Another NATO warship heading for Cork

cork | anti-war / imperialism | news report Sunday April 06, 2008 09:28 by John Jefferies - AWI

German Frigate to tie up at city quays

The German Navy (NATO) are on their way to Cork and will arrive in the city next Thursday with a visit from FGS F209 Rheinland-Pfalz of the German Navy's 4th Frigate Squadron.

F209 Rheinland-Pfalz

A German warship will dock at Horgan's Quay in Cork city centre next Thursday morning, 10th April at 7.00am. F-209 Rheinland-Pfalz is a 130m (427ft) long Bremen Class frigate of the German Navy.

While most attention is paid by anti-war activists to US and British warships, which is understandable because of those countries' current involvement in the occupation / war in Iraq and Afghanistan and other imperialist adventures - the Rheinland-Pfalz is nevertheless part of the NATO fleet. Indeed the fact that such visits are now considered to be no longer unusual is further evidence of Ireland's increasing entanglement in the EU / NATO / US dominated military network.

F209 Rheinland-Pfalz is not the only foreign warship scheduled to visit here soon, just two days later the Belgian A962 BNS Belgica will arrive in Cork while the Dutch Navy's HNLMS Mercuur is due in Dublin Port around the same time. Belgica is nominally a research vessel but she is crewed by personnel from the Royal Belgian Navy and counted as part of their fleet.

There is a crew of 202 on board the Rheinland-Pfalz with an extra 20 aviation specialists. The ship is equipped with 16 Sea Sparrow surface-to-air missiles, 2 MK49 rocket launchers, 2 quadruple Harpoon anti-ship missile launchers, 1 76mm dual purpose deck gun, 2 27mm Mauser autocannons, 2x Mark 32 torpedo launchers and Mark 46 torpedoes. The ship is equipped to carry 2 Sea Lynx helicopters armed with air-to-surface missiles or heavy machine-gun.