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Newsline
Eckernförde naval base welcomes press
Success factor simulator
experienced first-hand
Eckernförde/Düsseldorf. Stormy winds
greet the journalists as they get off
their bus – hiding behind upturned collars,
the more experienced naval writers
mumble that this sort of weather is
typical of the Baltic coast. Rheinmetall
has invited the media to the Eckernförde
naval base – and a good dozen
representatives of the European media
have accepted the invitation to this little
town to the north-east of Kiel. Eckernförde
has a long tradition as a garrison
town and was the home port of
German submarines in the days of the
German Kaiser. Today, Eckernförde is
home to the 1st submarine flotilla and
the Specialized Naval Response Forces
(SEK M) as well as the training center
for submarines (AZU).
Having entered the U31, a submarine
of the new class U212A, the guests
soon notice that one thing is scarce on
board a sub – and that is space. Once
they have maneuvered themselves
more or less elegantly through the entrance
hatch, the visitors are confronted
with a confusingly large number of
pipes, tubes, cables and levers. Not a
square inch of the submarine is wasted.
The fact that submarine crews con-
sider the U212A submarine particularly
comfortable and spacious comes as
quite a surprise to the first-time visitor.
Yet compared to older subs like the legendary
VIIc in World War II or the 206A
class submarine first taken into service
in 1974, the new vessel is in a different
league in terms of operational performance
and comfort on board.
Some of the visitors wonder how
sailors manage in such constrained
conditions under stress – in darkness
or in the case of water ingress – while
the naval officer explains the delights of
a second wet cell (after all, the 206A
submarine only has one such compact
“bathroom”). Commander Volker Brasen,
the commanding officer in charge
of the training center for submarines is
quick to supply an answer: “Training is
crucial for submarine crews, even more
so than in the past since the new 212A
submarines are technologically far superior
to their predecessors and therefore
also much more complicated, so
that the demands on crew training are
naturally higher.”
Simulation systems from Rheinmetall
Defence in Bremen are an essential instrument
offering outstanding naval
training conditions. Every single training
aspect can be trained on the simulator
from Bremen – with training covering
areas such as basic knowledge,
for example how to maneuver and
steer the submarine, or practising the
interaction of the commanding crew
under realistically simulated conditions
and training emergency situations
on board, e.g. if a fire has broken
out or there is water ingress. The systems
developed by Rheinmetall engineers
in Bremen provide a genuine re-
production of the combat information
center (CIC) – using original components
identical to those used on board
submarines.
“The Bundeswehr attaches considerable
importance to realistic training
conditions, both in terms of the technical
equipment of the simulators and
with regard to the scenarios presented,”
says Claus Bornhorst, Head of
Sales Maritime and Process Simulation
at Rheinmetall Defence in Bremen. Explaining
the advantages of this ap-
4
Eckernförde, home to the 1st submarine
flotilla of the German Navy and the submarine
training center equipped with simulation
systems from Rheinmetall Defence.
proach, Bornhorst remarks: “Although
the original components are more expensive
than non-originals, the reproduced
CIC in the simulator is identical
to the original so that training is extremely
realistic.”
Those who should know whether this
is true – namely the submarine crews
themselves – agree fully with Bornhorst’s
appraisal: the general opinion
Submarines of the class 212A are rated as the most modern of their type. Advanced simulation technology from Rheinmetall
in Bremen has been used for the development of the vessels and training of the submarine crews.
is that simulator training meets all the
requirements with respect to technical
safety and tactical training, and operation
and control are easy to learn in
spite of the many different functions.
Commenting on his experience with
the simulator, lieutenant commander
Lars Ruth, commander of the U31,
adds: “It feels just like being on board
the real vessel.”
The close cooperation between the
navy and Rheinmetall Defence in Bre-
(Continued on page 5)
Photo: Presse- und Informationszentrum Marine
Photo: HDW