An item reported the presence of 7 Sea Police KS vessels at the Peenewerft, Wolgast, East Germany for the replacement of their propulsion engines.(1) Apparently the quality of the machinery is doubtful while some engines had just a work life of no more as 25 hours!. According to one explanation were engines damaged due to too narrow oil filters. Furthermore were 3 Sea Police R boats or motor minesweepers under repair. The KS boats nos. 19-22 coming from Berlin were drained on the shipyard as precaution against frost damage. On 9 February 1953 were also the KS boats nos. 23-25 brought over from Berlin.
The vessel called Wismar was nearly finished and so serve as a seagoing tug for the sea police. Her machinery consisted of 2-540hp diesels manufactured by the Maschinefabrik Buckau R.Wolf AG, Magdeburg, East Germany. Furthermore was she fitted out with an electric plant in fact a generator set coupling 5-100hp engines. She was not armed although with gun mount rings and gratings prepared to be fitted with a kind of armament. In the same report was said that such a plant could mean that she was to be used as a salvage vessel or a floating battery-supply vessel for submarines. Inside the sea police was the arrival of Soviet submarines expected and the construction by shipyards within the Soviet Zone. An engine fitter of the Schiffseletrik VEM, Rostock, East Germany who was stationed at the shipyard reported that the Schlaak design office was making drawings for such submarines to be constructed at the Peenewerft. Another source claimed that in 1953 Libau [Liepaja, Latvia] built Soviet submarines were to be stationed in the East German Soviet Zone after their crews were ready with their training at the submarine school at Sassnitz, East Germany.
According to labourers of the shipyard left the (ex-Dorsch) Ernst Thaelmann the Peenwerdt in December 1952 and was lying since than at Sassnitz. One source reported indeed her or a ship resembling her there on 12 December. The Sea Police was in fact the predecessor of the East German Volksmarine.
Note
1. The Main Administration Sea Police was established on 16 June 1950 under the Ministry of the Interior, responsible for the defence of the East German maritime border and coastal areas including minesweeping.
Source
The report was published on www.archive.org, document number CIA-RPD80-00810A000700200008-4.
The vessel called Wismar was nearly finished and so serve as a seagoing tug for the sea police. Her machinery consisted of 2-540hp diesels manufactured by the Maschinefabrik Buckau R.Wolf AG, Magdeburg, East Germany. Furthermore was she fitted out with an electric plant in fact a generator set coupling 5-100hp engines. She was not armed although with gun mount rings and gratings prepared to be fitted with a kind of armament. In the same report was said that such a plant could mean that she was to be used as a salvage vessel or a floating battery-supply vessel for submarines. Inside the sea police was the arrival of Soviet submarines expected and the construction by shipyards within the Soviet Zone. An engine fitter of the Schiffseletrik VEM, Rostock, East Germany who was stationed at the shipyard reported that the Schlaak design office was making drawings for such submarines to be constructed at the Peenewerft. Another source claimed that in 1953 Libau [Liepaja, Latvia] built Soviet submarines were to be stationed in the East German Soviet Zone after their crews were ready with their training at the submarine school at Sassnitz, East Germany.
According to labourers of the shipyard left the (ex-Dorsch) Ernst Thaelmann the Peenwerdt in December 1952 and was lying since than at Sassnitz. One source reported indeed her or a ship resembling her there on 12 December. The Sea Police was in fact the predecessor of the East German Volksmarine.
Note
1. The Main Administration Sea Police was established on 16 June 1950 under the Ministry of the Interior, responsible for the defence of the East German maritime border and coastal areas including minesweeping.
Source
The report was published on www.archive.org, document number CIA-RPD80-00810A000700200008-4.
