German Navy christens Type-125 frigate

HAMBURG, Germany, March 7 (UPI) -- The third of four new frigates for the German Navy has been christened at the ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems shipyard in Hamburg.

The vessel, the Sachsen-Anhalt, is a 125-class frigate and will be delivered to the German defense procurement agency, BAAINBw, in 2019.

"The F125 frigate class is a completely new type of ship," said Dr. Hans Christoph Atzpodien, member of the Management Board of ThyssenKrupp's Industrial Solutions business and chairman of the supervisory board of Thyssenkrupp Marine Systems. "With numerous innovations and a multiple-crew strategy it is a further showcase for the leading engineering expertise of German naval shipbuilding."

The F-125 frigates are nearly 496 feet long, 61.8 feet in the beam and displace more than 7,900 tons. They have a maximum speed of 26 knots and a range of 4,000 nautical miles. They can remain at sea for 24 months at a time.

The ships are to replace the German Navy's eight Type-122 frigates.

Sea trials of the second F125, the Baden-Württemberg, are scheduled to begin soon.

ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems leads a consortium for the building of the frigates. Members include Fr. Lürssen Werft shipyards and Blohm+Voss Shipyards.