Editing Pirates of the Baltic Sea (section)

====Navy====

German Navy is one of the least friendly to Buccaneers in the Baltic. Its primary mission is not just the protection of Germany's territorial waters and maritime infrastructure, but also that of sea lines of communication. The German Navy also participates in anti-piracy operations, and they do not consider the Buccaneers much different from the Raiders of Thule.

German Navy is also the largest and most advanced of the fleets in the Baltic Sea. In total, there are about 65 commissioned ships in the German Navy, including; 10 frigates, 5 corvettes, 2 minesweepers, 10 minehunters, 6 submarines, 11 replenishment ships and 20 miscellaneous auxiliary vessels. The total displacement of the navy is 220,000 tonnes.

German frigates have the highest displacement of any class of frigate worldwide, and one of the specialties they are designed for is asymmetric threat control at sea – making them a particular threat to irregular fleets like the Buccaneers. The frigates carry gunships, and in addition to missiles, their 127 mm guns have a range of more than 100 kilometers (62 miles). And they are just as dangerous up close with both autocannon and machine gun turrets and even non-lethal weapon system for capturing hostile crews. The frigates are capable of using their gunships and weaponry to harass a smaller, faster ship until the frigate catches up.

German corvettes have similarities to frigates. Although their guns do not have as much range, they do have missiles and they are faster than the frigates. And they all carry two unmanned aerial vehicles for remote sensing.

German submarines are another class of nightmare. The submarines can operate at high speed or switch to the AIP system for silent slow cruising, staying submerged for up to three weeks with little exhaust heat. The system is also vibration-free, extremely quiet and virtually undetectable.

Buccaneer wisdom on German Navy: “If you see one of their drones in air, drop whatever you are doing and run – and hope that you are fast enough that you won’t see the ships!”