Festive keel-laying with impressive guests of honour for first F126 frigate

In the brand-new covered dry dock at Peene-Werft in Wolgast, the very first section of the first F126 frigate could be admired. It had been specially moved to the hall for the keel laying ceremony and provided a robust backdrop for the festive ceremony. Some 180 guests were present including Federal Minister of Defence Boris Pistorius, Inspector of the German Navy, Vice Admiral Jan Christian Kaack, Minister President of the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and President of the German Federal Council Manuela Schwesig and the Minister President of the state of Lower Saxony Stephan Weil.

In his speech, Minister Pistorius joked that it must be an important event as not one, but two Minister Presidents were present and he called the F126 project extremely special. “With the construction of the F126 frigates, we are ensuring the future operational readiness and assertiveness of the German Navy for the challenges of the future,” he said. “The F126 can attack targets underwater, on the water and in the air with state-of-the-art weapons. The current threats show how important deterrence and defence are in the North Sea and Baltic, as well as on the world’s oceans. With the F126, the navy has exactly the right tools for these tasks, including those with our allies.”

The Minister hinted that the German government would soon take the decision to order two more frigates. “With six frigates of this type, we are ready for the challenges. Assume we will go for six frigates. We need six, not four.” On 12 June, the German Bundestag gave the green light to order two additional F126 frigates.

The Peene-Werft in Wolgast is located in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, and as Minister President of the state, Manuele Schwesig praised the work of the employees. “With the construction of the frigates’ stern, Peene-Werft is involved in the largest shipbuilding contract in the history of the German navy: a Dutch-German cooperation project with an order volume of more than EUR 5 billion. The project secures jobs at the shipyard. The state government has always stood behind the shipyards because, even in difficult times, we were convinced that the maritime economy is an important industrial sector. The shipyards, the suppliers, the ports, the industrial producers right on the quays – that is the industrial heart of our state.” She also mentioned how impressed she was by her visit to Damen Naval in Vlissingen in the spring.

Production of the F126 frigates officially started on 5 December 2023 with the cutting of the first steel. That ceremony also took place in Wolgast. Now, right on schedule, the first section was ready for keel laying. The first ship will be named ‘Niedersachsen’, and as usual, will be of the ship class ‘Niedersachsen’.

“It is a special honour for the state of Lower Saxony that the first ship of the new class of F126 frigates will sail under the name Niedersachsen,” Stephan Weil, Minister President of Lower Saxony, noted. “With this ship, we are continuing a long and good tradition that emphasises Lower Saxony’s special bond with the navy. The construction of the Niedersachsen-class ships will help ensure that northern Germany remains an important location for building surface ships and important maritime technologies. I wish the shipyards in Wolgast, Kiel and Hamburg every success during the construction period!”

The speeches were followed by the official ceremony where a plaque with a special coin attached with four nails was placed on a wooden plank. Minister Pistorius hammered the first nail into the plank, followed by Stephan Weil, Manuela Schwesig and Vice Admiral Kaack. Over the plaque came a protective plaque that was also fastened with four nails by Vice Admiral Carsten Stawitzki, Head of the Armaments Department at the German Ministry of Defence, Flotilla Admiral Andreas Czerwinski, Head of the BAAINBw Naval Systems Department, BAAINBw Project Director Rudolf Braun and both Project Directors Frank Verhelst of Damen Naval and Sascha Eilers of Blohm+Voss.

The German media had come en masse to Wolgast and after the ceremony there was time for photos and interviews. Then there was a communal lunch and at the end of the programme everyone was given an F126 model to assemble.

CEO Arnout Damen and COO Marc van Heiningen represented Damen Shipyards Group and, on behalf of Damen Naval, MT members Roland Briene, Richard Keulen, Kathrin Rohloff, John Jansen and Jan van de Erve’, Executive Director Hein van Ameijden, Damen Naval Germany Director Magiel Venema and F126 Project Director Frank Verhelst were among those present.

“It was a great honour to welcome so many important guests. We had valuable discussions with Vice Admiral Kaack, Minister President Schwesig and Defence Minister Pistorius before the ceremony and gave them an update on the project’s progress. They also met employees of the shipyard,” Magiel Venema said. “It was very nice to hear Minister Pistorius’ speech and of course it would be great to build a fifth and sixth ship. But, we will hold off on celebrating until the contract has officially been signed.”

Project Director Frank Verhelst, who very bravely held the nail while his Blohm+Vos colleague Sascha Eilers wielded the hammer, was also full of praise for the ceremony. “It was a very successful event and I am very happy that colleagues at all F126 locations were able to watch via the livestream. This was a very important milestone for our project and it needed to be celebrated with everyone. We are now all working hard towards the next milestone.”

Watch the film (in German) of the keel laying below.