=15 June 1996 |Ship decommissioned= |Ship in service= |Ship out of service= |Ship struck= |Ship reinstated= |Ship identification=*{{MMSI Number|211210180}}
|Ship honours= |Ship fate= |Ship status=Active |Ship notes= }} {{Infobox ship characteristics |Hide header= |Header caption= |Ship class=Brandenburg-class frigate |Ship displacement=3,600 tons (4,490t full load){{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TJunjRvplU4C&pg=PA246 | page=246 | title=The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems | first=Eric | last= Wertheim | publisher = Naval Institute Press | year=2007 | isbn=9781591149552 }} |Ship length={{convert|138.85|m}} |Ship draught={{convert|4.35|m}} ({{convert|6.3|m}} over sonar) |Ship propulsion=*CODOG (combined diesel or gas)
|Ship speed=>{{convert|29|kn}} |Ship range={{convert|4000|nmi}}at {{convert|18|kn}} |Ship complement=26 officers, 193 enlisted |Ship sensors=*One Thales LW08 air search D band radar
|Ship EW=*1 EADS FL 1800S ECM suite
|Ship armament=
|Ship armour= |Ship aircraft= Two Sea Lynx helicopters equipped with ASW torpedoes, or air-to-surface missiles Sea Skua, and a heavy machine gun. |Ship notes= }} |
Bayern is a Brandenburg-class frigate of the German Navy.
Construction and commissioning
Bayern and the three other frigates of the Brandenburg class were designed as replacements for the Hamburg-class destroyers. She was laid down in 1993 at the yards of Nordseewerke, Emden and launched in June 1994. She was christened by Karin Stoiber, the wife of the then Minister-President of Bavaria Edmund Stoiber. After undergoing trials she was commissioned on 15 June 1996, and assigned to 6. Fregattengeschwader. After the naval structure was reorganised, Bayern was assigned to 2. Fregattengeschwader, based at Wilhelmshaven.
Service
Bayern has been involved in several foreign missions since her commissioning, including deploying in the Adriatic in 1999 during Operation Allied Force, the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia. Between April and November 2005 she served as the flagship for Wolfgang Kalähne, Commander-in-Chief of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2. Bayern was deployed with the Group in various manoeuvres, and to support Operation Active Endeavour.{{cite web|title=NATO-EINSATZ: Grußworte aus Bayern an die Besatzung|publisher=NWZonline|url=http://www.nwzonline.de/wilhelmshaven/grussworte-aus-bayern-an-die-besatzung_a_6,1,4051443402.html|date=1 April 2005|accessdate=1 November 2016|language=German}} Between September 2007 to March 2008 Bayern was the flagship of Hans-Christian Luther, Commander-in-Chief of the Maritime Task Force of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. In late January 2008 Bayern came to the assistance of the container ship Gevo Victory, which was in distress off the Lebanese coast. Bayern rescued 14 crew members.{{cite web|title=Deutsche Marine: Die Fregatte BAYERN kehrt aus dem Einsatz zurück|publisher=presseportal.de|url=http://www.presseportal.de/pm/67428/1153276|date=12 March 2008|accessdate=24 October 2016|language=German}}
On 18 July 2011 Bayern left Wilhelmshaven to join Operation Atalanta, the anti-piracy mission off the Horn of Africa. She arrived on station on 13 August, with Thomas Jugel taking over command of the taskforce, with Bayern as his flagship. Bayern was deployed in support of the operation until 6 December, and then returned to Wilhelmshaven, arriving on 22 December 2011. Her next deployment was as flagship of Thorsten Kähler, commander of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2. This lasted until 1 June 2012, after which she took part in exercises, and manoeuvres related to Operation Active Endeavour.{{cite web| url=http://www.marine.de/portal/poc/marine?uri=ci%3Abw.mar.aktuelle.einsatze.sng.snmg2.aktuelles&de.conet.contentintegrator.portlet.current.id=01DB070000000001%7C92MCS6422DIBR | title=Zurück im Heimathafen – "Bayern" hat Einsatz als NATO-Flaggschiff beendet | author=Presse- und Informationszentrum Marine | publisher=Bundeswehr | date=3 December 2012 | accessdate=6 May 2014|language=German }}
Bayern deployed once more, on 26 January 2015, to join Operation Atalanta, remaining on station until returning to her home port on 3 July 2015. She returned to Operation Atalanta on 23 March, serving as the flagship of Flotilla Admiral Jan Christian Kaack.{{cite web|url=http://www.einsatz.bundeswehr.de/portal/poc/einsatzbw?uri=ci%3Abw.bwde_einsatzbw.aktuelle_einsaetze&de.conet.contentintegrator.portlet.current.id=01DB174000000001%7CA8J9V5223DIBR|title="Bayern" übernimmt – Operation Atalanta wird von deutscher Fregatte aus geführt|author=Daniel Timme / Martin Kübel|work=www.einsatz.bundeswehr.de|date=31 March 2016|accessdate=31 March 2016|language=German}} This deployment lasted for five months, Bayern sailing some 32,000 nautical miles, before returning home on 8 August 2016.{{cite web|url=http://eunavfor.eu/fgs-bayern-on-her-way-home-after-successful-counter-piracy-deployment-with-operation-atalanta/|title=FGS Bayern on her Way Home After Successful Counter-piracy Deployment with Operation Atalanta {{!}} Eunavfor|work=eunavfor.eu|accessdate=8 August 2016|archive-date=8 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160808153234/http://eunavfor.eu/fgs-bayern-on-her-way-home-after-successful-counter-piracy-deployment-with-operation-atalanta/|url-status=dead}} On 7 March 2018, Bayern sailed from Wilhelmshaven to rejoin Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 in the Aegean Sea, replacing the replenishment ship Frankfurt am Main. Bayern was expected to complete this deployment at the end of August 2018.{{cite web |url=http://www.marine.de/portal/a/marine/start/aktuelle/!ut/p/z1/hY9PC4JAEMW_kbNqph1X_JNgEhmZe4nFXWzDdmXZpEMfvpXAmzSHB_PezG8YIHAFIukkemqEknSwfUu2tzgqz6W387wyQxgVaVrtg6Bw83wDF2j-jRAbo5XCCGrGobWMcJXhe1ADAcK40ynJzayGSyOs9poapZ1RaTPMyUtrmziCQYvcJEbhcsr94OaQ4CDa-EkRn2bgg070vezSbn4a2juVbOBH1eGfMT6zqKqC_gtiPPkD/dz/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/#Z7_B8LTL2922LF0A0IEENH55I1G32 |title=Die Fregatte "Bayern" verlässt Wilhelmshaven in Richtung Mittelmeer |work=www.marine.de |publisher=Deutsche Marine |date=7 March 2018 |access-date=16 March 2018|language=de}}
In August 2021, Bayern was deployed to the South China Sea in an effort to "show more presence in the Indo-Pacific region".{{Cite web|url=https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/germany-sends-warship-to-south-china-sea-in-latest-challenge-to-beijing-territorial-claims/ar-AAMRguY|title=Germany Sends Warship to South China Sea in Latest Challenge to Beijing Territorial Claims|website=MSN}} The Bayern arrived in Fremantle Harbour on 28 September 2021 for a long-pre-planned one-week visit, thereby becoming the first German navy ship to visit Australia since the Gorch Fock berthed in Sydney in 1988.{{cite web| url=https://news.defence.gov.au/international/german-warship-visits-fremantle | title=German warship visits Fremantle | author=Lieutenant Gary McHugh | publisher=Australian Government Department of Defence | date=30 September 2021 | access-date=5 October 2021 }} After China had denied the ship permission to dock in Shanghai, the Bayern's visit to Australia had been extended to a second port, with the ship scheduled to head to Darwin from Fremantle.{{cite news |last1=Burke |first1=Justin |last2=Peters |first2=Johannes |date=28 September 2021 |title=Naval deployment shows Germany's commitment to the Indo-Pacific |url=https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/naval-deployment-shows-germanys-commitment-to-the-indo-pacific/ |work=The Strategist |location=Barton |access-date=5 October 2021}}
References
{{commons category|F217 Bayern (ship, 1996)}}
{{Reflist}}
{{Brandenburg-class frigate}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bayern}}