Spessart (A1442) is the second ship of the Rhön-class tankers of the German Navy. She was commissioned at Kiel, Germany on 5 September 1977.
 Spessart replenishes USS Vicksburg on 10 May 2015.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Germany | |
| Name | Spessart |
| Namesake | Spessart |
| Owner | Deutsche Marine |
| Port of registry | Hamburg, Germany |
| Builder | Kröger, Rendsburg |
| Launched | 13 February 1975 |
| Acquired | 1976 |
| Commissioned | 5 September 1977 |
| Renamed | Okapi |
| Homeport | Kiel, Germany |
| Identification |
|
| Status | Active |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Rhön-class tanker |
| Tonnage | |
| Displacement | 14,396 t (14,169 long tons) |
| Length | 130.2 m (427 ft 2 in) |
| Beam | 19.3 m (63 ft 4 in) |
| Draught | 8.7 m (28 ft 7 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 1 shaft, controllable pitch propeller |
| Speed | 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Range | 3,250 nmi (6,020 km; 3,740 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Capacity |
|
| Complement | 42 (civilian) |
Construction and career edit
Spessart was originally built for civilian service by Kröger of Rendsburg in 1974. On 5 September 1977 she was commissioned into the German Navy, based at Kiel, Germany.[1]
On 29 March 2009, as she was taking part in Operation Atalanta, Spessart was attacked by a 7-man pirate boat.[2][3] In addition to the regular 40-man civilian crew, Spessart carried a 12-man security detail which exchanged small arm fire with the pirates, and repelled the assault.[4] The German frigate Rheinland-Pfalz intervened, along with vessels from several other navies: HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën, Psara, Victoria, and USS Boxer. The pirates were captured after a chase lasting a few hours.
Gallery edit
- Spessart gallery
-
Spessart alongside to replenish Lütjens on 31 July 1980 -
Spessart alongside to replenish Lütjens on 31 July 1980 -
Spessart entering New York Harbor on 13 October 2004 -
Spessart at the deperming range in Wilhelmshaven on 20 January 2016 -
HMS St Albans, Spessart and HNoMS Roald Amundsen replenishing on 26 January 2017 -
Spessart underway on 18 February 2019
_entering_New_York_Harbor.jpg)
References edit
- ^ "FGS Spessart". NATO. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
- ^ Gros-Verheyde, Nicolas (30 March 2009). "Erreur fatale: les pirates attaquent un navire... d'Atalanta!" (in French). Bruxelles 2. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- ^ Perry, Tony (30 March 2009). "GULF OF ADEN: Pirates fire on German ship, leading to five-hour chase". Babylon & Beyond. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- ^ "Deutsche Marine setzt Angreifer vor Somalia fest" (in German). Franffurter Allgemeine. 31 March 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
