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Deutsche Marine - German Navy - 1988

By 1988, the West German Navy, in terms of its composition, modern weapons and combat equipment, and level of professional training of its personnel, was a leader among the navies of the European capitalist states. The FRG Navy numbered 167 major and minor combatants; more than 100 auxiliary vessels; more than 180 aircraft and helicopters (including reserve); and 36,500 personnel.

The most modern vessels in the fleet were the two "Bremen" class guided missile frigates; 18 "Type 206" class submarines; and 32 missile fast attack craft. Primary attention in developing the Navy was paid to qualitatively improving combat vessels, aircraft and helicopters and improving their strike and fire power. Two "Bremen" class guided missile frigates (F207 Bremen and F208 Niedersachsen) (Figure 5); and two "Type 143A" class missile fast attack craft were commissioned in 1982.

By 1988 four "Bremen" class guided missile frigates and eight "Type 143A" class missile fast attack craft (to replace "Zobel" class torpedo fast attack craft) were in various stages of construction. When the former are commissioned, "Köln" class frigates would be retired from the active Navy. Future construction of six more guided missile frigates of this class had been proposed.

The "Type 210" class submarine (displacement 750 tons) was being developed for the FRG Navy, to replace "Type 205" class submarines. "Type 332" class mine hunter-sweepers are also being developed. Construction of "Type 343" class mine hunter-sweepers (9 ships) was to begin in 1983. In addition, modernization of "Type 206" class submarines and "Lutens" and "Hamburg" class destroyers during the 1980's was planned.

The FRG possessed rather powerful naval forces by the end of the Cold War. They had not undergone significant changes in the late 1980s, and they had a strength of almost 200 warships and launches, including 24 diesel submarines, 7 guided missile destroyers, 6 guided missile frigates, 3 frigates, 5 corvettes, 22 small assault landing ships (including 1 training ship and 2 in reserve), 59 minesweepers (including 2 minelayers), 40 missile boats, 28 landing boats (in reserve) and over 100 auxiliary vessels. Naval aviation includes around 120 airplanes and helicopters.

The effective combat strength of submarine forces (18 type 206 submarines and 6 type 205 submarines) would apparently not change in the next few years. Construction of submarines of a new type (211 was being postponed for the moment. There were plans for beginning overhaul and modernization of the first six type 206 submarines, which would be designated 206A. Older submarines (type 205) that had been in the inventory since the late 1960s would be gradually phased out of the fleet's effectives at the start of the 1990s.

Construction of another two guided missile frigates had begun — the seventh and eighth in the series of "Bremen" class frigates (type 122). The F213 "Augsburg" was laid down at Bremer Vulcan's building ways in Bremen in March 1987, and the F214 "Lübeck" is being built by Tissen Nordseewercke in the city of Emden. After these ships were transferred to the navy, "Köln" class frigates would be retired from the inventory.

The question as to the final number of "Bremen" class ships in the series remains open. Some military specialists suggested the idea that it might be suitable to continue their construction (with some changes) rather than activating efforts to create a so-called "standard frigate of the 1990s" on a multinational basis within the NATO framework, and to develop a new design of a ship of this class capable of their defense (type 124).

Three "Lutjens" class guided missile destroyers (built in the USA in 1969-1970) underwent overhaul and modernization. It was expected that "Hamburg" class guided missile destroyers (four units, 1964-1968) would remain in the inventory following limited modernization until the early 1990s.

The West German navy possessed the largest minesweeping forces of the capitalist navies. As of the beginning of 1988 these forces included 2 minelayers ("Sachsenwald" class, transferred to the navy in 1969), 12 minehunters ("Lindau", 1958-1960), and 6 Troika minesweeping control system ships ("Lindau", 1958-1959), 39 inshore minesweepers (21 "Schütze", 1959-1962, 10 "Frauenlob", 1966-1969, 8 "Ariadne", 1961-1963).

The combat capabilities of minesweeping forces was to be maintained at a sufficiently high level by significantly renewing the ship fleet while concurrently retiring obsolete minesweepers into the reserve or dismantling them.

Construction of a series of 10 new type 343 fast minesweepers that were to replace "Schütze" class inshore minesweepers had begun. There were plans for completing the program by 1991. Ships of this type with a full load displacement of around 600 tons were specially designed for operations in the Baltic Sea, and they were intended for two basic missions—laying minefields (they can carry up to 60 mines, and their top speed was 24 knots) and sweeping for mines laid by the enemy.

In the first half of 1988 construction of Type 332 minehunters was to begin on the basis of Type 343 minehunters (the hull and propulsion unit were similar, but the displacement was somewhat lower). Ten such ships are to be ordered from industry initially. They would be equipped with mine-seeking sonar and with Penguin-B3 cable remote-controlled submersibles for classification and destruction of mines (diving depth 100 m, radius of action up to 1,000 m, independent operating time 2-3 hr). When combat activities begin, minehunters would carry out the missions of mine defense on North Sea lines of communication.

The West German navy still possessed 40 missile boats (10 each of Types 143 and 143A and 20 type 148). Information concerning development of a Type 143B boat had appeared in the press. The series was to consist of up to 20 units. However, detailed information on this was absent.

The FRG was building three new type 423 reconnaissance ships. The prototype, the A50 "Oste", was commissioned in September 1987. The ship's displacement is 2,400 tons, its length was 83.5 m, its width was 14.6 m, its draft was 9.4 m, and its speed was 19 knots.

In naval aviation, rearmament of the 1st and 2d squadrons with Tornado airplanes was nearing completion. They replaced F-104G fighter-bombers and RF-104G Starfighter Scouts. A total of 112 aircraft were ordered for the country's navy. A contract was signed with Great Britain to deliver five Lynx ship-based antisubmarine helicopters to supplement the 12 existing in the navy beginning in July 1988.