German Military Sets Off "Mine" Blasts Under Decommissioned Frigate

 

On Tuesday, the German military carried out a simulation of a mine attack on a decommissioned frigate, the Karlsruhe, to test out its survivability. The blast went off and the ship remained afloat, according to public outlet NDR. 

The Karlsruhe was towed to a site about two miles off the coast of Schönhagen for the test, and as an environmental precautionary measure, the Bundeswehr set up a bubble curtain around the hull. This system reduces the level of radiated sound from an explosion, which can affect dolphins and other marine life. They also wired up the ship with sensors and installed crash-test dummies in key compartments to measure the effects of the blast on the "crew." 

A small 50-kilo charge was placed under the hull and detonated. It did not sink the ship, and a second blast is scheduled for Thursday. Similar simulated mine tests are expected through 2028. 

"From the results of the explosions, we can draw conclusions about the consequences of such explosions on the existing fleet and take these into account when building new ships," a spokesperson for the Bundeswehr's Procurement Office told NDR. 

The U.S. Navy carries out similar explosives trials on each new class of surface combatants. Dubbed "shock trials," the test program consists of a series of progressively closer underwater blasts, and is designed to check the survivability of all ship systems.