Altona, Hamburg surrounding cities) with the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg in 1938. On 1 February 2007 the "Ortsämter" (precincts) in Hamburg were dissolved. In Altona the precincts of Blankenese, Lurup and Osdorf had existed and had local offices. On 1 March 2008 the Schanzenviertel neighborhood, which had spanned across parts of the boroughs of Altona, Eimsbüttel and Hamburg-Mitte, became the Sternschanze quarter, the entirety of which is now in the Altona borough. The border of Altona to the south is the River Elbe, and across the river the state Lower Saxony and the boroughs Harburg and Hamburg-Mitte. To the east
German frigate Hamburg March and 3 June 2013 "Hamburg" deployed with the carrier combat group, and was tasked with co-ordinating all flight movements within a radius of 180 km, including all take-offs and landings on the carrier. "Hamburg" was the first German ship to fully integrate into an American Strike group, and it was the first time in the history of the US Navy that a German frigate was entrusted with the sole protection of an American aircraft carrier. On 11 February 2014 "Hamburg" deployed from Wilhelmshaven with the frigates "Mecklenburg-Vorpommern" and "Augsburg", the corvette "Oldenburg " and the storeship "Frankfurt am Main"