Naval Aviation Squadron 3 "Graf Zeppelin"

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Marine Aviation Squadron 3
"Graf Zeppelin"
- MFG 3 GZ -

Coat of arms of MFG 3 Graf Zeppelin
Lineup June 1, 1964
Country GermanyGermany Germany
Armed forces Bundeswehr Kreuz.svg armed forces
Armed forces Bundeswehr Kreuz.svg German Navy
Type squadron
Insinuation COA MFlgKdo.svg Naval Aviation Command
Location Wapen Wuster Noordseeküst.jpg Wurster North Sea Coast , Air Base , Lower Saxony
Awards Flag of Germany.svg Flag ribbon
Germany (1997)
guide
Commodore Sea captain Oliver Ottmüller
Aircraft
patrol Lockheed P-3C Orion
Reconnaissance aircraft /
helicopter 		Do 228-212 LM
Do 228NG LM
P-3C Orion
Do 228

The Naval Aviation Squadron 3 "Graf Zeppelin" ( MFG 3 "GZ" ) is a flying squadron of the German Navy , which is based at the Nordholz Air Base and is subordinate to the Naval Aviation Command. The squadron is armed with Lockheed P-3C Orion and Do 228 LM aircraft.

assignment

The squadron's mandate includes extensive maritime surveillance and reconnaissance, surface and underwater warfare, personnel and material transport, search and rescue services and the monitoring of marine pollution ( pollution control ).

history

Accidents
date Type Mark incident
May 12, 1966 Gannet UA + 115 Crash near Kaufbeuren, three dead
September 24, 1971 BR 1150 61 + 20 slight personal injury
April 25, 1978 BR 1150 61 + 07 2 slightly injured, total aircraft loss
May 3, 1985 BR 1150 61 + 05 Emergency landing, no casualties
3rd December 1993 Mk 88 83 + 01 Crash, 2 dead
January 30, 1994 Mk 88 83 + 16 Ditching, total loss of aircraft
October 30, 1999 Mk 88 83 + 08 Crash over lake, 1 dead
February 16, 2000 Mk 88 83 + 14 Ditching, total loss of aircraft
MFG 3 Br.1150

On June 1, 1964, Frigate Captain Paul Kriebel received the order to set up Naval Aviation Squadron 3 with the Navy's deployment order No. 128. The core was formed by the Marine-U-Jagdstaffel, which until then was subordinate to Marinefliegergeschwader 2 (MFG 2) and stationed in Westerland on Sylt . In October, parts of the squadron were relocated to the Nordholz Air Base and the U-Jagdstaffel officially renamed the 2nd Squadron / MFG 3 (2./MFG 3).

The troop flag awarded by Federal President Heinrich Lübke was ceremoniously handed over on May 3, 1965. On July 15, 1965, the first prototype of the Breguet Atlantic (BR.1150 Atlantic) maritime patrol aircraft was transferred to Nordholz Air Base, and on January 26, 1966 the squadron took over the first machine of the type from series production. On June 30 of the same year, after a total of more than 10,000 flight hours, the Fairey Gannet (Gannet HS Mk4) submarine aircraft were decommissioned on June 30, 1966. On April 1, 1967, the MFG 3 was subordinated to NATO and on July 9, 1967 it was given the traditional name Graf Zeppelin . On this occasion, the city of Friedrichshafen took on the sponsorship of MFG 3 on December 12, 1967 .

In 1980 the Federal Minister of Defense decided to station the Westland Mk 88 Sea Lynx - on- board helicopters of the sea-going units at the Nordholz Air Base, they formed the 3rd squadron of MFG 3 until they were again outsourced. In 1993, the Survival Inspection began Lake integrated by the Naval Aviation Training Group.

In September 1994 two Dornier Do 28 and one Dornier Do 228 LM of the 2nd season of the MFG 5 were handed over to the MFG 3, from 2002 to 2003 the Sea Lynx went through an extensive modernization program, so that in the MFG 3 a total of 22 helicopters in the Mk 88A are in use. In 2006 the MFG 3 received eight Lockheed P-3C Orion maritime patrol planes , which were taken over by the Netherlands and replaced the Breguet BR.1150 Atlantic . The last flight of a Breguet Atlantic took place on June 20, 2010.

On August 31, 2012, the first new Dornier Do 228NG was taken over to carry out oil reconnaissance flights and the Do 228-212, which was put into service in 1991, was retired. After the move of MFG 5 from Kiel-Holtenau to Nordholz Air Base was completed in November 2012, the Sea Lynx helicopters were handed over to MFG 5.

On January 1, 2015, the municipality of Nordholz was incorporated into the newly formed municipality of Wurster North Sea Coast , so that the official location of the squadron has changed. The air base continues to bear the official name "NATO Naval Airfield Nordholz".

structure

After the reorganization of the naval aviation initiated in 2012, the squadron has been structured as follows since 2013:

  • Squadron staff
  • Flying group
    • 1st Flying Squadron (P-3C)
    • 2nd Flying Squadron (P-3C, Do 228)
  • Technical group
    • Technical Squadron P-3C
    • General technical relay / Thu 228
  • Base group
    • Flight operations squadron
    • Geographic information service
    • Supply and transport relay

Commodore

No. Surname Beginning of the term of office Term expires
z. Currently Sea captain Oliver Ottmüller April 3, 2020
Frigate Captain Jörg Matthée November 26, 2015 April 3, 2020
Frigate Captain Per Fritz Weiler April 5, 2013 November 26, 2015
Frigate Captain Broder Nielsen October 8, 2012 April 5, 2013
Sea captain Christoph Beer September 25, 2009 October 8, 2012
Sea captain Rainer Kümpel September 24, 2005 September 25, 2009
Sea captain Berend Burwitz September 23, 2002 September 23, 2005
Sea captain Jürgen Ehle March 02, 1998 September 23, 2002

(List not complete)

Squadron coat of arms

The colors were chosen according to the national flag of the Federal Republic of Germany . Belonging to the naval aviators is symbolized by a swing arm and anchor. The crossed trident indicate the squadron's submarine hunting role. The desirable soldier virtues listed outside: loyalty , courage , readiness ; Reliability and perseverance correspond to the five stars.

Inventory of aircraft

In 2013 the Naval Aviation Squadron 3 "Graf Zeppelin" included eight Lockheed P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and one Do 228-212 LM and one Do 228NG LM oil reconnaissance / transport aircraft .

Awards

literature

German Marine Institute: Naval Aviators . ES Mittler & Sohn, Herford, Bonn 1988, ISBN 3-8132-0295-X .

Web links

Commons : P-3 Orion of the Navy  - Collection of images, videos and audio files
Commons : Do 228 of the Navy  - Collection of Pictures, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Press and Information Center Navy: 966 days - Commodore change in Naval Aviation Squadron 3 "Graf Zeppelin". Bundeswehr, November 27, 2015, accessed on December 27, 2015 .
  2. ↑ Press and Information Center Marine: Ceremonial handover of the Do 228 NG oil reconnaissance aircraft. Bundeswehr, August 31, 2012, accessed on October 11, 2013 .
  3. ^ NATO naval airfield Nordholz. In: Bundeswehr location database . www.zmsbw.de, accessed on April 13, 2020 .
  4. ↑ Briefly noted . In: Marineforum 1 / 2-1996, p. 32