Operation Atalanta
"Bayern" deployed once more, on 26 January 2015, to join Operation Atalanta, remaining on station until returning to her home port on 3 July 2015. She returned to Operation Atalanta on 23 March, serving as the flagship of Flotilla Admiral Jan Christian Kaack. This deployment lasted for five months, "Bayern" sailing some 32,000 nautical miles, before returning home on 8 August 2016. On 7 March 2018, "Bayern" sailed from Wilhelmshaven to rejoin Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 in the Aegean Sea, replacing the replenishment ship "Frankfurt am Main". "Bayern" is expected to complete this deployment at the end of August 2018.