PHOTO GALLERY #33: Mount Whitney, amphibious command ship of the United States Navy

USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20), flagship of the the U.S. 6th Fleet

This is another photo gallery from my visit to Kiel in 2019, on the first weekend of the 137th Kiel Week. The Kiel Week (German: Kieler Woche) or Kiel Regatta is an annual sailing event in Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The first weekend of the Kiel Week, the famous Naval Base of Kiel, opens its gates for just four hours per day, for thousands of tourists who are eager to visit the German Navy warships and dozens of foreign warships which visit the city of Kiel, to honor the Kiel Week. Among the visiting ships, was the U.S. 6th Fleet (Commander Vice Adm. Lisa Franchetti) Blue Ridge-class command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20). The ship is named for Mount Whitney, a peak in the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California. Mount Whitney is the highest summit in the contiguous United States, with an elevation of 14,505 feet (4,421 m).

VIKING wins Hellenic Navy tender for 11 RIBs

Each MEKO 200/Hydra class frigate carriers a single RIB

On Wednesday, April 1, VIKING Norsafe Life-Saving Equipment Hellas S.A. was officially declared the winning bidder in a Hellenic Navy tender covering eleven (11) customized METIS Rigid Inflatable Boats (RIBs) between 6 and 7 meters in length. The eleven boats will replace existing RIBs, already in service with MEKO/Hydra class, Kortenaer/Elli class frigates and/or other ships in the Fleet. Each frigate carriers a single RIB and one (Kortenaer) or two (Hydra) workboats. The new RIBs will be deployed predominantly to support search and rescue (SAR) operations. The delivery of the  vessels is scheduled for Summer 2020. The boats will be fabricated using the successful design of the VIKING Norsafe METIS. Six (6) of them will be fitted with a single outboard engine and five (5) with twin outboard engines, as well as with state-of-the-art navigation navigation equipment. They will be able to sustain a top speed of at least 30 knots, even fully loaded and can carry at least ten persons on board.

INFOGRAPHICS OF COAST GUARD VESSELS #7: The new boats of the Hellenic Coast Guard 2020-2024

Written by D-Mitch

The first CNV P355GR PCB under construction

This is the seventh post about infographics of various coast guard vessels and coast guard fleets from around the world.  The following infographic depicts the boats the Hellenic Coast Guard (HCG) will commission by 2024. On March 18, 2020, the Greek Minister for Shipping and Island Policy announced that the HCG will purchase 54 vessels by 2023. It is expected though a delay in the delivery of the vessels due to COVID-19 pandemic. That is the reason why I postponed the deliveries by 2024. Note that the following graph includes only the new vessels and not the old vessels of which many of them have been modernized. Information about some of the largest HCG vessels can been found in the following links: Stan Patrol 5509, Sa'ar 4 class and Vosper Europatrol 250 Mk1. Currently the Hellenic Coast Guard fleet in its totality consists of approximately 240 vessels of all types (see more here).

The new boats for the Hellenic Coast Guard. High resolution infographic here.

PHOTO GALLERY #32: Bonn, replenishment ship of the German Navy

Bonn, replenishment ship of the German Navy

This is the ninth photo gallery from my visit to Kiel in 2019, on the first weekend of the 137th Kiel Week. The Kiel Week (German: Kieler Woche) or Kiel Regatta is an annual sailing event in Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The first weekend of the Kiel Week, the famous Naval Base of Kiel, opens its gates for just four hours per day, for thousands of tourists who are eager to visit the German Navy warships and dozens of foreign warships which visit the city of Kiel, to honor the Kiel Week. Among the German ships moored at the Base, was the final vessel in the giant Berlin-class replenishment ships, Bonn (A1413), a ship that was commissioned in 2013. Her sisters are Berlin and Frankfurt am Main; both have a rear mast and until some years ago they lack of the Thales Variant radar. Berlins are combat support ships which serve the logistical and medical support of mixed task forces. They are the largest ships of the German Navy and named after cities in which German parliaments were or are based. In Canada , the design of the Berlin class was selected in a competition on June 2, 2013 for the two new "Joint Support Ships" ( Protecteur (II) class) of the Royal Canadian Navy. Her length is almost 174m, the beam 24m, while the displacement reaches the 21,000t at full load. Berlin class's capacity is 9,330 tonnes in total, consisting of fuel oil (7,600), aviation fuel (490), fresh water, ammunition, consumer goods and others. There are 84 container parking spaces on board. The ships of the class can take care of the disposal of waste water and waste from the supplied units. The flight deck is quite large while the hangar can accommodate two 10t helicopters, Sea King or NH90, which are used to transport people and materials. The flight deck also allows the use of even larger helicopters. For self-defense, the ship is armed with four (4) Rheinmetall MLG 27 remote weapon 27mm gun systems, Stinger MANPADS and a variety of machine guns. The ships can be equipped with a so-called Naval Rescue Center (MERZ) for medical support as a hospital ship. The MERZ system consists of a network of 26 ISO special containers , which form a two-story deck house and are connected to the on-board supply network. The containers contain examination rooms, operating rooms, diagnostic and therapeutic facilities and laboratories. A bed station below deck instead of a hold is designed for the care of 45 patients. The ships are equipped also with two big cranes, each 22 t lifting load. The crew is about 150 people. Enjoy the photos!

VIKING Norsafe boats for the Hellenic Armed Forces (Part B: Hellenic Navy and Hellenic Coast Guard)

VIKING Norsafe Munin S1200 armed with Kongsberg's Sea Protector
RWS. Original photo by Kongsberg

This is the 2nd part of our visit to the manufacturing plant of VIKING Norsafe Hellas in Thiva, Greece, in order to learn at first hand its world-famous products and especially those that are/will be in service with the Hellenic Armed Forces and the Hellenic Coast Guard. Founded in 1974, VIKING Norsafe Hellas is the Greek subsidiary of the leading global maritime safety solutions provider VIKING Life-Saving Equipment A/S. VIKING Norsafe Hellas produces high quality marine life-saving appliances – lifeboats, rescue boats and davits, using the latest technologies and materials in order to protect seafarers and offshore workers worldwide. In the 1st Part, we showed the large facilities of VIKING Norsafe in Greece as well as a presentation of a new RIB, Munin S1200 Open, that is offered to the Hellenic Army Special Forces. In this article, we will see the Munin S1200 Cabin and other boats of VIKING Norsafe that serve or will serve with the Hellenic Coast Guard and Hellenic Navy.

VIKING Norsafe boats for the Hellenic Armed Forces (Part A: Hellenic Army Special Forces)

The first VIKING Norsafe Munin S1200 in high speed in 2018

Naval Analyses, visited the manufacturing plant of VIKING Norsafe Hellas in Thiva, Greece, in order to learn at first hand its world-famous products and especially those that are/will be in service with the Hellenic Armed Forces and the Hellenic Coast Guard. Founded in 1974, VIKING Norsafe Hellas is the Greek subsidiary of the leading global maritime safety solutions provider VIKING Life-Saving Equipment A/S. VIKING Norsafe Hellas produces high quality marine life-saving appliances – lifeboats, rescue boats and davits, using the latest technologies and materials in order to protect seafarers and offshore workers worldwide. 

Internationales Maritimes Museum - A real gem in Hamburg! (Part Β: waship models)

Visiting the IMMH - Part B:ship models!

This is the second part, about my visit to the Internationales Maritimes Museum Hamburg (IMMH, International Maritime Museum of Hamburg), a private museum in a former warehouse (Kaispeicher B) in the HafenCity quarter of Hamburg, Germany. The museum houses predominantly Peter Tamm's collection of model ships, construction plans, uniforms, and maritime art, amounting to over 40,000 items and more than one million photographs on 12,000m2 (130,000 sq ft). It is the world's largest private collection of maritime artifacts. Three thousand years worth of maritime history are displayed on nine ‘decks’ with precious exhibits, model ships, armor, photographs, maps, paintings and much much more. To learn more about the IMMH you can visit Internationales Maritimes Museum - A real gem in Hamburg! (Part A: general impressions) because in this Part B (and final part), we will focus on the ship models and almost mainly those of WWII. Ι repeat that I had a great time there and I wish I could have more time to examine more other ship models (yes, there are not only those ship models I post here) as well as other details, paintings and maps, and to visit some sub-floors in between the nine floors which I missed. I could say that the museum is "nine floors of naval awesomeness"! An amazing well-maintained maritime museum worth visiting again and again! For the moment enjoy more than 200 photos of various warships accompanied by useful information!

Internationales Maritimes Museum - A real gem in Hamburg! (Part A: general impressions)

The impressive IMMH building in Hamburg

The Internationales Maritimes Museum Hamburg (IMMH, International Maritime Museum of Hamburg) is a private museum in the HafenCity quarter of Hamburg, Germany. The museum houses predominantly Peter Tamm's collection of model ships, construction plans, uniforms, and maritime art, amounting to over 40,000 items and more than one million photographs on 12,000m2 (130,000 sq ft). It is the world's largest private collection of maritime artifacts. It opened in a former warehouse in 2008. The private collection was started in 1934 by Peter Tamm (12 May 1928 – 29 December 2016) - former editor for naval themes at the Hamburger Abendblatt newspaper and chairman of the board of the Axel Springer AG - when Tamm was six years old. As Tamm retold the history, the initial event was when his mother presented him his first model ship. From his collection, he founded the Wissenschaftliches Institut für Schifffahrts- und Marinegeschichte (Academic Institute for Shipping and Naval History) located in a mansion at the Elbchaussee street and only open by appointment. Later, on December 10th 2002, the Peter Tamm Sen. Stiftung foundation was established, which is the owner of the Internationales Maritimes Museum Hamburg. In 2004 the Hamburg Parliament approved a €30 million grant for a new museum in the HafenCity quarter unanimously. In 2005, the building was given to the foundation by lease for free for 90 years by the senate of Hamburg. On 25 June 2008, the museum was opened by the German president Horst Köhler. 

Erradii class frigates of the Algerian National Navy

Written by D-Mitch

El Moudamir (911), MEKO A-200AN of the Algerian National Navy

The first MEKO A-200 frigates were ordered from South Africa in 1999. The South African Navy placed an order for four multi-purpose MEKO A-200SAN which are known as the Valour class. The ships were constructed in Germany between 2001-03 and delivered unarmed to S.Africa where the weapons, sensors and combat system were integrated, a process that took 2-3 years per ship. The first vessel, SAS Amatola, was commissioned in February 2006 while the fourth and final ship, SAS Mendi, was handed over in June 2004 and commissioned in March 2007. Two MEKO A-200 AN frigates, a further development of the Valour-class design were built for Algeria by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS). TKMS is a group and holding company of providers of naval vessels, surface ships and submarines. It was founded when large industrial conglomerate ThyssenKrupp acquired Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft on January 5, 2005.  The group consists of Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft in Kiel, Germany, Atlas Elektronik in Bremen, Germany and Hellenic Shipyards Co. in Skaramangas, Greece (25%). The South African frigates will be analyzed in a future article.

PHOTO GALLERY #31: Oak Hill, dock landing ship of the United States Navy

USS Oak Hill moored at Tirpitz quay, Kiel Naval Base

This is the eighth photo gallery from my visit to Kiel in 2018, on the first weekend of the 136th Kiel Week. More galleries will follow from 2018-19 Kiel Weeks. The Kiel Week (German: Kieler Woche) or Kiel Regatta is an annual sailing event in Kiel, the capital of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The first weekend of the Kiel Week, the famous Naval Base of Kiel, opens its gates for just four hours per day, for thousands of tourists who are eager to visit the German Navy warships and dozens of foreign warships which visit the city of Kiel, to honor the Kiel Week. Τhe United States Navy was represented by a number of ships including the USS Oak Hill (LSD-51), a Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship (LSD). She is named in honor of Oak Hill, the residence of James Monroe, the fifth President of the United States. The Monroe Doctrine was penned at Oak Hill, and subsequently delivered at an 1823 Congressional address which asserted that the Western Hemisphere was never to be colonized again. This doctrine is the inspiration for the Ship’s Motto: Nations’ Protector. Oak Hill is the second ship to honor the residence. Oak Hill was commissioned on 8 June 1996 and is the third vessel in a class of four. She is 186 meters long and has a full displacement around 16,600 tons. Enjoy the photos!

MEKO 200 Frigate Mild-Life Upgrade (MLU) programmes worldwide

Written by D-Mitch

MEKO 200 frigates HMNZS Te Mana, HMAS Parramatta and
HMAS Perth during the International Fleet Review 2013

The MEKO 200 is a frigate (FFG) design by the German shipyard Blohm+Voss as part of the MEKO family of warships. Ten MEKO 200 frigates were built to the Anzac-class design; eight for the Royal Australian Navy (first ship entered service in 1993), and two for the Royal New Zealand Navy (first ship entered service in 1994). Eight MEKO 200TN frigates were acquired by Turkey in three different tracks: four Track I/Yavuz vessels (first ship in 1987), two Track IIA/Barbaros class vessels (first ship in 1997) and two Track IIB/Barbaros (Salihreis subclass) vessels (first ship in 1998). Portugal acquired three MEKO 200PN/Vasco da Gama class (first ship commissioned in 1991) and Greece four MEKO 200HN/Hydra class (first ship commissioned in 1992). Total 25 vessels of seven (7) configurations! This article focuses on the Mild-Life Upgrade (MLU) programmes that are implemented on the MEKO 200 classes worldwide, of which some of them have change completely the appearance of the ships.

The new eyes of the Hellenic Navy and Hellenic Coast Guard: Miltech Hellas TDR-10A and TDR-HR-300

TDR-10A EO-sensor on a Hydra class frigate

This is the last update on the news regarding the equipping of Hellenic Navy warships and Hellenic Coast Guard offshore patrol vessels with new electro-optical (EO) sensors. In the article The new eyes of the Hellenic Navy Fleet: Miltech Hellas TDR-10 and IRB-75, I reported that a sensor designed and produced by the Greek company Miltech Hellas, the TDR-10 model, has equipped three Hellenic Navy gunboats and one frigate while 15 more systems of the advanced model TDR-10A, a completely new system, would equip front line surface combatants of the Greek Fleet that lack such a sensor. The TDR-10A was described in detail in the previous article The new eyes of the Hellenic Navy: Miltech Hellas TDR-10 ADVANCED. 

SCENARIOS #1: Hellenic Navy 1998 - 2030

Written by D-Mitch 

In this new series of articles, I examine briefly how the composition of major surface combatants of a specific naval Fleet could be different than it is today and how it could possibly look like in the near future. A graph illustrates this development through the years examined. For the graph, I take into account only the serious "opportunities" (mainly second-hand vessels) emerged during the time period considered as well as the official declared interest by the country's and/or armed forces' leadership. Please note that I do not criticize the decisions taken by the Hellenic Armed Forces leadership as every offer had its pros and cons. In this first article, I examine the Hellenic Navy (Πολεμικό Ναυτικό) from 1998 until 2030 focusing on specific years and providing a brief overview of the situation.

SCENARIOS #1: Hellenic Navy 1998 - 2030. High resolution image here.

Analytically about the lost opportunities (?) and the future of the Navy, as it follows:

BOOK REVIEW #8: CIA & Военно-морской флот СССР

CIA & Военно-морской флот СССР
του Εμμανουήλ Μουρτζάκη

Welcome to my eighth book review, The Soviet Navy through the Central Intelligence Agency documents, by Emmanouil Mourtzakis. This book brings to light the Soviet naval Strategy and the capabilities of the Soviet Navy directly through CIA documents of that period. The book has not been published in English yet, therefore the review is written for Greek-speaking readers. 

Η συγκεκριμένη μελέτη με τίτλο "Το Πολεμικό Ναυτικό της ΕΣΣΔ μέσα από τα αρχεία της Αμερικανικής Κεντρικής Υπηρεσίας Πληροφοριών και η σύγχρονη Ρωσική Ναυτική Στρατηγική", παρουσιάστηκε για πρώτη φορά στο ελληνικό κοινό ως ένθετο στο τεύχος 606 της Ναυτικής Επιθεώρησης του 2019. Στόχος του βιβλίου είναι να παρουσιάσει τη Σοβιετική Ναυτική Στρατηγική και Πρακτική καθώς και τις δυνατότητες του Σοβιετικού Ναυτικού, για πρώτη φορά, απευθείας από τα αρχεία της Κεντρικής Υπηρεσίας Πληροφοριών (CIA) των ΗΠΑ. Τα δύο πρώτα κεφάλαια επιτελούν αυτό το σκοπό, με διαχωρισμό των διαφόρων χρονικών περιόδων των αρχείων της CIA στο δεύτερο κεφάλαιο. Στη συνέχεια, στο τρίτο κεφάλαιο παρουσιάζεται η Ρωσική πλέον Ναυτική Στρατηγική και ο τρόπος που εφαρμόζεται σήμερα στον Αρκτικό Κύκλο και την Ανατολική Μεσόγειο. Όπως στο προηγούμενο βιβλίο που παρουσιάστηκε εδώ, Admiral Gorshkov: The Man Who Challenged the U.S. Navy, αναδεικνύονται οι επιχειρησιακές δυνατότητες του Σοβιετικού Ναυτικού κατά τη διάρκεια του Ψυχρού Πολέμου, δυνατότητες τόσο σημαντικές που αποτέλεσαν ουσιώδη πηγή στρατηγικού, επιχειρησιακού και τακτικού προβληματισμού για τις δυνάμεις των ΗΠΑ και των συμμάχων τους εκείνη τη περίοδο. 

BOOK REVIEW #7: Admiral Gorshkov: The Man Who Challenged the U.S. Navy

Welcome to my seventh book review, Admiral Gorshkov: The Man Who Challenged the U.S. Navy, by Norman Polmar, Thomas A Brooks, and George E Federoff.

Admiral Gorshkov:
The Man Who Challenged the U.S. Navy

In October 2005 the Russian MoD placed an order with Severnaya Verf for the construction of the lead ship of a new class of high-tech frigates. That stealth frigate was the first large surface combatant being built for the Russian Navy in 15 years, years since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The launching of this new combatant as well as some years later the launching of the first Borei class ballistic missile submarine, marked the Russian determination to restore Russia to great power status. The name that was given to the lead ship, and thus to the whole class, was Admiral Flota Sovetskogo Soyuza Gorshkov (Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov). Who was Gorshkov? Sergey Georgyevich Gorshkov (Russian: Серге́й Георгиевич Горшков; 26 February 1910 – 13 May 1988) was an admiral of the fleet of the Soviet Union. Twice awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union, he oversaw the expansion of the Soviet Navy into a global force during the Cold War. He is one of the most famous Russian and Soviet commanders who will be remembered as the man who designed and built a potent high-seas fleet that could challenge the supremacy of the U.S. Navy during the Cold War!

PHOTO GALLERY #30: Admiral Makarov, Admiral Grogorovich class frigate of the Russian Navy

Photos by Γ.Μ.

Admiral Makarov, an Admiral Grigorovich-class frigate

In this post you will enjoy some very good photos of Admiral Makarov, the latest Admiral Grigorovich-class (pr. 11356M) multi-mission frigate of the Russian Navy Black Sea Fleet, during her visit in Kerkyra (Corfu), as part of the 17th Hellenic -Russian Week in the Ionian Islands. Admiral Makarov was commissioned in December 27, 2017 and she is the third and morel likely the final vessel in the class, as the two incomplete vessels (4th and 5th) will be purchased by India for completion while the future of the 6th vessel is not known. The general characteristics of the class is a displacement of approximately 4,000t at full load, length of 124.8m, beam of 15.2m, maximum speed of 30 knots and a range of 4,850n.m. with the speed of 14 knots. Because some systems are not visible, it should be mentioned that the ship is equipped with among others a bow sonar (MGK-335EM-03) and a towed sonar array (Vignette-EM). The crew is 180-200. Enjoy photos of this quite heavily armed frigate!

With the destroyer USS Deyo in BALTOPS '93 exercise and at Kiel Naval Base

The destroyer USS Deyo,
BALTOPS 93 Phase I
June 8-10

USS Deyo, BALTOPS 1993 Phase I Jun 11-13,
anchored at Karlskrona Sweeden

The following photos were taken by Buddy Stewart and Nathan Jones aboard the Spruance-class destroyer USS Deyo (DD-989) during the exercise BALTOPS 1993. In the summer of 1993, USS Deyo deployed to the Baltic Sea and served as flagship for the exercise commander of BALTOPS. BALTOPS (Baltic Operations) is an annual military exercise, held and sponsored by the Commander, United States Naval Forces Europe, since 1971, in the Baltic Sea and the regions surrounding it. For the first time in the 22-year history of BALTOPS, the Eastern European countries of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Russia were invited to participate in the non-military phases of the exercise. This was the first (and the only?) time Russia participated, at least in the non-military portion of the exercises. Enjoy this unique photo collection of.. a different BALTOPS! A big thank to Buddy Stewart for the provided photos!

INFOGRAPHICS #45: United States Navy aircraft carriers, cruisers and Task Force One

The following images are created by Steve Freeman (sfreeman421 for deviantart) and depict all the classes of aircraft carriers and cruisers that were/are in service with the United States Navy as well as the famous (nuclear) Task Force One . Enjoy this great artwork! 

United States Navy Aircraft Carriers. Original artwork and illustration: Steve Freeman. In high resolution here

Hellenic Navy – Brief analysis of the current situation of the Fleet and its future

Written by D-Mitch

Photos by Nick Thodos 

The Hellenic Navy in exercise

Today, the Hellenic Navy maintains a large number of surface combatants and submarines in its inventory. However, the shortfalls suffered by the Navy over the last several years from the severe economic recession that began in mid-2008, are significant. Τhe economic crisis hit hard the country and Greece tried to recover via spending cuts including a high proportion of the defence budget. The vast majority of the warships in active service today are very old and should had been replaced by modern designs at least a decade ago. Having been held back by the pressures of the global economic crisis, the Hellenic Navy is now racing to catch up with its neighbors (source). Greece is a country with vast coastline, archipelagos and enclaves, heavily depended on trade and on the exploitation of maritime resource. However, trade and economic issues depend considerably on the free use of the sea, on the security of the sea lines of communication and the sustainable exploitation of marine resources. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and has been a key element of Greek economic activity since ancient times. Today, shipping is the country's most important industry worth $21.9 billion in 2018. (source) The responsibility of the Hellenic Navy in this respect is certainly huge. To a large extent, the future of Greece depends on the control exercised on the sea. To continue being effective, the Fleet must be a powerful, balanced and flexible instrument at the service of Greece in this uncertain and ever-changing geostrategic environment. It is vital for the Navy to continue having the necessary means to solve the most complex and demanding situations and constantly protecting and surveilling the maritime domains of national interest. In this article the most important facts about the current situation of the Fleet and its (possible) future are reported. Finally, one graph depict the current fleet composition and its future composition by 2030 in two scenarios, optimistic (O) and pessimistic (P). A second graph depicts the years of active service of the newest and oldest vessel per warship type.

INFOGRAPHICS #44: Adolf Hitler's Navy in 1936

"Adolf Hitler's Navy" is a two-page illustration from Life Magazine, Dec 7, 1936, and depicts all German navy ships afloat or under construction at the time. The image was originally posted by u/AspireAgain on www.reddit.com/r/WarshipPorn.

Adolf Hitler's Navy in 1936. High resolution image here.