Corvette LÜBECK: Rheinmetall celebrates first ship christening

Today, with the christening of the fifth K130-class corvette (second batch), we have reached a significant milestone in one of our current shipbuilding programs for the German Navy. The ceremony took place at Rheinmetall’s Blohm+Voss site in Hamburg and in the presence of representatives from politics, industry, and the Bundeswehr (The German Armed Forces), including Vice Admiral Axel Deertz (Deputy Inspector of the Navy and Commander of the Fleet and Support Forces), Jürgen Giefer (Director at the BAAINBw – Federal Office for Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support of the German Armed Forces), and the Mayor of Lübeck, Jan Lindenau. Lübeck’s City President Henning Schumann’s partner, Huong Nguyen christened the approximately 89-metre-long vessel with the name LÜBECK.

Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall AG, stated: “The christening of this vessel marks a special milestone for us and for me personally. After all, this is the first ceremony of its kind for Rheinmetall. Together with our new Naval Systems division and through our leading role in this and other important shipbuilding projects, we are taking responsibility for strengthening the defence capabilities of our country and our NATO partners. My thanks go to all employees and our partners whose dedication is driving the completion of these technologically sophisticated naval units.”

Following the christening, LÜBECK will be commissioned as planned after her final outfitting in Hamburg. She will then undergo all necessary functional testing and acceptance procedures in close coordination with the relevant departments from the contracting authorities and the German Navy.

Tim Wagner, CEO of Rheinmetall’s Naval Systems division, said: “With the christening of the final corvette of the second batch, we have reached an important stage in the overall project. Our focus now turns to the upcoming milestones, which will culminate this year with the delivery to our customer of the two corvettes EMDEN and KÖLN.”

The new units are specifically designed for coastal operations and are therefore particularly suited for reconnaissance and anti-surface warfare, especially in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.

Jan Lindenau, Mayor of Lübeck: “That the corvette bears the name of our city is both an honour and a sign of the close ties with our armed forces, who perform a vital service for the security of our country and for peace around the world. I am delighted that the Navy represents the name of our Hanseatic city and thus also serves as an ambassador for a historic and cosmopolitan port city.”

The new corvettes are being built by the K130 consortium (ARGE K130), led by Rheinmetall’s Naval Systems division in cooperation with TKMS and German Naval Yards Kiel.

photo courtesy Rheinmetall