Germany Sends Destroyer-flavored Frigates To The South China Sea, Once A NATO And UNIFIL Command Ship

The German Navy frigate Bayern (F217) has been trusted as a command ship on international missions four times. (Wikimedia Commons/Mass Communication Specialist Second Class Mike Banzhaf)

JAKARTA - For the first time in nearly two decades, Germany has sent a warship into the South China Sea, joining other Western military powers in responding to concerns over China's territorial ambitions.

Departed on Monday yesterday, the warship assigned was the Bavarian frigate (F217) of the Brandenburg Class, to join a number of warships belonging to the United States (US) to Britain.

Citing Reuters Tuesday August 3, officials in Berlin said the German Navy would stick to common trade routes. The frigate is also not expected to sail through the Taiwan Strait, where US warships frequently pass and infuriate Beijing.

Germany will take a more moderate position between its security and economic interests, given that China is Berlin's most important trading partner. The trade value achieved helps reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the German economy.

Planned to sail for seven months, the ship will sail to Australia, Japan, South Korea and Vietnam, with the prediction of crossing the South China Sea in December. The last time a German warship passed through this area was in 2002.

"We want existing laws to be respected, sea routes to be freely navigable, open communities to be protected and trade to follow fair rules," said German Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who took off the warship's departure at Wilhelmshaven Harbor.

Illustration of the German frigate Bayern (F217). (Wikimedia Commons US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Sara Eshleman

China's claims to large swathes of the South China Sea, followed by the establishment of military outposts on artificial islands in waters containing gas fields and rich fishing grounds, have been met with opposition from various quarters, including Western nations led by the United States.

After the United States routinely stationed warships from its Navy's 7th Fleet based in Yokosuka, Kanagawa, Japan. Britain, which is sending an international combat group led by the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, will later place two warships and a marine anti-terror unit permanently in the Indo Pacific region. Meanwhile, other countries, including France, Australia and New Zealand, have also expanded their activities in the Pacific to counter Chinese influence.

For information, the Bayern frigate (F217) is one of four Brandenburg Class frigates. Launched in 1994 and entering service in 1996, the Bavarian frigate along with other ships in this class is a replacement for the Hamburg Class Destroyer.

A number of international missions have been carried out by this German warship in Asia, Europe and Africa, including four times entrusted as a command ship in an international task force under the flag of NATO and UNIFIL.

As a frigate, the ship's armament is quite capable, with the main cannon using OTO-Melara 76mm supported by two Mauser BK-27 rapid fire cannons.

Next there is the Sea Sparrow anti-aircraft missile defense system and the CIWS Mk49 Rolling Airframe Missiles for air defense. MM38 Exocet missiles and Mk46 torpedoes for underwater warfare. In addition, this ship is also equipped with two Sea Lynx helicopters armed with torpedoes for anti-submarine warfare and Sea Skua air-to-surface missiles.