Rhine class (1959)

*Rhine* class
	The tender Danube (A69) in Olpenitz
Ship data
country	Germany
Ship type	tender
Launch of the type ship	1958
Units built	13
period of service	1961 to 1994
Ship dimensions and crew
length	99.0 m ( Lüa )
width	11.8 m
Draft	Max. 3.4 m
displacement	2370 t
crew	110 people
Machine system
machine	6 diesel
Machine ; performance	14,400 hp (10,591 kW)
Top ; speed	21 kn (39 km / h)
propeller	2 variable pitch propellers
Armament
	2 × guns 100 mm / L55; 4 × guns 40 mm / L70 ; 2 × depth charges; Mine-laying capacity;

As Rhine-class which were tender of Class 401 of the German Navy called. The class was named after the type ship Rhein , which was laid down in 1958 , christened in 1959 and put into service in 1961 and served as a support unit for the 3rd Schnellboot Squadron until its decommissioning in 1992 . A total of eight ships of this type were built, in addition to the Rhine , the Elbe , Main , Neckar , Ruhr , Weser , Werra and Danube .

Tenders are supply and command ships and supply combat units ( speedboats , anti-mine vehicles , submarines ) with everything they need at sea. Longer periods at sea are only possible with these mother ships. The tenders take care of the supply of fuel, water and provisions, they also provide workshops, spare parts and tools as well as an infirmary with an operating theater for the soldiers on board.

After decommissioning, four of the ships were scrapped, three were sold to Turkey and one to Greece.

The Rhine class also includes the types class 402 ( Moselle class for mine sweepers) with three built units ( Mosel , Isar , Saar ) and class 403 ( Lahn class for submarines) with two units ( Lahn and Lech ).

Depending on the intended use (speedboat or minesweeper tender), different drive concepts were used ( diesel-electric drive or diesel engines ).

List of ships

Identifier	Surname	Shipyard	Keel laying	Launch	Commissioning	Decommissioning
Tender class 401
A 58	Rhine		1958	1959	1961	1992
A 61	Elbe	Schlieker shipyard		May 5th 1960	April 17, 1962	17th December 1992
A 62	Weser				1962	1975
A 63	Main				1963	1993
A 64	Dysentery				1964	1971
A 66	Neckar	Lürssen	December 22nd, 1960	June 26, 1961	7th December 1963	November 30, 1989
A 68	Werra				1964	1991
A 69	Danube	Schlichting shipyard		1960	1964	1994
Tender class 402
A 67	Moselle				1963	1990
A 54	Isar				1964	1980
A 65	Saar				1963	1992
Tender class 403
A 55	Lahn				1964	1991
A 56	Lech				1964	1989

literature

HH Bess : The Navy of the Federal Republic of Germany . 3. Edition. Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft , Herford 1971, ISBN 3-7822-0118-3 , p. 48 .

Web links

Commons : Rhine class - collection of images