German ship Donau (A516)

	Donau on 13 August 2005
History
Germany
Name	Donau
Namesake	Donau
Builder	Bremer Vulkan
Launched	March 1994
Commissioned	15 November 1994
Homeport	Warnemünde
Identification	MMSI number: 211211520; Callsign: DRHO; Pennant number: A516;
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

Donau (A516) is the sixth 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

Donau was launched in March 1994 in Bremen-Vegesack, Germany. She was commissioned on 15 November 1994.^[1]

On 11 January 2020, Donau under the command of Captain Bernd Abshagen left her home port of Warnemünde to join the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1).^[2]

Until July 2024, it was part of the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force Maritime (VJTF (M)) in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea.^[3]^[4]^[5]