A German air defense frigate was damaged in a missile-firing incident off the Norwegian coast last week. A SM-2 missile somehow became trapped in its launcher, and the resulting rocket exhaust inflicted serious damage to the ship’s bow. Two German Navy sailors were injured in the incident.
On June 21st the FGS Sachsen, the first of four Type 124 air defense frigates in German Navy service, was attempting to launch a Standard SM-2 air defense missile. The missile rocket motor ignited but the missile failed to clear the Mk.41 vertical launch system silo. An explosion was followed by a short, intense fire as the rocket motor burned. A video of the incident (along with some well-earned swearing in German) was posted to Twitter.
The fire was mostly out within seconds, but the damage was extensive. Two crew members suffered minor injuries in the incident. It’s unknown why the missile stuck in the silo instead of leap skyward, but an investigation is certainly forthcoming. Each SM-2 missile is about 15 feet long and weighs more than 1,500 pounds.
The Sachsen class frigates are designed to intercept enemy missiles and aircraft, and are equipped with 32 Mark 41 vertical launch silos built into the bow, just in front of the bridge. It was there the launch took place, and photos show the exterior of the bridge suffered extensive scorching. The boxy Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) launcher in front of the silo field looks a little brown but otherwise doesn’t appear to have suffered too much.
As bad as the incident looks, it could have been a lot worse. The explosion and fire could have spread to other missiles in the silo field but did not. The Mark 41 launcher is armored and designed to work even after the ship suffers damage in combat, a factor that almost certainly limited the damage in this incident.
In July 2015 a SM-2 missile exploded shortly after being launched by the guided missile destroyer USS The Sullivans. There were no injuries in the incident.
