German ship Elbe (A511)

	Elbe on 13 August 2005
History
Germany
Name	Elbe
Namesake	Elbe
Builder	Bremer Vulkan
Launched	June 1992
Commissioned	28 January 1993
Homeport	Warnemünde
Identification	MMSI number: 211211480; Callsign: DRHJ; Pennant number: A511;
Status	Active
General characteristics
Type	Elbe-class replenishment ship
Displacement	3,586 tonnes
Length	100.55 m (329 ft 11 in)
Beam	15.40 m (50 ft 6 in)
Draft	4.05 m (13 ft 3 in)
Propulsion	1 × Deutz-MWM SBV diesel engines; 2,562 kW, Bow thruster;
Speed	15 knots (28 km/h)
Range	2,600 nmi (4,800 km)
Capacity	24 standard 6.2 m containers (maximum); Supplies:; 700 m³ fuel; 60 m³ aviation (helicopter) fuel; 280 m³ fresh water; 160 tonnes ammunition; 40 tonnes supplies; Disposal:; 5 tonnes solid waste; 180 m³ waste water; 32 m³ waste oil;
Complement	40 (standard) + >38 (repair party, passengers, squadron staff)
Armament	2 × Fliegerfaust 2 surface-to-air missile stands (MANPADS); 2 × Rheinmetall Rh202 20 mm autocannon; being replaced by 2 × MLG-27 27 mm remote controlled autocannons;
Aviation facilities	Helipad

Elbe (A511) is the lead ship of the Elbe-class replenishment ships of the German Navy.

Development

The Elbe-class replenishment ships are also known tenders of the German Navy. In German, this type of ship is called Versorgungsschiffe which can be translated as "supply ship" though the official translation in English is "replenishment ship".

They are intended to support German naval units away from their home ports. The ships carry fuel, provisions, ammunition and other matériel and also provide medical services. The ships are named after German rivers where German parliaments were placed.

Construction and career

Elbe was launched in June 1992 in Bremen-Vegesack, Germany. She was commissioned on 28 January 1993.^[1]

Elbe had moved from its home base in Rostock-Warnemünde to Kiel on 14 July 2016 to join forces with the Sakala from Estonia and Skalvis from Lithuania. On 18 July, the ships then set sail together for the Baltic Sea to later join the standing NATO mine countermeasures group SNMCMG 1 (Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1). The tender Elbe is now the operations center for the international task force.^[2]