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Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 4:18 am
by IronOutlaw
Last I heard it was FGS, Federal German Ship, yes, in English!!!!! I was surprised it was not BMS, Bundes Marine Schiff.
But it may now be DMS, Deutsche Marine Schiff, since the merging of the Bundesmarine and the Volksmarine.
Brad
Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2007 11:07 am
by Ulrich Rudofsky
The German ships have not had any prefixes since the Kaiserliche Marine:
SMS = HMS....but there have been no official designators such as DKM or BMS except in some of the English literature and by some model makers.
Re: Bundesmarine ship names
Posted: Mon Dec 31, 2012 7:28 pm
by culverin
The West German navy did acquire 7 ex RN ships in 1958.
4 were Black Swan or modified BS. Type 138 in German service.
Graf Spee - Flamingo
Hipper - Actaeon
Scheer - Hart
Scharnhorst - Mermaid
3 were assorted Hunt class.
Gniesenau - Oakley
Brommy - Eggesford
Raule - Albrighton
Most of these had been actively involved in sinking German ships and u boats in WW2.
When transferred the British Admiralty would have had no say in the choice of new names.
And rightly so.
All western navies maintain a policy of keeping their rich traditions of ship names and their honours alive. Some names will really get up other Countries noses. So be it.
Germany must be no different.
U boats are still numbered, that is tradition. And unique.