German patrol boat Potsdam


Potsdam is an offshore patrol vessel of the German Federal Coast Guard operated by the German Federal Police. It is named after the city of Potsdam, the capital of Brandenburg. She is the lead ship of the s and is homeported at Cuxhaven, Lower Saxony.

Construction and description

The contract for three completed vessels of the class was awarded in December 2016 to Fassmer in Berne, Germany. The keel of Potsdam was laid on 14 August 2017, and the vessel was launched on 8 December 2018, with yard number 7040. Final outfitting took place at Fassmer and the vessel was handed over to the Federal Coast Guard in May 2019 while the vessel was finally commissioned into service on 22 July 2019, at Neustadt in Holstein. The decision to arm the vessel was announced at its christening on 14 December 2018. She was subsequently refitted with a permanent armament in 2020, with the installation of a BAE Systems/Bofors Mk. 110 57 mm naval gun, as well as two 12.7 mm M3 heavy machine guns allowing her to target hostile vessels over away.
The vessel has an overall length of with a beam of and a draft of. She displaces roughly and is crewed by a complement of 19, with accommodations to fit up to 48 persons. Her propulsion is provided by two Wärtsilä 12V26F diesel engines, each producing, as well as two 820 kW Caterpillar electric motors. She has a maximum speed of with a cruising speed of roughly using controllable-pitch propellers and two bow thrusters. While the vessel does not have a hangar for permanent aircraft stowage, she does have a flight deck, capable of operating Airbus AS332 L1 Super Puma and NH90 helicopters. The vessel has the capability to transport up to five TEU container modules.

Service

Since the vessel entered service on 22 July 2019, she has conducted patrols across Germany's territorial waters in the North Sea and exclusive economic zone. Typical missions last between five to six days and often involve supporting international police activities among the seas. She is tasked with maritime law enforcement, border protection, and environmental monitoring in the North and Baltic seas. On 11 October 2022, Potsdam was deployed as part of a contingent fleet to investigate suspected damage to the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines in the Baltic Sea. She operated alongside the civilian vessel Eckernforde and naval minehunter.