Oupss, a germamn frigate open fire near Plymouth
 

A firing accient during an AA exercice cause the frigate to receive it is own shell on the deck after a malfunction. no casulaties, maybe some scare and a big hole on the deck near the anchor.

http://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutsc...482888,00.html

Thought about posting that myself yesterday (from Die Welt). However, the frigate's name is "Lübeck" - and I hate to spread the news that the name of my most beloved city of all is involved in something like this... :cry:

Visit Lübeck! :p You won't regret it. Greatest love affair of my life. :lol:

:o How near Plymouth?

Plymouth is only 15mins away from me, why didn't I hear about this.:damn:

Hmm, Plymouth UK???

Anyone got an english link?

Does it say what the malfunction was? I'd have thought the things would have dead zones.

There you go mate ;)

http://babelfish.altavista.com/babelfish/tr

It had a weapons malfunction during a firing exercise near Plymouth, (Gost program): the shot did not got out of the gun barrel. when the crew started to examine and maintain the gun, the formerly stuck round suddenly came to live. If the problem lied within the round, or the gun, they do not say. The round hit the bow, near to where the anchor is placed. The vessel returned to Wilhelmshaven by own power. No injuries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bremen_class_frigate
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bremen-Klasse

According to the English wikipedia entry, this (old) ship class is designed for ASW, but has no towed array. Strange.

Ouch!! Bit like shooting yourself in the foot!! :oops:

Nice frigate!! Good design, although interesting that she doesn't have a towed array when designed for ASW...must rely pretty heavily on the helos for detection...either that or have a real good hull mounted array.
Perhaps she uses the helo for passive and the ship for active...still a novel set up, but maybe that's something that'll be upgraded in the future...they've got until around 2010. :D

"Bernard, the war's been over for sixty years!"

From what I read in a german forum, they had a stuck round, and while trying to clear the gun, it became unstuck...
Actually no one would have bothered if the gun had not been trained forward.
The round hit the forward capstan, blew a hole in it and shattered on the deck.
Apparently it was a solid training round, not a HE one.

Re towed array and the 122s, these arrays have been planned since ever but were sofar never installed.
But keep in mind german Lynxs have dipping sonar.
First the end of the cold war prevented it, now the idea of developing a german model instead of buying a american one. Now funds are low again and only the 123s and 124s are to get the towed array.
Since the replacement Frigate 125 just went back to the drawing board (Navy was not content with an oversized and overprized gunboat/quasi-LCS with no ASW capability), the 122s will stay longer and might get towed arrays.
I like these ships even if I never served on them. Problem is, when these frigates were designed in the mid 70s, German Navy was still limited to a max displacement of 3000 tons for surface combatants. Thats why they got off a bit on the light side and there have been some structural problems.
Of course the coolest 122 is Emden, which does carry on the traditions of the famous WW1 cruiser. :)