Navy
In July 1994, only days after finishing school, I joined the German Navy for my one year military duty. A year that stands out like few others and when I mention it nowadays, most struggle to imagine that I was a sailor once. Hence, here a bit of evidence and memories.
As a signalman, the base training is four months, rather than the usual three. This is meant to give us time to master Morse code properly. In Eckernförde we learned the basics, like marching and shooting, which were soon forgotten during the second two months in Olpenitz, where the focus is on technical and communication skills, like semaphore, flag signals, radio communication and of course Morse code. After that, I was stationed on the minesweeper Frankenthal. Throughout, one is taught to drink like a sailor.
Base camp Eckernförde and Olpenitz
This was in the first day of boot camp. One is full of respect for the superiors (as you can clearly see) and I was totally chuffed that they would let me take a photo of something as frivolous as a BBQ.
The choir
‘Die Blauen Jungs’ under direction of Hauptbootsmann Busse. We toured the country to entertain mostly elderly people (and to get very drunk afterwards).
Basic training
Oberbootsmann Mayer is our drill instructor. On this evening he instructed me to empty all bottles he had in his room. Good drill.
Olpenitz
Part two of the basic training is a lot more relaxed. We even have some creative freedom in the interior design of our room. Our Stabsbootsmann Raebel is more like a friendly father figure than a drill instructor. We even celebrate his 37th birthday together.
Minehunter Frankenthal (M1066)
The choice of a minesweeper was easy: on destroyers one has to sleep in large dorms in hammocks, on speedboats bunks are shared by two people taking turns to sleep. Minesweepers are different: four people share a cabin with a bunk each. Each bunk is fitted with an extra thick and super comfortable mattress. My bunk is the top bunk at the very bow of the boat. In heavy sea, that means a lot of vertical meters and there is a bar and even a belt to avoid flying out of bed. When the boat ‘falls down’ the back side of a wave, zero gravity sets in for a moment and on one occasion, while I was hovering above the pillow, the boat hit a wave side on, at which point my pillow drifted horizontally right across the cabin.
That is one reason why comfy matresses are a good thing. The other is slightly more important. If a mine were to detonate under the boat, the shockwave can drive the femur into the pelvis, which is fatal. Therefore, while minehunting, there are only two places to be: in the bunk or in my armchair on the bridge. That chair matches the mattress in comfort. It is suspended on looped steel wires, that could cushion a mine and therefore provides excellent comfort on other days too.
The Frankenthal is the first boat in the “Frankental class” of minehunters, which is full of the latest technology, like remote controlled underwater drones (“Penguins”) to explore potential mines and place detonators. The boat itself is a-magnetic to avoid triggering mines. The hull is made of non-magnetic steel and even the pinboard pins are V4A stainless steel. Any electrics, down to a shaver, are registered and compensated for with induction loops running through the boat. To calibrate the magnetic neutrality of the boat, it sails through a measuring station, until the induction loops render it magnetically invisible to the outside world. Cool stuff.
The other thing I like about this boat is that it is genuinely peaceful. Yes, there is a gun on the front deck, but I have been assure it isn’t even good enough to shoot down a seagull.
What I remember with bewilderment, looking back, is how keen I was to put myself in harms way. The Bosnian war was raging and the German navy helped to secure the Adriatic sea. When a sister ship was called up, their signalman pull out and I eagerly volunteered to go in his stead. He changed his mind, though. I remember how annoyed I was. Silly creatures, these 19 year old boys - feel invincible and desperate for excitement. That stupidity feeds armies around the world.
