The
German Sachsen-class frigate Hamburg (F220) is the first German ship
to fully integrate and deploy with an American carrier strike group,
and April 3 marks her second week of operating in the North Arabian
Sea with USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (IKE).
The Hamburg will stay a part of the strike group until the group's completion
of operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility.
Both Rear Adm. Michael Manazir, commander CSG 8, and Cmdr. Ralf
Kuchler, commanding officer of Hamburg, hope this is the start of a
long partnership between their two countries.
"It has been a pleasure to work with Hamburg," Manazir said.
"She has integrated seamlessly with our strike group and I would
feel confident deploying with a German ship in any situation."
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While
this is the first time a German ship has been part of a carrier strike
group, it is not the first time one has trained and deployed with American
ships. FGS Hessen (F221) completed interoperability exercises and deployed
with USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) in 2010, but detached in the Mediterranean
Sea. German ships routinely collaborate with American ships in the European
Union's Operation Atalanta, an anti-piracy mission around the Horn of
Africa, as Hamburg did in 2011.
While integration was slow at first to allow time for the sides to get
acquainted with one another, Hamburg now helps IKE by coordinating the
air space around the strike group and in defense of its surface assets.
This is the role Kuchler said he foresees German Sachsen-class frigates
fulfilling in the future.
"Within Carrier Strike Group 8, my mission is to provide the admiral
the same service he is used from a U.S. cruiser within the boundaries
of my national rules of engagement, which is to safely coordinate the
airspace around the carrier and to protect IKE if the situation demands,"
Kuchler said.
Hamburg is suited to do that, as she has some similar surface-to-air
and anti-ship missiles. The Sachsen-class frigate is the only ship in
the western world with three types of surface to air missiles: the Standard
Missile 2 block IIIA (SM-2), the Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile (ESSM),
and the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM).
Hamburg's Active Phased Array Radar (APAR) and SMART-L air-surveillance
radar are both new European developments. APAR, comparable to the U.S.
SPY radar, is primarily a fire control radar and it operates well in
a wide-range of environments. The SMART-L has a detection range of more
than 200 nautical miles for air targets and can track up to 1,000 air
tracks automatically. Its 3-D picture helps threat analysis and enables
a quick handover of target data to APAR for potential engagements.
Indeed, Hamburg is a frigate in name only.
"These ships are designed for this type of mission," said
Cmdr. Christian Wikarczyk, Hamburg's executive officer.
To help the crews of Hamburg and IKE get acquainted with one another,
an exchange program has been set up between the two ships during deployment.
Each day - whenever the operational environment permits - they cross
deck three Sailors for an orientation of about five hours. There is
no shortage of volunteers from each side.
While the planning of future carrier strike group missions may be on
hold due to budgetary constraints, the leadership of CSG 8 and Hamburg
are hopeful this relationship will lead to more cooperation in the years
to come.
"My personal goal is that this deployment paves the ground for
a rotational 2-year participation of a German 124 (Sachsen class) frigate
in a U.S. carrier strike group," Kuchler said. "I am pretty
sure that the steps we make here are the best basis to convince both
sides that this is the right way ahead for our common future."
By Lt. Timothy Gorman |
