Manufacturer catalog

Blohm + Voss

Blohm + Voss is the Hamburg shipyard now operating within Rheinmetall's Naval Systems division through NVL. Founded in 1877 and still located at Steinwerder in the Port of Hamburg, the yard is tied to German surface-combatant construction, outfitting, commissioning, repair, and acceptance work for complex naval vessels.

2 weapons

The modern Blohm + Voss site is a naval-vessel yard rather than a broad weapons conglomerate. Rheinmetall and NVL describe it as a Hamburg shipyard with a large waterfront, seven docks, shipbuilding halls, mechanical and engineering workshops, and project-management space for new-build and repair work. Its public defense relevance comes from the yard's role in German frigate and corvette programs, including F123, K130, and current distributed construction projects.

For the catalog, Blohm + Voss is most useful as a manufacturer and construction-yard facet for German naval systems. Connected entries include the Brandenburg class / F123 frigate and Braunschweig-class / K130 corvette, both of which are cataloged as naval systems. The company context here stays at the industrial and program level; operator service history and conflict-use claims remain on the individual weapon records.

naval vesselsfrigatescorvettessurface-combatant outfittingship repair and commissioningnaval project integration

Notable Systems

Brandenburg class / F123 frigate, Anti-submarine frigate class, Naval Systems

Brandenburg class / F123 frigate

Anti-submarine frigate class

NVL's milestones identify the first F123 Brandenburg-class frigate as built by Blohm+Voss and commissioned in 1994; the catalog has a published record for the class.

Sources: NVL milestones
Braunschweig-class / K130 corvette, Corvette class, Naval Systems

Braunschweig-class / K130 corvette

Corvette class

NVL describes the first K130 batch as an early Lurssen and Blohm+Voss cooperation and says current K130 hull halves are joined and outfitted by Blohm+Voss in Hamburg.

Sources: NVL Blohm+Voss shipyard, NVL milestones

Manufacturer History

  1. Shipyard founded in Hamburg

    NVL and Rheinmetall trace Blohm+Voss to 1877 and state that the yard has remained in Hamburg's Steinwerder borough in the Port of Hamburg.

    Sources: NVL Blohm+Voss shipyard, Rheinmetall Blohm+Voss

  2. First naval vessel completed

    NVL identifies SMS Condor, a non-armoured light cruiser, as the first naval vessel built by Blohm+Voss.

    Sources: NVL milestones

  3. F123 lead ship commissioned

    NVL states that the first of four F123 Brandenburg-class frigates was built by Blohm+Voss and commissioned in 1994.

    Sources: NVL milestones

  4. K130 first batch enters service

    NVL lists K130 boats 1-5 as Braunschweig-class corvettes and describes the project as an early example of cooperation between Lurssen and Blohm+Voss.

    Sources: NVL milestones

  5. Part of Rheinmetall Naval Systems

    The NVL site states that NVL has officially become part of Rheinmetall as Division Naval Systems, while Rheinmetall's Blohm+Voss page presents the Hamburg yard within that naval division.

    Sources: NVL Blohm+Voss shipyard, Rheinmetall Blohm+Voss

Website links
NVL Blohm+Voss shipyardRheinmetall Blohm+Voss pageNVL milestonesNVL corvettes

Current public materials present Blohm+Voss through NVL and Rheinmetall Naval Systems, while older corporate sources separate civil Blohm & Voss activities from ThyssenKrupp-era military shipbuilding. This profile therefore treats Blohm + Voss as a Hamburg shipyard and program participant, not as a single unchanged corporate parent across every historical period.

Manufacturer Sources

  • NVL Blohm+Voss shipyardPublisher: NVL | Note: Supports the current Blohm+Voss shipyard description, Hamburg/Steinwerder location, 1877 origin, yard facilities, naval-vessel focus, and K130 distributed construction role. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Rheinmetall Blohm+VossPublisher: Rheinmetall | Note: Supports the legal contact name Blohm+Voss B.V. & Co. KG, Hamburg address, Rheinmetall Naval Systems context, vessel-expertise focus, facilities, and current company presentation. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • NVL milestonesPublisher: NVL | Note: Supports Blohm+Voss program history, including SMS Condor as the first Blohm+Voss naval vessel, the F123 Brandenburg-class lead ship, K130 Braunschweig-class corvettes, and current K130 and F126 construction context. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • NVL corvettesPublisher: NVL | Note: Supports NVL's current corvette product focus, including survivability framing, steel-hull construction, and the displacement and length ranges for its corvette designs. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • STAR Capital Blohm & Voss acquisitionPublisher: STAR Capital Partnership | Note: Supports the 2011 sale of non-military Blohm & Voss businesses from ThyssenKrupp to STAR Capital and gives background on civil shipbuilding, repair, components, and oil-tools activities at that time. | Accessed: 2026-07-11
  • Naval News K130 Augsburg christeningPublisher: Naval News | Note: Supports recent K130 Batch II activity at NVL's Blohm+Voss site in Hamburg, including the 2025 Augsburg christening and planned final outfitting and commissioning work. | Accessed: 2026-07-11

Produced weapons

Category

Naval Systems

Warships, submarines, unmanned surface vessels, naval craft, and maritime combat systems.

2/2
Brandenburg class / F123 frigate, Anti-submarine frigate class, Naval Systems1999 Kosovo War / Operation Allied Force, 2008 Somali Piracy / Operation AtalantaBrandenburg class / F123 frigateAnti-submarine frigate classBuilt in: GermanyThe Brandenburg class / F123 frigate is a four-ship German anti-submarine frigate class built for the Deutsche Marine in the 1990s. Its 139-meter hull, bow sonar, Sea Lynx helicopters, Mk41 vertical-launch air-defense fit, Harpoon missiles, RAM launchers, and command spaces made the class useful for NATO maritime support in the Adriatic and EU counter-piracy patrols off Somalia.
Braunschweig-class / K130 corvette, Corvette class, Naval Systems2008 Somali Piracy / Operation Atalanta, 2015 Various ConflictsBraunschweig-class / K130 corvetteCorvette classBuilt in: GermanyThe Braunschweig-class / K130 corvette is a German Navy coastal-warfare corvette class for shallow waters, maritime surveillance, and surface strike. Bundeswehr describes a 61-person crew, stealth shaping, RBS15 Mk3 anti-ship missiles, RAM point defense, and UNIFIL Maritime Task Force service off Lebanon; EUNAVFOR also documents Erfurt in Operation Atalanta counter-piracy escort duty.