German naval auxiliary supply ship ms Dresden in 1939

Admiral Graf Spee. ©Warshipsresearch.blogspot.com

In a letter dated 13 April 1942 No. 1329 to the O.K.M./1 Abteilung Skl. was the so-called ‘Etappen’-organisation of the navy described. In the attachment were the blockade runners decribed used for this purpose. Ms. Dresden (1) naval auxiliary supply ship for the pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee, left Coquimbo on 19 October 1939, arrived at Santos on 25 November 1939, no utilization by the latter. For auxiliary cruiser H.S.K. 16, left Santos on 28 March 1941, arrived at St. Jean de Luz on 29 May 1941 with 329 American prisoners of Zamzam and handed over to the RVM on 29 May 1941. 

Notes

1. Launched by Bremer Vulkan, Vegesack, Germany with yard number 735 for Norddeutscher Lloyd on 26 May 1937, commissioned on 7 July 1937, scuttled as blockship in the entrance to the Gironde, France on 25 August 1944, salvaged, in March 1946 as France-flagged Doba, used for transport of military and troops to French Indochina and grounded and lost off Ras Hafonne, Gulf of Aden underway from Ceylon to Djibouti/French Somaliland ([Republic of Djibouti since 1992) on 21 July 1950.

2. Of the Deutschland-class consisting of the Admiral Graf Spee, Deutschland (1940 renamed Admiral Lützow) and the Admiral Scheer. In the international press called pocket battleship with the idea outrunning each ship which was too powerful for her but able to destroy any other ship. Very suitable to serve as commercial raider. Building ordered as the Ersatz Braunschweig). Laid down on the Reichmarinewerft, Wilhelmshaven, Germany with yard number 125 on 1 October 1932, launched on 30 June 1934, commissioned on 6 January 1936, successful in destroying 50.089 gross tonnage of merchant ships, participated in the Battle of the Rio de La Plata on 13 December 1939 and finally scuttled to prevent capture on 17 December1939.

Source

Bundesarchiv RM 7/223