After seven months on the high seas, the frigate "Bayern" is scheduled to return to Wilhelmshaven this Friday in hurricane weather.

Behind the warship lies an 80,000-kilometer journey to distant Tokyo, which not only had stormy moments in the North Sea.

Around two years ago, the federal government decided to intensify international cooperation with the Indo-Pacific region and to do more to promote freedom of the sea lanes.

The ship with around 180 sailors on board had left Wilhelmshaven in August last year, when Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) was still in power.

Peter Carstens

Political correspondent in Berlin

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The ship was to fly the flag on its voyage to Japan, Australia, Singapore and India - in a region concerned about China's imperial ambitions.

To the astonishment of some friendly states, a naval visit was also to take place in China.

However, he failed due to a refusal by Beijing.

The government there was informed in advance of the peaceful intentions of the frigate by both Defense Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (CDU) and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD).

The leader of the SPD parliamentary group, Rolf Mützenich, initially accused Kramp-Karrenbauer of having a "Wilhelminian worldview" because of the project.

Later, Mützenich said it was good "that the Foreign Minister informed the countries in the region about our intentions and our position.

Overshadowed by Schönbach's Russia speech

Her successor, the Social Democrat Christine Lambrecht, does not travel to Wilhelmshaven to greet the returning ship.

The minister regrets that she cannot come herself due to scheduling reasons, including the Munich Security Conference, the ministry said.

The deputy inspector general will be sent to welcome them.

The "Bayern", a ship of the F123 class, was put into service in 1996.

She has visited numerous ports since August last year, most recently Haifa in Israel.

"Bayern" practiced along the way with units from many countries, took part in NATO operations and participated in monitoring UN sanctions against North Korea.

The trip was overshadowed by a stay in India.

There the then inspector of the navy, Kay-Achim Schönbach, had visited the ship.

At an event in Delhi, Vice-Admiral Schönbach, who described himself as a “very radical Catholic”, spoke up for an alliance of Christian Orthodox Russia with Christian Germany and India against China and said: “We, India, Germany, need Russia Because we need Russia against China.” Schönbach, who was by no means called upon to do this, advised the federal government to show Russian President Putin the respect “that he really demands and that he probably deserves.” Crimea is lost, he judged.

In Berlin they were outraged.

In addition, the Navy chief had predicted an imminent war on the continent,

"Probably not in the next two or three years, but there will be war in the next decade or two."

Above all, it was his statements on Russia that were criticized in public.

Schoenbach resigned.

Shortly before the return, the commander of the "Bayern", frigate captain Tilo Kalski, spoke of a "consistently successful execution of this trip, which was characterized by operational but also diplomatic aspects".

He thanked the crew for their commitment, saying that "it is by no means a given that a ship can go to sea for months in continuous operation without any technical problems worth mentioning".

The crew is now going on vacation before the next sea voyages are scheduled.

Some would have been happy about an appreciative reception by Minister Lambrecht.

The German government was already absent when the last Bundeswehr contingent returned from Afghanistan in July last year.

At that time, too, it was said that there were other important appointments.