Spessart replenishes USS Vicksburg on 10 May 2015.
History
Germany
NameSpessart
NamesakeSpessart
OwnerDeutsche Marine
Port of registryHamburg, Germany
BuilderKröger, Rendsburg
Launched13 February 1975
Acquired1976
Commissioned5 September 1977
RenamedOkapi
HomeportKiel, Germany
Identification
StatusActive
General characteristics
TypeRhön-class tanker
Tonnage
Displacement14,396 t (14,169 long tons)
Length130.2 m (427 ft 2 in)
Beam19.3 m (63 ft 4 in)
Draught8.7 m (28 ft 7 in)
Installed power
Propulsion1 shaft, controllable pitch propeller
Speed16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph)
Range3,250 nmi (6,020 km; 3,740 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Capacity
  • 11,000 m3 (390,000 cu ft) (fuel)
  • 400 m3 (14,000 cu ft) (water)
Complement42 (civilian)

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.

Construction and career

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

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to IMO 7362079.
  1. ^ "FGS Spessart". NATO. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
  2. ^ Gros-Verheyde, Nicolas (30 March 2009). "Erreur fatale: les pirates attaquent un navire... d'Atalanta!" (in French). Bruxelles 2. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ "Deutsche Marine setzt Angreifer vor Somalia fest" (in German). Franffurter Allgemeine. 31 March 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
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