DUSSELDORF, Germany, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- The first of four new frigates for the German Navy was christened Friday at a ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems' facility in Hamburg, the company announced.
The Baden-Württemberg, scheduled for delivery in 2016, is a first-of-class vessel being built by the ARGE F125 consortium, a ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems joint venture with Friedrich Lurssen shipyard in Bremen.
A total of four F-135 frigates are being built in cooperation with Blohm+Voss Shipyards in Hamburg for a total value of $2.75 billion.
"The F125 is a completely new type of frigate with numerous technological innovations which will secure a solid basic workload for the shipyards involved in the coming years and help the German naval shipbuilding industry maintain and expand its leading position in key technologies," said Dr. Hans Christoph Atzpodien, chief executive officer of parent company ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions AG and chairman of the Supervisory Board of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems GmbH.
The Baden-Wurttemburg and sister ships will be about 489 feet long, displace more than 7,000 tons and have a maximum speed of 27 knots. The ships will replace the German Navy's Type-122 frigates.
