German frigate Sachsen to hold change of command ceremony

Frigate Captain Jörg Maier will transfer command over the German Navy frigate Sachsen to Frigate Captain Ole Paffenholz during a ceremony scheduled to be held at Wilhelmshaven Naval Base on April 1.

Frigate Captain Meier has been at the helm of the frigate since August 2013.

Looking back at the time spent at his position, he said: “Two years of commanding the frigate are now behind me. A challenging period, during which the ship accomplished a lot, thanks to my wonderful crew.”

Meier will now transfer to Neustadt, Germany to take up a position at the Combat Training Centre for Damage Control.

His successor, Frigate Captain Ole Paffenholz, has previously been the Chief Officer on the frigate Hessen.

FGS Sachsen is the lead ship of the F 124 Sachsen- class frigates. German Navy planned to build four but eventually settled with three ships, with FGS Hamburg and FGS Hessen being the other two ships in the class.

Sachsen was laid down at the Blohm + Voss shipyard in February 1999 and delivered to the Navy in November 2002. The 143-meter ship displaces 5.800 tonnes and is powered by one gas turbine and two diesel engines putting out a total 42.010 hp.