On July 25, 202, frigate Sachsen under the command of Commander Wolfgang Eckmüller returned to Wilhelmshaven from the NATO mission Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1).
“For the past seven months, we have been part of SNMG 1 and have made a significant contribution to NATO’s maritime presence and deterrence against Russia across the entire operational area,” says Commander Eckmüller. “We are particularly proud to have served as the flagship of SNMG 1 from April to July under the command of Commodore Maryla Ingham (Royal Navy). This is a clear sign of the cooperation between the German Navy and the Royal Navy,” he continues. As flagship, the frigate Sachsen served as the command platform for the British Royal Navy staff, who had no ship available from their navy.
The ship’s mission took the crew from the far north across the western Baltic Sea to the west coast of the USA and Canada as part of numerous exercises and projects, and then back to Wilhelmshaven.
A particular highlight of this voyage was participation in the celebrations for the 250th anniversary of the USA in Norfolk and New York.
The frigate Sachsen covered approximately 35,950 nautical miles during this deployment, equivalent to around 66,600 km. In addition to the crew, naval aviators from Naval Air Wing 5 based in Nordholz were embarked with two MK88A Sea Lynx helicopters. At times, a Royal Navy AW158 Wildcat helicopter was also on board the German frigate.