''Elbe'' (A511) is the
lead ship of the s 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
A fuel is any material that can be made to react with other substances so that it releases energy as thermal energy or to be used for work. The concept was originally applied solely to those materials capable of releasing chemical energy but ...
,
provisions,
ammunition
Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...
and other
matériel
Materiel (; ) refers to supplies, equipment, and weapons in military supply-chain management, and typically supplies and equipment in a commercial supply chain context.
In a military context, the term ''materiel'' refers either to the specific ...
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.
''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
Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. 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.
Gallery
File:German auxiliary repair ship Elbe (A 511).jpg, ''Elbe'' during BALTOPS on 11 June 2008
File:FGS Elbe (A511)-090610-N-5650M-069.jpg, ''Elbe'' during BALTOPS on 10 June 2009
File:ELBE 6523.jpg, ''Elbe'' in Wilhelmshaven on 3 April 2014
File:Ikla alongside A511 Elbe at Quay 17 in Port of Tallinn 30 May 2014.jpg, ''Elbe'' in Port of Tallinn on 30 May 2014
File:170606-N-N0901-050 (34298506734).jpg, ''Elbe'' during BALTOPS on 5 June 2017
File:Elbe A511.jpg, ''Elbe'' in King George V Dock during SNMCMG2 in October 2021
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elbe (A511)
Elbe-class replenishment ships
1992 ships
Ships built in Bremen (state)