The very ambitious German naval building programme dated July 1941

U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command, MH 71390. 

Anchored in the Alta Fjord, Norway between 1943-1944

Gneisenau.  ©Warshipsresearch.blogspot.com

pocket battleship Admiral Scheer

In her letter dated Berlin, Germany 31 July 1941 to M. to inform Ob.d.M. the German Seekriegsleitung wrote that after an introduction of the Hauptamtschefs K on 30 July dealing with the needed increase of the building capacity of the shipyards for realizing the future fleet Ob.d.M. demanded information about strength and composition of the fleet.(1) The Seekriegsleitung made a provisional sketch of a fleet to be built within 12-15 years. The fleet was in three parts divided:

A battlefleet consisting of 25 battleships, 8 aircraft carriers or flight deck cruisers, 50 cruisers and 400 submarines.(2)

A fleet to defend the merchant shipping: 50 cruisers of which the type (corvettes of comparable) was yet to be decided.

A fleet to defend the home waters: 150 destroyers, 50 torpedo boats, 250 minesweepers (M- and R-classes), 100 Schnell-boote, 20 Minenschiffe (minelayers), 20 Flakkreuzer (anti aircraft ships) and 100 submarine chasers.

The number of necessary ships for training and special purposes like tankers, supply ships and “colonial gunboats” was to be studied.

Notes

1. On 22 June 1941 started Operation Barbarossa with Germany invading the Soviet Union, to be cpatured within 4 months but which dramatically failed and ended 5 December 1941.

2. Except for the remaining Deutschland-class heavy cruisers but called pocket battleships due to their 28cm guns main armament, possessed German just 3 battleships at that moment namely the Tirpitz, Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. The Bismarck sistership of the Tirpitz was destroyed a few months earlier on 27 May 1941 after she destroyed the British battlecruiser HMS Hood. The aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin is never completed.

Source

Bundes Archiv RM-6-83. 

Happy Sky ships historic German Schnellboote to final berth

Article and photos republished with our thanks to Big Lift Shipping

This week, our Happy Sky successfully completed the transport of seven historic German Navy missile speedboats – Schnellboote, Type 143A Gepard class – from Kiel, Germany to Aliaga, Turkey. The vessels were loaded in early August and have now reached their final destination, where they will be dismantled.The seven boats, all identical and commissioned between 1983 and 1984, are part of a series of ten vessels that were decommissioned in 2015 and 2016. One of their sister ships, the ex-S71 Gepard, has been preserved and is on display at the naval museum in Wilhelmshaven, Germany since 2016. The vessels transported were the ex-S72 Puma, ex-S73 Hermelin, ex-S75 Zobel, ex-S76 Frettchen, ex-S78 Ozelot, ex-S79 Wiesel, and ex-S80 Hyäne. Each vessel weighs approximately 330 metric tonnes, measures 58 metres in length, 7.90 metres in width, and stands at an estimated height of 9.3 metres. Two of the boats were stowed in the hold, while the remaining five were secured on deck. In order to accommodate three boats next to each other the weather deck of the Happy Sky was extended by the use of the vessels’ tweendeck hatch covers. Each boat had a slightly different centre of gravity, influenced by its age and maintenance history.A wide range of equipment was mobilised for the operation, including A-frames, cut-to-shape dunnage, lifting beams, chains featuring  BigLift’s new speed lashing system, and heavy load platforms (HLPs) . Due to the limited and outdated technical data available, the rigging was selected with sufficient contingency, resulting in a heavier setup than usual. As of 1 September, all vessels have arrived at their final berth – never to sail again.

German schnellboot type S 67 design

Displacement 96.5 (construction)-106.00 (full loaded) tons and as dimensions 34.05 (waterline)-34.94 (over all) x 5.10 (maximum) x 1.67 (maximum draught screw) and height sides 2.90 metres. The propulsion consisted of 3-MB 501 diesels with total horsepower of 6,000hp, maximum speed 38.8 knots with 105.6 tons displacement. With 16.74 tons fuel oil capacity and war cruising speed 30 knots a range of 779 nautical miles. Crew numbered 18 men. Armament consisted of 2x1-2cm Flak 30 or 38 guns, 2 machine guns 24, 2x1 G7a torpedo tubes.

Source

Bundesarchiv RM-6-107.

German transport/tender Westerwald (A1435) 1967-2010

IJ, Amsterdam, Netherlands 14 February 2009. 3. minensuchgeschwader

Built as a result of the Auxiliary ships building program of 1959 and designed in 1963-1964 as an ammunition transport of the 707-class with as sister ship Odenwald. Laid down at the shipyard of Orenstein&Koppel, Lübeck, Germany with yard number 624 on 3 November 1965, launched on 25 February1966, commissioned with as homeport Flensburg-Mürwik on 11 February 1967, rebuilt in mid 80’er, mainly used as ammunition transport sometimes as tender, officially tender for schnell boote or minesweeper s squadron, out of active service on 31 May 2010 and decommissioned on 17 December. Displacement 3.460 tons and as dimensions 98,80 x 14,02 x 3,56 metres. Horsepower 2x 2.800 hp Maybach diesels allowing a speed of 15 knots. Her crew consisted of 60 military or 31 civilians. The armament consisted of 2x2-4cm Flaks when manned with military.