The German Navy has christened the fifth and final K130 corvette (Braunschweig-class) from the second batch of the vessels.
The ceremony took place at Rheinmetall’s Blohm+Voss site in Hamburg on April 29, in the presence of representatives from politics, industry, and the Bundeswehr (the German Armed Forces).
Lübeck’s City President Henning Schumann ’s partner, Huong Nguyen, christened the 89-metre-long vessel with the name LÜBECK.
Following the christening, the corvette will be commissioned as planned after its final outfitting in Hamburg. The vessel will then undergo all necessary functional testing and acceptance procedures in close coordination with the relevant departments from the contracting authorities and the German Navy.
“The christening of this vessel marks a special milestone for us and for me personally. After all, this is the first ceremony of its kind for Rheinmetall. Together with our new Naval Systems division and through our leading role in this and other important shipbuilding projects, we are taking responsibility for strengthening the defence capabilities of our country and our NATO partners,” Armin Papperger , CEO of Rheinmetall AG, stated.
“With the christening of the final corvette of the second batch, we have reached an important stage in the overall project. Our focus now turns to the upcoming milestones, which will culminate this year with the delivery to our customer of the two corvettes EMDEN and KÖLN,” Tim Wagner , CEO of Rheinmetall’s Naval Systems division, commented.
The new corvettes are being built by the K130 consortium (ARGE K130), led by Rheinmetall’s Naval Systems division in cooperation with TKMS and German Naval Yards Kiel. The first five units were commissioned between 2008 and 2013, while a contract for the second batch of five units was awarded in September 2017.
The new K130 corvettes are specifically designed for coastal operations and are therefore particularly suited for reconnaissance and anti-surface warfare, especially in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, according to Rheinmetall.