Oste-class fleet service ship

A52 Oste in 2006
Class overview
Builders:	Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft, Flensburg
Operators:	German Navy
Preceded by:	Type 422 class
In commission:	1988–
Completed:	3
Active:	3
General characteristics
Displacement:	3,200 tonnes
Length:	83.5 m (273 ft 11 in)
Beam:	14.6 m (47 ft 11 in)
Draught:	4.2 m (13 ft 9 in)
Propulsion:	2 diesel engines, 3,300 kW (4,400 hp) each
Speed:	21 knots (39 km/h)
Range:	More than 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km)
Complement:	36 + up to 40 mission specialists
Sensors and processing systems:	ELINT/COMINT sensors
Electronic warfare & decoys:	Electronic countermeasures
Armament:	None

The Type 423 Oste class are purpose built SIGINT/ELINT and reconnaissance ships of the German Navy. Officially designated as fleet service ships, they replaced the Type 422 class.

Accommodation for the crew was designed to civil standards, and the Oste class offers much more comfort for the crew than other ships in the German Navy.

List of ships

Ship	Pennant number	Call sign	Launched	Commissioned
Oste	A52	DRHH		30 July 1988
Oker	A53	DRHG		10 November 1988
Alster	A50	DRHF	14 November 1988	5 October 1989

The ships were built at Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft in Flensburg.

All ships are currently based in Eckernförde and belong to the 1st submarine squadron stationed in Eckernförde. The vessels received the same name and pennant numbers as the three Type 422 class vessels they replaced. To avoid the confusion, the ship names are sometimes suffixed with II.

Oker was reportedly spotted near the Syrian coast in August 2012.

References

Notes

Bibliography