German Navy minesweeper concludes NATO mine countermeasure deployment

German Navy minesweeper FGS Fulda has concluded her deployment to NATO’s standing mine countermeasures group two and is currently on the way back home.

Fulda and her crew are set to enter the Kiel navy base on December 16 after four months at sea.

Commanded by Captain lieutenant Michael Montag, the crew ‘Charlie’ left their homeport on August 5. Fulda joined the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 in the Italian port of Catania and proceeded to take part mine warfare maneuvers with mine countermeasures units from nine other nations.

In addition to port calls in Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Turkey and Greece, the group made port calls in non-NATO states Algeria and Tunis this time.

FGS Fulda sailed close to 13.000 nautical miles during the deployment. The ship’s crew deployed the Seafox (Seefuchs) minehunting remotely operated vehicle and identified a number of contacts.

During the French mine countermeasure drill Olives Noires, FGS Fulda’s ROV detonated a World War II mine in the Gulf of Hyères.