The Type 401 Rhein-class tender was a class of tender ships 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 they were decommissioned by 1992. A total of eight ships of this class were built, in addition to the ships Rhine, the Elbe, Main, Neckar, Ruhr, Weser, Werra and Danube.
Tenders are used as supply and command ships and to supply combat units (FACs, anti-mine ships, submarines) with everything they need at sea. Long endurance 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 crews.
After decommissioning, four of the ships were scrapped, three sold to Turkey and one to Greece.
The Type 402 Mosel-class tender consists of three ships (Mosel, Isar, Saar) which are used to supply minesweepers.
The Type 403 Lahn-class tender are used to supply submarines with two ships of this subclass, Lahn and Lech.
Depending on the purpose (FAC or minesweeper tender), different drive concepts were used (diesel-electric drive or diesel engines).
| Pennant number | Name | Builders | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhine-class tender | |||||||
| A58 | Rhein | Schlieker Werft | 1958 | 10 December 1959 | 6 November 1961 | 26 June 1992[1] | |
| A61 | Elbe | 1 September 1959 | 5 May 1960 | 17 April 1962 | 17 December 1992 | Sold to Turkey as TCG Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Paşa (A-579) (ii) | |
| A62 | Weser | Elsflether Werft | 1 August 1959 | 11 June 1960 | 14 July 1962 | 25 July 1972[2] | Sold to Greece as "Αιγαίον D-03". |
| A63 | Main | Lindenau Werft | 23 July 1960 | 29 June 1963 | 25 November 1993 | ||
| A64 | Ruhr | Schlieker Werft | 18 August 1960 | 2 May 1964 | 2 December 1971 | ||
| A66 | Neckar | Lürssen Werft | 22 December 1960 | 26 June 1961 | 7 December 1963 | 30 November 1989[3] | Scrapped in Turkey, 1993 |
| A68 | Werra | Lindenau Werft | 1 October 1959 | 26 March 1963 | 2 September 1964 | 21 March 1991 | |
| A69 | Donau | Schlichting Werft | 24 December 1959 | 26 November 1960 | 23 May 1964 | 1 December 1994[4] | Sold to Turkey as TCG Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Paşa (A-579) (i), 1994[5] |
| Mosel-class tender | |||||||
| A67 | Mosel | Schlieker Werft Blohm+Voss | 15 December 1960 | 8 June 1963 | 28 June 1990 | ||
| A54 | Isar | Blohm+Voss | 14 July 1962 | 25 January 1964 | 29 December 1980 | Sold to Turkey as TCG Sokullu Mehmet Paşa (A-577) | |
| A65 | Saar | Norderwerft | 15 December 1959 | 11 March 1961 | 11 May 1963 | 6 May 1992 | |
| Lahn-class tender | |||||||
| A55 | Lahn | Flender-Werke | 17 April 1961 | 21 November 1961 | 24 March 1964 | 25 April 1991 | |
| A56 | Lech | 20 July 1961 | 4 May 1962 | 8 December 1964 | 30 June 1989 | ||