Spessart (A1442) is the second ship of the Rhön-class tankers of the German Navy. She was commissioned at Kiel, Germany on 5 September 1977.
 Spessart replenishes USS Vicksburg on 10 May 2015. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Germany | |
| Name | Spessart |
| Namesake | Spessart |
| Owner | Deutsche Marine |
| Port of registry | Hamburg, Germany |
| Builder | Kröger, Rendsburg |
| Launched | 13 February 1975 |
| Acquired | 1976 |
| Commissioned | 5 September 1977 |
| Renamed | Okapi |
| Homeport | Kiel, Germany |
| Identification |
|
| Status | Active |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Rhön-class tanker |
| Tonnage | |
| Displacement | 14,396 t (14,169 long tons) |
| Length | 130.2 m (427 ft 2 in) |
| Beam | 19.3 m (63 ft 4 in) |
| Draught | 8.7 m (28 ft 7 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 1 shaft, controllable pitch propeller |
| Speed | 16knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Range | 3,250 nmi (6,020 km; 3,740 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Capacity |
|
| Complement | 42 (civilian) |
Spessart was originally built for civilian service by KrögerofRendsburg in 1974. On 5 September 1977 she was commissioned into the German Navy, based at Kiel, Germany.[1]
On 29 March 2009, as she was taking part in Operation Atalanta, Spessart was attacked by a 7-man pirate boat.[2][3] In addition to the regular 40-man civilian crew, Spessart carried a 12-man security detail which exchanged small arm fire with the pirates, and repelled the assault.[4] The German frigate Rheinland-Pfalz intervened, along with vessels from several other navies: HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën, Psara, Victoria, and USS Boxer. The pirates were captured after a chase lasting a few hours.
