German frigate visits Palma for several days

A GERMAN Saschen-class war frigate visited Palma Port for several days. The 143-metre-long frigate, belonging to the German Navy, was built at the Blohm & Voss shipyard in Hamburg entered service in 2003.

The Sachsen class was the second group of frigates to be built in the post-unification era, and the three Sachsens were ordered to replace the old Lütjens-class destroyers that were then over 30-years old. At €2.1 billion for the three ships, the class was one of the most expensive ship building programmes of the German Navy.

The frigates have a crew of 38 officers, 64 petty officers, and 140 enlisted sailors. They have provisions for female sailors and can remain at sea for 21 days at a time.