''Spessart'' (A1442) is the second ship of the s of the
German Navy
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 ...
. She was commissioned at
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 ...
,
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
on 5 September 1977.
Construction and career
''Spessart'' was originally built for civilian service by
Kröger of
Rendsburg
Rendsburg (, also ''Rensborg'', , also ''Rensborg'') is a town on the Eider (river), River Eider and the Kiel Canal in the central part of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the capital of the ''Kreis'' (district) of Rendsburg-Eckernfoerde, Rends ...
in 1974. On 5 September 1977 she was
commissioned into the
German Navy
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 ...
, based at
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 ...
, Germany.
On 29 March 2009, as she was taking part in
Operation Atalanta
Operation Atalanta, formally European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia, is an ongoing counter-piracy military operation at sea off the Horn of Africa and in the Western Indian Ocean, that is the first naval operation conducted by the ...
, ''Spessart'' was attacked by a 7-man pirate boat. 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.
The intervened, along with vessels from several other navies: , , , and . The pirates were captured after a chase lasting a few hours.
Gallery
File:800700 V 04 A1442 FGS Spessart Grosse Syrte 01.jpg, ''Spessart'' alongside to replenish on 31 July 1980
File:800700 V 04 A1442 FGS Spessart Grosse Syrte 02.jpg, ''Spessart'' alongside to replenish ''Lütjens'' on 31 July 1980
File:Spessart (A 1442) entering New York Harbor.jpg, ''Spessart'' entering New York Harbor
New York Harbor is a bay that covers all of the Upper Bay. It is at the mouth of the Hudson River near the East River tidal estuary on the East Coast of the United States.
New York Harbor is generally synonymous with Upper New York Bay, ...
on 13 October 2004
File:SPESSART 4114.JPG, ''Spessart'' at the deperming range in 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 ...
on 20 January 2016
File:ROYAL NAVY PHOTOGRAPHERS RECOGNISED FOR PICTURE PERFECT SHOTS MOD 45162863.jpg, , ''Spessart'' and replenishing on 26 January 2017
File:7362079 Spessart 1975.jpg, ''Spessart'' underway on 18 February 2019
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spessart
1975 ships
Rhön-class tankers
Piracy in Somalia
Ships built in Rendsburg
Tankers of Germany