FGS Schleswig-Holstein (D182)

History

The Hamburg-class destroyer Schleswig-Holstein (D182), launched in 1960, was the first (and only) German destroyer warship class built after World War II (1939-1945). Before the arrival of the Schleswig-Holstein, Germany's post-war shipbuilding industry had focused on merchant ships for the import and export markets.

This prompted the government to choose local shipyard Stulcken Shipyard for the project - even though they had little experience building naval-class warships.

The German government needed destroyers to protect the shipping routes between the Baltic states, which had significantly increased trade, but were also threatened by Soviet naval interference. The German navy believes that the main requirements for their new warship are armament and speed - fighting in bad weather is not considered, as the destroyer is not intended to be used in the choppy waters of the North Sea.

Stulcken's plan lacked the modern upgrades common to American and British destroyers at the time. In fact, Schleswig-Holstein looks more like a WWII destroyer. On the plus side, the lack of integration of modern components into the Schleswig-Holstein superstructure and weapon suite has sped up construction.

The Stulcken shipyard also built the Kolner-class frigates in the 1960s, both of which had similar technical designs and lacked advanced armament.

The German Navy wanted heavy artillery weapons, so the steel had to be lightened somewhere on the ship. Seagoing was chosen to reduce the height and weight of the unslab along the hull. This inevitable short-sighted decision led to rough seas washing over the deck of the Schleswig-Holstein, and it was finally clear that the Schleswig-Holstein (D182) was a "top-heavy" design, with a large and prominent silhouetted horizon along the way.

Their image also makes them somewhat ineffective in bad weather overall.

When her mission finally changed, Schleswig-Holstein (D-182) and its sister ships became the main naval ships of the German Navy in the North Sea. Her lack of large freeboards ultimately slowed her progress at sea and reduced her effectiveness as a destroyer in rough seas.

In the late 1970s, Schleswig-Holstein needed to upgrade their weapons to counter anti-ship missiles deployed by aircraft and ships of other countries. At this point, her name was changed to Model 101A. To counter the threat of anti-ship missiles, it was decided to install two French Flying Fish anti-ship missile launchers. To achieve this, space on board was required, so a 100mm mount was removed and the torpedo tubes were welded together.

The rotating Flying Fish missile launcher is located behind the chimney. The obsolete Bofors cannons were replaced by four new 40mm L70 Breda cannons. The radar was upgraded with the French model F97, while the operations center was modernized by increasing the size of the new sonar station.

The bridge has larger windows and larger side sashes.

The D182 was finally decommissioned in December 1994, falling victim to the Spanish Scrap Torch. Overall, the Hamburg class is no longer in service.

Specification

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Performance

Armor

Wing