On December 10, the ocean-going tugboat “Rügen” of the German Navy under the command of Captain Lutz Lücken will arrive at the naval base in Wilhelmshaven. This will be the first time the ship has taken part in a deployment with the NATO-support mission in the Aegean.

Around a year and a half after being commissioned, the “Rügen” set off on its first mission in the Mediterranean on June 12. set off on her first mission in the Mediterranean.

During the mission, the ship called at various ports in Greece and Turkey. A major highlight for the crew was the ceremonial handover of handover of command from the Turkish to the Italian commander of the Standing of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG 2) in Aksaz, Turkey, at the beginning of August. The Italian admiral visited the ocean-going tug the next day and expressed his satisfaction with the ship and its crew.

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“This is the first time a civilian-crewed ship from the Trossgeschwader has been sent on such a mission,” says Captain Lüken. “For most of my crew, this was a completely new experience. But every crew member of the tugboat ‘Rügen’ played their part in making it a success,” he continues.

The ocean-going tug “Rügen” covered around 17,000 nautical miles, which corresponds to approximately 31,484 kilometers, and arrived with a crew of 24 people. In addition to the regular crew of 20, there are two other civilian employees and two soldiers on board for personnel support.

Here for further reports on the Bundeswehr and here to further NATO news.

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