German tanker Spessart
_entering_New_York_Harbor.jpg) Spessart entering New York harbour on 13 October 2004
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Germany | |
| Name | Spessart |
| Owner | Deutsche Marine |
| Builder | Kröger, Rendsburg |
| Launched | 1974 |
| Commissioned | 5 September 1977 |
| Identification |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Template:Sclass- |
| Displacement | 14,169 tonnes |
| Speed | 16 knots (30 km/h) |
| Complement | 46 |
The German tanker Spessart (A1442) is a Template:Sclass- of the German Navy. She was commissioned at Kiel on 5 September 1977.
History
Spessart was originally built for civilian service by Kröger of Rendsburg in 1974. On 5 September 1977 she was commissioned into the Deutsche Marine, based at Kiel.[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 (Netherlands), Psara (Greece), Victoria (Spain), and USS Boxer. The pirates were captured after a chase lasting a few hours.
Sources and references
- ^ "FGS Spessart". NATO. Retrieved 25 March 2010.
- ^ Gros-Verheyde, Nicolas (30 March 2009). "Erreur fatale: les pirates attaquent un navire... d'Atalanta!" (in French). Bruxelles 2. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Deutsche Marine setzt Angreifer vor Somalia fest" (in German). Franffurter Allgemeine. 31 March 2009. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
