The Local Germany

100 years since Germany tried to break UK's grip on the seas

Tue, 31 May 2016 09:46:26 +0200

100 years ago on Tuesday, the British and German navies met in the biggest sea battle in history off the Danish coast – one which has become as controversial and hard to make sense of as the First World War itself.

German WWI U-boat found after 100 years missing at sea

Fri, 22 Jan 2016 09:44:40 +0100

A wreck found at the bottom of the sea off England has been identified as a long-lost German submarine from the First World War, an energy company announced on Thursday.

Working around the clock to rescue migrants

Tue, 29 Sep 2015 10:26:17 +0200

On the hunt for people-smugglers in the Mediterranean, a German navy ship is sailing off the coast of Libya when it gets a report of an unidentified boat adrift.

950 soldiers to fight Med people smugglers

Wed, 16 Sep 2015 11:04:34 +0200

UPDATE: Germany plans to expand its naval operations against human traffickers as part of an EU mission in the Mediterranean, Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinet decided Wednesday.

Nazi U-boat wreck found off US coast

Wed, 22 Oct 2014 10:25:00 +0200

A World War II German U-boat and an American merchant vessel it sank in battle have been found deep in the ocean off the coast of North Carolina, officials said on Tuesday.

Half of German navy helicopters grounded

Mon, 22 Sep 2014 14:04:00 +0200

Half of the German navy helicopter fleet has been grounded after engineers found large tears in the panelling of a British-made machine on deployment.

Kaiser's early love of sea surfaces in sketches

Mon, 16 Jun 2014 19:08:00 +0200

Wilhelm II was usually portrayed in heavily decorated army uniform, but the last Kaiser's heart yearned for the sea and German naval power from an early age, a series of newly discovered childhood drawings shows.

'I tend not to stand around in my underwear'

Thu, 03 Apr 2014 16:55:00 +0200

Women are a very rare sight on submarines, but the German navy has welcomed its first female officer, Janine Asseln, who is The Local’s German of the Week.

Germany to 'sell Egypt two more subs'

Tue, 04 Feb 2014 11:16:00 +0100

EXCLUSIVE: Germany is “weeks away” from signing a contract with Egypt to provide the troubled Middle Eastern country with two more submarines in a multi-million euro deal, a defence source told the The Local.

Poland gives thumbs down to German subs

Fri, 29 Nov 2013 10:50:00 +0100

Poland believes German-made submarines are not up to the job of defending Polish shores, but sources have told The Local that on the back of a landmark naval deal between the two countries, Poland is likely to lease two subs anyway.

Sailor: Navy 'mongs' mutiny was all a joke

Tue, 24 Sep 2013 16:58:00 +0200

The trial of six German naval sailors accused of mutiny by writing racist slurs on a superior officers legs after tying him to a table opened on Tuesday with a confession - it had all been a revenge prank.

German sailors in suspected racist mutiny

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 12:16:00 +0100

A group of German naval sailors have been accused of mutiny - attacking a superior officer, tying him half-naked to a table and writing racist slurs on his legs.

Toxic gas found on German warships

Sun, 24 Jun 2012 12:29:00 +0200

Engineers on five new German navy warships must constantly wear gas masks after poison gas was found in the engine rooms, according to a newspaper report on Sunday.

Germany takes over EU anti-pirate mission

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 16:42:00 +0200

Germany took control of the European Union's anti-pirate mission Operation Atalanta in a ceremony in Djibouti on Saturday.

Franco-German alliance for warships mooted

Mon, 01 Aug 2011 13:55:00 +0200

Germany and France are reportedly considering a military ship-building alliance, an "EADS of the Seas," that could resemble their current arrangement for military aircraft.

Controversial naval training ship sails into port as question linger

Fri, 06 May 2011 18:19:00 +0200

Germany's premier naval training vessel Gorch Fock returned to its base in Kiel on Friday months after reports emerged of a mutiny and unsafe conditions following a cadet’s death.

Calls go out to reinstate Gorch Fock commander

Tue, 15 Mar 2011 09:42:00 +0100

After an investigation largely cleared the commander of the naval training ship Gorch Fock of wrongdoing, calls are going out to put him back at the helm. He had been dismissed by former Defence Minister Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg.

Investigators clear Gorch Fock commander of allegations

Sun, 13 Mar 2011 14:38:00 +0100

A commission has apparently dismissed accusations against the Gorch Fock's commander, who was suspended amid scandalous revelations involving misconduct onboard the elite navy training vessel, according to a new report.

Warships head to Libya

Thu, 24 Feb 2011 17:40:00 +0100

Three warships are on their way toward Libya to help with the evacuation of German citizens from the crisis-hit country, where violence continues to intensify. Germany has recommended all its nationals leave.

Sailor who died on Gorch Fock was unfit for duty, report says

Tue, 08 Feb 2011 11:32:00 +0100

The 25-year-old female cadet who died after falling from rigging on the German training ship Gorch Fock was unfit for duty because of her weight, according to a media report on Tuesday.