German training cruiser Deutschland (A59)

Deutschland (A59) was a naval ship of the Bundesmarine, the West German Navy. She was constructed and used as a training cruiser ("Schulschiffe") in peacetime and planned for multi-role missions in the event of war: troop ship, hospital ship, minelayer, and escort. For this reason the ship was only lightly armed for its size (no guided missiles), the machinery was rather impractical and diverse, and large teaching rooms were included. Also civilians served alongside military personnel.

In her time Deutschland was the largest naval vessel of West Germany. Permission to build the ship was granted despite being larger than allowed by tonnage restrictions imposed by the WEU on West Germany. (The later Berlin class replenishment ships of the reunited Germany are much larger.) Like most German post-war naval ships she was completely NBC protected. Deutschland was the smallest German cruiser since the 4,385-ton SMS Brummer and Bremse of 1915.

This one-ship class, Type 440 of the German designation system, cost 95 million DM.

Career and fate
Ordered in late 1958, the training cruiser Deutschland was laid down by Nobiskrug at Rendsburg on 11 September 1959. Launched on 5 November 1960, it was originally intended that she be named Berlin, but for political reasons this name was dropped and the vessel named for the nation. The two previous surface warships of this name were battleships launched in 1904 and 1931, respectively.

Delivered 10 April 1963, Deutschland was commissioned on 25 May 1966 at Naval Academy Mürwik near Flensburg. She remained in service until she was decommissioned on 28 June 1990. Sold for scrap in October 1993, she was towed to Alang, India in January 1994 and scrapped.