Research vessel "Alliance" class (753)

The "Alliance" is one of the quietest research vessels of NATO. She has a civilian-military mixed crew. The captain and first officer are generally German nationals. The rest of the crew made ??up of members of the NATO states together. The "Alliance" was built on behalf of NATO as a research and survey vessel. The ship is supervised by the army and out in the ship register of Marine. The "Alliance" sails under the German flag.

The "Alliance" is the quietest surface ship in the world. This noise reduction is achieved, inter alia through the special storage of the components, such as motors and drive, aboard on rubber feet. In addition, all engines are installed in sound-absorbing cabins. The tailboard is additionally insulated with plates of lead-rubber mixture. These plates absorb the vibrations. With this capability, the ship of the research is important. The next project through the Department of the "Alliance" in cooperation with the Bundeswehr Institute for Underwater Sound and Geophysical (FWG) in the Baltic Sea. Here new methods of mine warfare are being tested.

AUV stands for "Autonomous Underwater Vehicle / independent underwater vehicle". This will test with the support of the "Alliance" of researchers FWG. The AUV's are like little robots (mini U boats) that independently operate in a body of water and detect mines are. A specially developed sonar helps. The ideal is that in future this AUV's are dropped from aircraft over the supposedly mined areas and clarify or remove these. So a threat to the people is excluded from the outset.

The testing of the AUV's is just one example of research projects that accompanies the "Alliance" today. During the construction of the ship mid-boot 80s and in the first seven years after entry into the focus of the research was still at the noise of U and their locating underwater. The "Alliance" at that time was almost exclusively in the waters between Greenland, Iceland and Norway on the go. Since then, times have changed. With the fall of the Iron Curtain gained mine detection and mine hunting and various projects for the protection of marine life is becoming increasingly important. So does the "Alliance" now once a year on a Whale Program.

Before there was the "Alliance," NATO has chartered ships for research projects. The costs and the dependence on external support made a new strategy necessary. With increase in the research contracts, NATO decided to build his own ship. The "Alliance" since part of the Underwater Research Centre in La Spezia NATO (Italy) and is under the command of the Allied Commander Atlantic.

In 1986 it was decided that that the ship was sailing under the federal service flag. A corresponding request went to the federal government. This agreed with the premise that the captain and the first officer were manned by Germans. The "Alliance" is the only ship that all NATO states belong. In addition, it is listed in any register of ships, but is listed as an auxiliary ship of the Bundeswehr, in which the use of civilian personnel is common.

The crew is doing things so that the scientists on board to concentrate fully on their work. Optimal Living and Working Conditions are a top priority. Besides the fact that the ship has a very good seakeeping and represent a work at wind force ten or eleven no problem, everyone on board has its own chamber with shower and toilet. In addition, an area of 420 m² is available for the scientists for the research enterprise. Here are the technical requirements such as Internet, satellite phone, radar, GPS, Wireless LAN, etc. course and accessible to anyone at any time.