Karlsruhe

Karlsruhe was a Bremen-class frigate of the German Navy. She was the sixth ship of the class to enter service, and the fifth ship to serve with one of the navies of Germany to be named after the city of Karlsruhe, in Baden-Württemberg. She is currently laid up, pending disposal as a trials and target ship. Construction and commissioning Karlsruhe was laid down in March 1981 at the yards of Howaldtswerke, Kiel and launched on 8 January 1982. After undergoing trials Karlsruhe was commissioned on 19 April 1984. During her later career she was based at Wilhelmshaven as part of 4. Fregattengeschwader, forming a component of Einsatzflottille 2. Refits and roles Karlsruhe, in common with the other ships of her class, underwent several refits and upgrades during her time in service. During her service in the Adriatic Sea in the mid-1990s she was temporarily equipped with the Goalkeeper CIWS, an air defence system. In 1995 she received the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile system, and in 1998 was equipped with a new central computer and TRS 3D/32 radar antenna, replacing the DA 08 air and sea surveillance antenna. With the end of the Cold War the ship's role changed from being primarily convoy protection, submarine hunting, and general naval warfare, to include international peacekeeping and intervention missions. Service After commissioning Karlsruhe participated in several international deployments. From August to December 1993 she was active in the Adriatic Sea as part of NATO's Operation Sharp Guard, the maritime blockade of the former Yugoslavia during the Yugoslav Wars. From February to April 1994 she deployed as part of Operation Southern Cross, the maritime element of Deutscher Unterstützungsverband Somalia, the German component of United Nations Operation in Somalia II. From December 1995 to April 1996 Karlsruhe was once more in service with Operation Sharp Guard.