Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, “151021-DEUA-XXXXB-017 MEDITERRANEAN SEA — Together with German frigate SACHSEN, Bulgarian frigate DRAZKI and Italian frigate ZEFFIRO, SNMG2 ships German frigate HAMBURG and Turkish frigate YILDIRIM are conducting in a firing exercise while participating in NATO-Exercise TRIDENT JUNCTURE. All units came close to each other and a red inflatable traget called “Killertomato” was put into the water. One ship after the other fired with their different guns except of the ships’ main guns (October 21, 2015). The units of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) are sailing in the Mediterranean Sea, inter alia, participating in multinational exercises and Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR, showing presence of the Alliance and conducting routine port visits in NATO and Non-NATO countries. Credit: German Air Force photo by Photographer PO1/OR-6 Alyssa Bier (released),”21 October 2015, 15:23, SourceGerman frigate SACHSEN_firing exercise, (This image was originally posted to Flickr by Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum at https://flickr.com/photos/125330288@N03/22199862479. It was reviewed on 6 November 2015 by FlickreviewR and was confirmed to be licensed under the terms of the cc-by-sa-2.0), accessed July 18, 2018, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:German_frigate_SACHSEN_firing_exercise_(22199862479).jpg

On June 21, Germany’s FGS Sachsen (F219) sustained damage to its bridge when the frigate launched a Standard Missile (SM-2) that remained inside its Mark 41 vertical launching system (VLS) in a training exercise. The ship was sailing near Norway, and no crew were seriously injured. According to Schleswig-Holsteinishcer Zeitungsverlag, “A previously launched missile of the same type was successfully launched during the exercise. The defective rocket had previously been technically checked and was in perfect condition […].” Similarly, in July 2015, USS The Sullivans (DDG-68) sustained damage when one of its SM-2 missiles exploded after takeoff.

Related Links:

Anti-aircraft missile burns out on frigate “Sachsen”, Schleswig-Holsteinishcer Zeitungsverlag
German Navy ship damaged in missile accident, Stuttgarter Zeitung
A Missile Misfired and Scorched the Deck of a German A Navy Frigate, Business Insider
Navy Restricts Use of ‘A Number’ of SM-2 Missiles Following USS The Sullivans Launch Failure, USNI