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The German Navy (, ) is part of the unified (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Marine'' (German Navy) became the official name with respect to the 1990 incorporation of the East German ''
Volksmarine The (VM, ; ) was the Navy, naval force of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990. The was one of the service branches of the National People's Army and primarily performed a Coastal defence and fortification, coastal defence ...
'' (People's Navy). It is deeply integrated into the
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
alliance. Its primary mission is protection of Germany's territorial waters and maritime infrastructure as well as
sea lines of communication Sea lines of communication (abbreviated as SLOC) is a term describing the primary maritime routes between ports, used for trade, logistics and naval forces. It is generally used in reference to naval operations to ensure that SLOCs are open, or ...
. Apart from this, the German Navy participates in peacekeeping operations, and renders humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. It also participates in anti-piracy operations.


History

German Naval history has its roots in the naval history of the
Holy Roman Empire The Holy Roman Empire, also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation after 1512, was a polity in Central and Western Europe, usually headed by the Holy Roman Emperor. It developed in the Early Middle Ages, and lasted for a millennium ...
, to which the
Dutch Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world. During the 17th and early 18th centurie ...
and even the
Spanish Navy The Spanish Navy, officially the Armada, is the Navy, maritime branch of the Spanish Armed Forces and one of the oldest active naval forces in the world. The Spanish Navy was responsible for a number of major historic achievements in navigation ...
once belonged. Proper German language early maritime history is represented by the
Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...
and the
Brandenburg Navy __NOTOC__ The Brandenburg Navy was the navy of the Margraviate of Brandenburg in Germany from the 16th century to 1701, when it became part of the Prussian Navy. The navy was originally assembled as the Hohenzollern rulers of Brandenburg began to ...
, later
Prussian Navy The Prussian Navy (German language, German: ''Preußische Marine''), officially the Royal Prussian Navy (German Language, German: ''Königlich Preußische Marine''), was the naval force of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1701 to 1867. The Prussian N ...
. The modern German Navy traces its roots back to the ''
Reichsflotte The ''Reichsflotte'' (, ''Imperial Fleet'') was the first navy for all of Germany, established by the revolutionary German Empire to provide a naval force in the First Schleswig War against Denmark. The decision was made on 14 June 1848 by the F ...
'' (Imperial Fleet) of the revolutionary era of 1848–52. The ''Reichsflotte'' was the first German navy to sail under the black-red-gold flag. Founded on 14 June 1848 by the orders of the democratically elected
Frankfurt Parliament The Frankfurt National Assembly () was the first freely elected parliament for all German Confederation, German states, including the German-populated areas of the Austrian Empire, elected on 1 May 1848 (see German federal election, 1848). The ...
, the ''Reichsflotte'''s brief existence ended with the failure of the revolution and it was disbanded on 2 April 1852; thus, the modern day navy celebrates its birthday on 14 June. The small
Prussian Navy The Prussian Navy (German language, German: ''Preußische Marine''), officially the Royal Prussian Navy (German Language, German: ''Königlich Preußische Marine''), was the naval force of the Kingdom of Prussia from 1701 to 1867. The Prussian N ...
evolved in 1867 into the
North German Federal Navy The North German Federal Navy (''Norddeutsche Bundesmarine'' or ''Marine des Norddeutschen Bundes''), was the Navy of the North German Confederation, formed out of the Prussian Navy in 1867. It was eventually succeeded by the Imperial German Navy ...
, which was mainly for coast defence. It became the
Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the ''Kaiserliche Marine'' (Imperial Navy) was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for ...
in 1871. From 1919 to 1935, only a small ''
Reichsmarine The () was the name of the German Navy during the Weimar Republic and first two years of Nazi Germany. It was the naval branch of the , existing from 1919 to 1935. In 1935, it became known as the ''Kriegsmarine'' (War Navy), a branch of the '' ...
'' was permitted. Under
Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...
, it was transformed into the ''
Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...
'', which was disbanded in 1945 after the
end of World War II in Europe The end of World War II in Europe occurred in May 1945. Following the Death of Adolf Hitler, suicide of Adolf Hitler on 30 April, leadership of Nazi Germany passed to Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz and the Flensburg Government. Soviet Union, Soviet t ...
. Between May 1945 and 1956, the
German Mine Sweeping Administration The German Mine Sweeping Administration (GMSA) () was an organisation formed by the Allies from former crews and vessels of the Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'' for the purpose of mine sweeping after the Second World War, predominantly in the North ...
and its successor organizations, made up of former ''Kriegsmarine'' members, became something of a transition stage for the German navy, allowing the future ''Marine'' to draw on recently experienced personnel upon its formation. Also, from 1949 to 1952 the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
maintained the
Naval Historical Team The Naval Historical Team (NHT) was established by the US Navy in 1949. It was a group of German naval officers under American orders to reappraise the naval war history of World War II from the German perspective. The group was under control of th ...
in Bremerhaven. This group of former ''Kriegsmarine'' officers acting as historical and tactical consultants to the Americans, was significant in establishing a German element in the NATO senior naval staff. In 1956, with
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
's accession to NATO, the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy), as the navy was known colloquially, was formally established. In the same year the East German ''Volkspolizei See'' (literally People's Police Sea) became the ''Volksmarine'' (People's Navy). During the Cold War all of the German Navy's combat vessels were assigned to
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
's
Allied Forces Baltic Approaches Allied Forces Baltic Approaches (BALTAP) was a Principal Subordinate Command (PSC) of the NATO Military Command Structure, with responsibility for the Baltic Sea area. It was in existence from 1962 to 2002 and consisted of the Danish Armed Forces ...
's naval command NAVBALTAP. With the accession of former
East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
's states to the Federal Republic of Germany in 1990 the ''
Volksmarine The (VM, ; ) was the Navy, naval force of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990. The was one of the service branches of the National People's Army and primarily performed a Coastal defence and fortification, coastal defence ...
'' along with the whole
National People's Army The National People's Army (, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (DDR) from 1956 until 1990. The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) and the (Bord ...
became part of the ''Bundeswehr''. Since 1995 the name ''German Navy'' is used in international context, while the official name since 1956 remains ''Marine'' without any additions. As of August 2024, the strength of the navy is 15,531 men and women. A number of naval forces have operated in different periods. See * '' Preußische Marine'' (Prussian Navy), 1701–1867 * ''
Reichsflotte The ''Reichsflotte'' (, ''Imperial Fleet'') was the first navy for all of Germany, established by the revolutionary German Empire to provide a naval force in the First Schleswig War against Denmark. The decision was made on 14 June 1848 by the F ...
'' (Fleet of the Realm), 1848–52 *
North German Federal Navy The North German Federal Navy (''Norddeutsche Bundesmarine'' or ''Marine des Norddeutschen Bundes''), was the Navy of the North German Confederation, formed out of the Prussian Navy in 1867. It was eventually succeeded by the Imperial German Navy ...
, 1867–71 *
Imperial German Navy The Imperial German Navy or the ''Kaiserliche Marine'' (Imperial Navy) was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for ...
(''Kaiserliche Marine''), 1871–1919 * ''
Reichsmarine The () was the name of the German Navy during the Weimar Republic and first two years of Nazi Germany. It was the naval branch of the , existing from 1919 to 1935. In 1935, it became known as the ''Kriegsmarine'' (War Navy), a branch of the '' ...
'', 1919–35 * ''
Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...
'', 1935–45 *
German Mine Sweeping Administration The German Mine Sweeping Administration (GMSA) () was an organisation formed by the Allies from former crews and vessels of the Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'' for the purpose of mine sweeping after the Second World War, predominantly in the North ...
, 1945–48 * ''
Volksmarine The (VM, ; ) was the Navy, naval force of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990. The was one of the service branches of the National People's Army and primarily performed a Coastal defence and fortification, coastal defence ...
'', the navy of
East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...
(GDR) 1956–90 * ''Marine'', 1956–present (''Bundesmarine'', colloquially)


Current operations

German warships permanently participate in all four NATO Maritime Groups. The German Navy is also engaged in operations against international
terrorism Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...
such as
Operation Enduring Freedom Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) was the official name used by the U.S. government for both the first stage (2001–2014) of the War in Afghanistan (2001–2021) and the larger-scale Global War on Terrorism. On 7 October 2001, in response ...
and NATO
Operation Active Endeavour Operation Active Endeavour was a Navy, maritime operation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It operated in the Mediterranean Sea and was designed to prevent the movement of terrorists or weapons of mass destruction. It had collateral ben ...
. Presently the largest operation the German Navy is participating in is
UNIFIL The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (; ), or UNIFIL (; ) is a United Nations peacekeeping mission established on 19 March 1978 by United Nations Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426, and several further resolutions in 2006 to con ...
off the coast of
Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
. The German contribution to this operation is two frigates, four fast attack craft, and two auxiliary vessels. The naval component of UNIFIL has been under German command. The navy operates a number of development and testing installations as part of an inter-service and international network. Among these is the Centre of Excellence for Operations in Confined and Shallow Waters (COE CSW), an affiliated centre of
Allied Command Transformation Allied Command Transformation (ACT; French language, French: ''Commandement allié Transformation'') is a military command (military formation), command of the NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), formed in 2003 after restructuring. ...
. The COE CSW was established in April 2007 and officially accredited by NATO on 26 May 2009. It is co-located with the staff of the German Flotilla 1 in
Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...
whose Commander is double-hatted as Director, COE CSW.


Equipment


Ships and submarines

In total, there are about 65 commissioned ships in the German Navy, including; 11
frigates A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...
, 5
corvettes A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the sloo ...
, 2
minesweepers A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...
, 10
minehunter A minehunter is a naval vessel that seeks, detects, and destroys individual naval mines. Minesweepers, on the other hand, clear mined areas as a whole, without prior detection of mines. A vessel that combines both of these roles is known as ...
s, 6
submarines A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or info ...
, 11 replenishment ships and 20 miscellaneous auxiliary vessels. The displacement of the navy is 220,000
tonne The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1,000  kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton in the United States to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the s ...
s. Ships of the German Navy include: * 4 ''Baden-Württemberg''-class frigates F125 * 3 ''Sachsen''-class frigates F124 * 4 ''Brandenburg''-class frigates F123 * 5 ''K130 Braunschweig'' class corvettes (5 additional units in production, planned commissioning from 2025) * 6
Type 212 submarine The Type 212A is a class of diesel-electric attack submarine developed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG (HDW) for the German Navy (), and the Italian Navy where it is known as the ''Todaro'' class. It features diesel propulsion and an add ...
s and additional 212 CD class submarines In addition, the German Navy and the
Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world. During the 17th and early 18th centurie ...
are in cooperation in the "Ark Project". This agreement made the Ark Project responsible for the strategic sealift of German armed forces where the full-time charter of three roll-on-roll-off cargo and troop ships are ready for deployments. In addition, these ships are also kept available for the use of the other European NATO countries. The three vessels have a combined displacement of 60,000 tonnes. Including these ships, the total ships' displacement available to the ''Deutsche Marine'' is 280,000 tonnes. Procurement of
joint support ship A joint support ship (JSS) is a multi-role naval vessel capable of launching and supporting Joint_warfare, joint Amphibious_warfare, amphibious and airlift operations. It can also provide command and control, sealift and seabasing, underway re ...
s (either two JSS800 for an amphibious group of 800 soldiers, or three smaller JSS400), was planned during the 1995–2010 period but the programme appears now to have been abandoned, not having been mentioned in two recent defence reviews. The larger ships would have been tasked for strategic troop transport and amphibious operations, and were to displace 27,000 to 30,000 tons for 800 soldiers.


Aircraft

The naval air arm of the German Navy is called the ''Marinefliegerkommando''. The ''Marinefliegerkommando'' operates 56 aircraft, in May 2021 it was announced that the German Navy intended to replace the P-3C aircraft with Boeing P-8 Poseidon MPA aircraft through a FMS agreement from 2025 onwards.


Weapons


Structure

The German Navy is commanded by the
Inspector of the Navy The Inspector of the Navy () is the commander of the Navy of the modern-day German Armed Forces, the Bundeswehr. Since the various bodies responsible for the high command of the German Navy were merged in 2012, the Inspector has been based at th ...
(''Inspekteur der Marine'') supported by the Navy Command (''Marinekommando'') in
Rostock Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (), is the largest city in the German States of Germany, state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the sta ...
.


Formations

* Navy Command ('),
Rostock Rostock (; Polabian language, Polabian: ''Roztoc''), officially the Hanseatic and University City of Rostock (), is the largest city in the German States of Germany, state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and lies in the Mecklenburgian part of the sta ...
**'' Einsatzflottille 1'' (HQ
Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...
) ***1st Corvette Squadron (''1. Korvettengeschwader''),
Warnemünde (, literally ''Mouth of the Warnow'') is a seaside resort and a district of the city of Rostock in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Mecklenburg, Germany. It is located on the Baltic Sea and, as the name implies, at the estuary of the river Warnow (river ...
*** 1st Submarine Squadron ('),
Eckernförde Eckernförde (; , sometimes also ; , sometimes also ) is a city located in the of Rendsburg-Eckernförde, Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany. Situated on the coast of the Baltic Sea, approximately 30 km north-west of Kiel, it has a populat ...
***Submarine Training Centre (''Ausbildungszentrum Unterseeboote''), Eckernförde ***3rd Minesweeping Squadron (''3. Minensuchgeschwader''), Kiel *** Sea Battalion, Eckernförde ***
Kommando Spezialkräfte Marine A ''Kommando'' (, "unit" or "command") is a general term for special police and military forces in German, Dutch, and Afrikaans speaking nations. It was also the term in the World War II era ''Luftwaffe'' for special units used to test new a ...
, Eckernförde ***Naval Base Command Kiel (''Marinestützpunktkommando Kiel'') ***Naval Base Command Eckernförde ***Naval Base Command Warnemünde **'' Einsatzflottille 2'',
Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsha ...
***HQ 2nd Flotilla ***2nd Frigate Squadron (''2. Fregattengeschwader''), Wilhelmshaven ***4th Frigate Squadron (''4. Fregattengeschwader''), Wilhelmshaven ***Auxiliary Squadron (''Trossgeschwader''), Wilhelmshaven ***Naval Base Command Wilhelmshaven **
Naval Aviation Command Naval Aviation Command can refer to: * Argentine Naval Aviation The Argentine Naval Aviation (', COAN) is the naval aviation branch of the Argentine Navy and one of its four operational commands. Argentina, along with Brazilian Navy, Brazil is on ...
('),
Nordholz Nordholz is a village and a former municipality in the district of Cuxhaven, in Lower Saxony, Germany. Since 1 January 2015 it is part of the municipality Wurster Nordseeküste. It is situated approximately 25 km north of Bremerhaven, and 1 ...
***Naval Air Wing 3 (''Marinefliegergeschwader 3''), Nordholz ***Naval Air Wing 5 (''Marinefliegergeschwader 5''), Nordholz ** Naval Support Command ('' – MUKdo'') **
Naval Medical Institute The ''Schifffahrtmedizinisches Institut der Marine'' (SchiffMedInstM) is a naval medical institute of the German Navy in Kronshagen. It is the central specialist facility for all medical officers in the German Navy. In addition to the marine me ...
('), Kiel **
Naval Academy A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers. List of naval academies See also

* Military academy {{Authority control Naval academies, Naval lists ...
('),
Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish language, Danish and ; ; ) is an independent city, independent town in the far north of the Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. After Kiel and Lübeck, it is the third-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg's ...
** Naval Petty Officer School ('),
Plön Plön (; ) is the district seat of the Plön district in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, and has about 8,700 inhabitants. It lies right on the shores of Schleswig-Holstein's biggest lake, the Great Plön Lake, as well as on several smaller lakes, ...
** Naval Engineering School ('), Parow, near
Stralsund Stralsund (; Swedish language, Swedish: ''Strålsund''), officially the Hanseatic League, Hanseatic City of Stralsund (German language, German: ''Hansestadt Stralsund''), is the fifth-largest city in the northeastern German federal state of Mecklen ...
** Naval Operations School ('),
Bremerhaven Bremerhaven (; ) is a city on the east bank of the Weser estuary in northern Germany. It forms an exclave of the Bremen (state), city-state of Bremen. The Geeste (river), River Geeste flows through the city before emptying into the Weser. Brem ...
** Naval Damage Control Training Centre ('),
Neustadt in Holstein Neustadt in Holstein (; Holsatian: ''Niestadt in Holsteen'') is a town in the district of Ostholstein, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, on the Bay of Lübeck 30 km northeast of Lübeck, and 50 km southeast of Kiel. History In World War ...


Ranks


Officers


Petty officers and enlisted seamen


Radio and communication stations

* DHO38 * DHJ58 * DHJ59


Future developments

* Three Type 424 Electronic reconnaissance ships ordered in July 2023 to replace the Type 423 ''
Oste Oste () is a river in northern Lower Saxony, Germany with a length of . It is a left tributary of the Elbe. The Oste flows through the Harburg (district), districts of Harburg, Rotenburg (district), Rotenburg, Stade (district), Stade and Cuxhav ...
''. It will be delivered from 2029 to 2031. The cost of this project is €3.26 billion, and the financing comes from the regular defence budget. * The German government has announced the selection in January 2020 and contracting in June 2020 of
Damen Group The Damen Group is a Dutch defence, shipbuilding, and engineering conglomerate company based in Gorinchem, Netherlands. Though it is a major international group doing business in 120 countries, it remains a private family-owned company. Dame ...
as the main contractor, together with partners
Blohm+Voss Blohm is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Hans Blohm C.M. (born 1927), photographer and author *Hermann Blohm (1848–1930), German businessman and co-founder of German company Blohm+Voss *Irma Blohm (1909–1997), German politi ...
and
Thales Thales of Miletus ( ; ; ) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek Pre-Socratic philosophy, pre-Socratic Philosophy, philosopher from Miletus in Ionia, Asia Minor. Thales was one of the Seven Sages of Greece, Seven Sages, founding figure ...
, for supplying four Multi-Purpose Combat Ship
F126 frigate F126 or ''Niedersachsen''-class frigate (''Fregatte 126'') is a planned German frigate class intended to replace the F123 s in the German Navy. The ships are to be the largest surface warships to join the German Navy since World War II. The firs ...
s to the German Navy with an additional Order for 2 ships in 2024. The ships will be built at Blohm + Voss shipyard in Hamburg and at other shipyard locations of the North German Lürssen Group. * Two further-developed
Type 212 The Type 212A is a class of diesel-electric attack submarine developed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG (HDW) for the German Navy (), and the Italian Navy where it is known as the ''Todaro'' class. It features diesel propulsion and an add ...
submarines with significant advancements (Known as Type 212CD) will be designed & procured with the
Royal Norwegian Navy The Royal Norwegian Navy () is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for navy, naval operations of Norway, including those of the Norwegian Coast Guard. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 i ...
in the next decade. The contract was signed in July 2021, where according to the official statement the "NDMA and its German counterparts in the Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr (BAAINBw) will acquire six new submarines – four Norwegian (in June 2024 increased to six) and two German – as well as
Naval Strike Missile The Naval Strike Missile (NSM) is an anti-ship and land-attack missile developed by the Norwegian company Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA). The original Norwegian name was ''Nytt sjømålsmissil'' (literally "New sea target missile", indic ...
s for use on both German and Norwegian naval vessels." According to
ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems TKMS –officially branded as ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems until June 2025– is a group and holding company of providers of naval vessels, surface ships and submarines. It was founded when large industrial conglomerate ThyssenKrupp acquired Howal ...
the delivery of the two boats for the German Navy is scheduled for 2032 and 2034. * Five additional
Braunschweig class corvette The K130 ''Braunschweig'' class (sometimes Korvette 130) is Germany's newest class of ocean-going corvettes. Five ships have replaced the of the German Navy. In October 2016 it was announced that a second batch of five more corvettes, originall ...
s are ordered and will be delivered 2020–2023. * NH90 NFH 'Sea Tiger' Helicopters ordered to replace
Lynx A lynx ( ; : lynx or lynxes) is any of the four wikt:extant, extant species (the Canada lynx, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx and the bobcat) within the medium-sized wild Felidae, cat genus ''Lynx''. The name originated in Middle Engl ...
in ASW/AsuW role, originally ordered by the German Army as NH90 TTH variant with deliveries planned from 2025 onwards. Up to 31 could be ordered. * 18 NH90 MRH 'Sealion' Helicopters are unarmed and replaced the 21 ''Sea King'' helicopters of Naval Air Wing 5 in SAR and ship-based Transport Role (VertRep) with deliveries from 2019 till 2023. * The
Saab Skeldar The UMS Skeldar V-200 is a medium-range helicopter and UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) developed by the Swedish aerospace company Saab. The Skeldar can be used for surveillance, intelligence gathering, light cargo transportation, and electroni ...
has been ordered as a testbed for a future maritime UAV for the Braunschweig class corvette. * Integration of the German Navy Marines (
Seebataillon ''Seebataillon'' (plural ''Seebataillone''), literally "sea battalion", is a German term for certain troops of naval infantry or marines. It was used by the Prussian Navy, the North German Federal Navy, the Imperial German Navy, the Austro-Hung ...
) in the
Netherlands Marine Corps The Royal Netherlands Marine Corps () is the elite naval infantry corps of the Royal Netherlands Navy, one of the four Netherlands Armed Forces, Armed Forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The marines trace their origins to the establishme ...
and use of the Amphibious ships of the Royal Netherlands Navy such as the joint support ship
HNLMS Karel Doorman (A833) HNLMS ''Karel Doorman'' () is a Joint support ship, multi-function support ship for amphibious operations of the Royal Netherlands Navy, which is also used by the German Navy. The ship replaced both of the navy's replenishment oilers: (scrapp ...
as of 2016. * In June 2020 it was announced that German Navy and
Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world. During the 17th and early 18th centurie ...
will cooperate and plan the future replacement of both the ''Sachsen''-class frigate and ''De Zeven Provinciën''-class frigate from 2030 onwards.


See also

* German Navy: **
List of active German Navy ships This is a list of active German Navy ships as of 2022. There are approximately 65 ships in commission including; 11 frigates, 5 corvettes, 2 Minesweeper (ship), minesweepers, 10 minehunters, 6 submarines, 11 replenishment ships, and 20 miscellaneo ...
** List of active aircraft of the German Navy **
List of active weapons of the German Navy This is a list of active German Navy weapons as of 2025. These weapons are operated by the ships, submarines and aircraft of the German Navy. Weapons for submarines Sea mines Torpedoes Weapons for surface vessels Anti-mine drones ...
** List of ship classes of the Bundesmarine and Deutsche Marine **
List of ships of the German navies The list of naval ships of Germany includes all naval ships which have been in service of the German Navy or its predecessors. Other lists include: * List of ships of the Imperial German Navy * List of Kriegsmarine ships * List of German Federa ...
**
Kommando Spezialkräfte Marine A ''Kommando'' (, "unit" or "command") is a general term for special police and military forces in German, Dutch, and Afrikaans speaking nations. It was also the term in the World War II era ''Luftwaffe'' for special units used to test new a ...
(German Navy special forces) ** List of admirals of the German Navy ** German commando frogmen ** ''
Marineamt The Navy Office () was a higher command within the German Navy, founded in 1965 and disestablished in 2012. Its original responsibility was training, education and armaments planning for the German Navy. It was situated at Wilhelmshaven until it ...
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Marine-Regatta-Verein The Marine-Regatta-Verein (MRV), "Naval Regatta Union", is a yacht club of the German Navy. Its main branch is located in the harbor city of Kiel, and it has branches in different states of Germany. This club promotes both sailing and powerboating ...
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U-boat U-boats are Submarine#Military, naval submarines operated by Germany, including during the World War I, First and Second World Wars. The term is an Anglicization#Loanwords, anglicized form of the German word , a shortening of (), though the G ...
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Volksmarine The (VM, ; ) was the Navy, naval force of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990. The was one of the service branches of the National People's Army and primarily performed a Coastal defence and fortification, coastal defence ...
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German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...
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List of modern equipment of the German Army This page contains a list of equipment currently in service with the German Army. Weapons Small arms Fire control systems Weapon stations Base equipment Camouflage Protection equipment Electronic equipment Indirect ...
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German Air Force The German Air Force (, ) is the aerial warfare branch of the , the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the ) was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War as the aerial warfare branch of the armed forces of West Ger ...
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List of active equipment of the German Air Force This list intends to give an accurate detail list of the equipment currently fielded by the German Air Force. Current inventory Aircraft operated by the Luftwaffe Aircraft provided by contractors International collaborations with the Lu ...
* German Army equipment pages in German: ** ** ** ** **


References


Further reading

* Jan Wiedemann: COE CSW celebrates fifth anniversary; in: NAVAL FORCES III/2014 p. 90 f. * Hans-Joachim Stricker: Centre of Excellence for Operations in Confined and Shallow Waters COE CSW – Das COE als Ausdruck unserer besonderen nationalen Fähigkeiten im Bündnis; in: Marineforum 6-2007 p. 3 f. * Fritz-Rudolf Weber: Centre of Excellence for Operations in Confined and Shallow Waters – Think Tank für die NATO; in: Marineforum 1/2-2010 p. 11 ff. * Hans Georg Buss, Stefan Riewesell: Maritime C-IED and Harbour Protection: A Joint Effort; in: The Transformer Fall 2013 Vol 9 Issue 2 p. 18 * Rahn, Werner. "German Navies from 1848 to 2016: Their Development and Courses from Confrontation to Cooperation." ''Naval War College Review'' 70.4 (2017)
online
* Peifer, Douglas (2002). ''The Three German Navies:  Dissolution, Transition, and New Beginning.'' Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2002. * Peifer, Douglas (2011).·"Establishing the Bundesmarine". In ''Rearming Germany,'' ed. James S. Corum. Boston; Leiden: Brill, 2011.


External links

*
The German Navy – Facts and Figures, 12th Edition, February 2013

Uniforms
{{Authority control Bundeswehr Navies by country