Germany commissioned the Baden-Württemberg, lead ship and eponym of the new Type 125 frigate class, on 17 June 2019. Though the Baden-Württemberg was laid down in 2011 and initially delivered in 2016, the warship was returned to the shipbuilder in 2017 after issues were identified during sea trials. The four-ship class is intended to replace the Type 122A Bremen-class frigates built in the 1980s. The new warships are fitted with a landing deck and a hangar for two helicopters. They will be armed with RGM-84 Harpoon antiship missiles, RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missiles for point defense, and a 5-inch gun. The 7,200-ton frigates are 490 feet long with a 62-foot beam and a 16-foot draft. Typically carrying a relatively small crew of 120, the warships can accommodate 70 supplemental personnel. The second ship of the class, the Nordrhein-Westfalen, is scheduled to be delivered by the end of 2019; the third and fourth units are expected by 2021.
The replenishment ship Success decommissioned from the Royal Australian Navy on 29 June. The 18,000-ton logistics support ship was built in Sydney from a modified French Durance-class design and entered service on 23 April 1986 as the largest ship in the Australian fleet at that time. Two diesel engines gave the 516-foot auxiliary a 20-knot top speed and an 8,600-nautical-mile range. The Success’s crew consisted of 25 officers and 195 enlisted personnel. The replenishment oiler could transport large quantities of fuel and matériel, including 8,770 tons of distillate fuel oil, 975 tons of aviation fuel, 250 tons of munitions (including missiles and torpedoes), 183 tons of provisions, 116 tons of fresh water, and 95 tons of spare parts. Numerous modifications were made to the ship during its 33 years of service, including helicopter hangar enhancements and fittings for two 20-mm Mk 15 Phalanx close-in weapon systems in the 1990s.
Italy launched the patrol ship Paolo Thaon di Revel on 15 June. Ordered as part of the Italian Navy’s Pattugliatori Polivalenti d’Altura (multipurpose offshore patrol vessel—PPA) program, the warship, named in honor of an Italian admiral and politician and namesake of the new class, is expected to be delivered by 2021. The 6,000-ton, 435-foot patrol ship has a 54-foot beam, a 31-knot top speed, and will have a crew of 171. PPA-class vessels have a modular design to enable a wide variety of missions with different operational configurations. These missions are expected to range from disaster relief and low-threat patrol and migration control duties (requiring only light self-defensive armament) to full combat operations with advanced sensors and weapons. The PPA design includes a dual hangar and a helicopter landing deck for flight operations and the ability to transport 36-foot high-speed rigid-hull inflatable boats. Six additional vessels of the class are planned through 2026.