German minehunter Datteln

Datteln is a Frankenthal-class minehunter of the German Navy. Datteln was the 7th of 12 other Frankenthal-class ships in September 1988. Datteln was launched on 27 January 1994 and commissioned on 8 December 1994. Datteln is the namesake of Datteln, a town in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Datteln

Datteln at Turku, Finland during the Northern Coasts exercise on 31 August 2014
History
Germany
Name	Datteln
Namesake	Datteln, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Ordered	September 1988[1]
Builder	Lürssen
Launched	27 January 1994
Commissioned	8 December 1994
Status	Active
General characteristics
Class & type	Type 332 Frankenthal-class minehunter[2]
Displacement	590 t (580 long tons) (standard) 650 t (640 long tons) (full load)
Length	54.4 m (178 ft 6 in)[3]
Beam	9.2 m (30 ft 2 in)
Draught	2.6 m (8 ft 6 in)
Propulsion	2 × 2,240 kW (3,000 hp) diesel engines 2 × electric motors for slow maneuvering 2 × controllable pitch propellers
Speed	18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)
Complement	40–45
Sensors & processing systems	DSQS-11M mine hunting sonar SPS-64 radar
Armament	1 × 27 mm (1.1 in) MLG 27 (Bofors 40 mm automatic gun L/70 before refit) 2 × 7.62 mm (0.3 in) MG3 2 × FIM-92 Stinger surface-to-air missiles 20 Bottom/moored naval mines 28 counter mine charges
Notes	Has Penguin B3 mine hunting ROVs

Career

On 12 January 2021 Datteln left Kiel to join Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG 1).^[4] Datteln performed historical ordnance disposal operations near the coast of Lolland, and Langeland, Denmark, assisting in the removal of historical explosive devices (leftover naval mines from World War II) and in identifying an historic "mine line."^[5] Datteln returned to its home port of Kiel on 14 April 2021.^[6]

Datteln participated in the Baltic Mine Countermeasures Exercise (BMXI/24) from 3 November to 21 March 2024.^[7]

On 11 January 2025 Datteln left the port of Kiel to join Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG 1). BALTOPS and OPEN SPIRT exercises will be preformed in the Baltic Sea. Datteln, along with the rest of (SNMCMG 1) and Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG 1) will also ensure underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea is safe.^[8] This is after the tanker called the Eagal S dragged its anchor across an underwater cable which linked Finland and Estonia. Datteln will use its sonar and ROVs to detect for damage on underwater cables in the Baltic Sea.