On January 30th, the members of the crew received their soldiers. 170 days ago, the ship left Rostock during the Hanse Sail under the command of Lieutenant Commander Markus Schwefer. This was followed by participation in the mandated UNIFIL mission abroad United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon off the Lebanese coast and as flagship in the NATO support mission in the Aegean.
The commander is satisfied: “We can look back on a long, intensive and varied time in various operational areas in the Mediterranean, each with their own different challenges: In particular, the conflict between Hamas and Israel presented us with a demanding task off the coast of Lebanon from October onwards. But the implementation of a missile shooting off Crete to practice and increase operational readiness will also be remembered. Despite different tasks and challenges, I could always rely on my crew with their high level of training and their strong fighting spirit. I am proud that I was able to lead this crew in action. For us it is now important to go on a longer vacation phase and spend time with our families and loved ones before we bring the ‘Oldenburg’ into a maintenance project from April and accompany it.”
The commander of the 1st Corvette Squadron, Frigate Captain Marc T. Tippner, is pleased that the “Oldenburg” has returned safely: “The developments in the Middle East show that our demanding and high-quality operational training is correct and important, so that our units can also do so in the event of a… be able to fulfill the order assertively in the event of an escalation. I am proud of the crew, who responded flexibly to the various challenges and demonstrated perseverance. I would also like to thank the relatives for their support and their practiced sacrifice during the long absence.”
The corvette “Oldenburg” and its crew are now going into post-operational follow-up. They need to make up for a lot of time with their families and friends who couldn’t be together over the Christmas holidays.