Nordrhein-Westfalen (F223) is the second ship of the Baden-Württemberg-class frigates of the German Navy.
== Background == Nordrhein-Westfalen was designed and constructed by ARGE F125, a joint-venture of Thyssen-Krupp and Lürssen. She is part of the Baden-Württemberg class has the highest displacement of any class of frigate worldwide, and are used to replace the Bremen class.
== Construction and career == Nordrhein-Westfalen was laid down on 24 October, 2012 and launched on 16 April, 2015 in Hamburg. She was commissioned on 10 June, 2020. In November, 2024, while patrolling the Baltic Sea near the port of Gdańsk, Poland, she encountered a Russian convoy consisting of an unnamed tanker and a corvette in the Baltic Sea, potentially breaking the international sanctions imposed on Russian oil. When a NH90 helicopter from Nordrhein-Westfalen was sent to inspect the Russian vessels more closely, the corvette responded with five red flares instead of routine radio communication. The incident became public when German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock mentioned the act of aggression at a NATO meeting a week later.
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== External links == Seaforces.org