Otto Bröhan was a German fishing trawler that was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine in the Second World War for use as a Vorpostenboot, serving as V 207 Otto Bröhan and V 206 Otto Bröhan. She was scuttled at Caen, Calvados, France in June 1944. She was raised in March 1945 and converted to a survey ship for the French Navy, renamed Ingénieur Hydrographe Nicolas. She served until 1960 and was then scrapped.
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry |
|
| Builder | H. C. Stülcken Sohn |
| Yard number | 723 |
| Launched | 28 December 1937 |
| Completed | 8 March 1938 |
| Commissioned |
|
| Decommissioned |
|
| In service | 8 March 1938 |
| Out of service | 1944-48 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sold for scrap 1960 |
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 510 GRT, 189 NRT |
| Displacement | 1050t |
| Length | 55.65 m (182 ft 7 in) |
| Beam | 8.44 m (27 ft 8 in) |
| Draught | 4.90 m (16 ft 1 in) |
| Depth | 4.21 m (13 ft 10 in) |
| Installed power | Triple expansion steam engine, 135nhp, 540ihp |
| Propulsion | Single screw propeller |
| Speed | 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h) |
| Complement | 68 (Ingénieur Hydrographe Nicolas) |
| Armament |
|
Description
editOtto Bröhan was 55.65 metres (182 ft 7 in) long, with a beam of 8.44 metres (27 ft 8 in). She had a depth of 4.21 metres (13 ft 10 in) and a draught of 4.90 metres (16 ft 1 in).[1] She was assessed at 510 GRT, 189 NRT, 1050t displacement.[2][3] The ship was powered by a triple expansion steam engine, which had cylinders of 35 centimetres (13+3⁄4 in), 55 centimetres (21+5⁄8 in) and 88 centimetres (34+5⁄8 in) diameter by 66 centimetres (26 in) stroke. The engine was made by H. C. Stülcken Sohn, Hamburg, Germany. It was rated at 135nhp and 540ihp.[2] It drove a single screw propeller via a low pressure turbine, double reduction gearing and a hydraulic coupling,[2] and could propel the ship at 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h).[1]
History
editOtto Bröhan was built in 1937 as yard number 723 by H. C. Stülcken Sohn, Hamburg,[1] for Cranzer Fischdampfer AG, Hamburg.[2] She was launched on 28 December.[4] The Code Letters DJVI were allocated,[2] as was the Cranz an der Elbe fishing boat registration PC 9.[4][5] The trawler was named after Otto Bröhan, a fishing boat captain from Hamburg.[citation needed] She entered service on 8 March 1938. On 1 April, her registration was moved to Hamburg as HH9.[4][5] She fished off Norway and Iceland.[citation needed]
On 6 October 1939, Otto Bröhan was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine for use as a vorpostenboot. She was commissioned into 2 Vorpostenflotille as V 207 Otto Bröhan.[6] Her armament consisted of one 88 mm anti-aircraft gun at the bow and one 20 mm cannon aft.[citation needed] She was redesignated V 206 Otto Bröhan on 20 October.[6] She served in the North Sea, and following the Fall of France she was based at Saint-Malo, Ille-et-Vilaine, France and Saint Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands. In 1943, Otto Bröhan was rebuilt and her armament was strengthened. She now carried a single 88 mm anti-aircraft gun and five 20 mm cannon. Gunners were provided with armoured shields for protection.[citation needed]
On 6 June 1944, Otto Bröhan was in port at Caen, Calvados, France when Operation Overlord started, and was trapped there with V 212 Friedrich Busse and the motor minesweeper R 231 as their retreat from the port had been cut off. All three vessels were scuttled with explosives on 12 June, with Otto Bröhan scuttled in the Caen Canal.[7][8][9] Lieutenant Commander Patrick Dalzel-Job was able to recover documents and equipment from the wreck on 10 July with his team from 30 AU (Assault Unit) Commando.[10][page needed]
In March 1945, Otto Bröhan was refloated, given basic repairs at Caen, and laid up in August 1946.[3] She was acquired by the French Navy and, between 1947 and 1948, converted to a hydrographic survey vessel at the naval dockyard at Cherbourg, Manche.[3] She was commissioned on 1 January 1949 as Ingénieur Hydrographe Nicolas, with the Pennant Number P 664.[3] Her armament consisted of two 20 mm cannon.[11] Her complement was 68 men.[11] She was based at Toulon, Var and was used for survey and mapping work of French and North African coasts.[citation needed] Ingénieur Hydrographe Nicolas was withdrawn from service on 18 July 1960.[citation needed] She was sold at Cherbourg that year by the Domaines de l'État, as Q 193, for scrapping.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c Gröner 1993, p. 218.
- ^ a b c d e "Otto Bröhan (12206)" (PDF). Lloyd's Register: Chalutiers &c. OTT-OVE (in English and French). London: Lloyd's Register. 1939–1940. Retrieved 24 May 2022 – via Southampton City Council.
- ^ a b c d e Roche 2013.
- ^ a b c Gröner 1993, p. 221.
- ^ a b "Fishing Ports and Port Registration Letters". The Canadian Collection. Picton, Ontario: Naval Marine Archive. November 2019. Archived from the original on 10 March 2021. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
- ^ a b "Vorpostenboote der deutschen Kriegsmarine 1939–45". www.wlb-stuttgart.de (in German). Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ Rohwer, Jürgen; Gerhard Hümmelchen. "Seekrieg 1944, Juni". Württembergische Landesbibliothek Stuttgart (in German). Retrieved 24 May 2022.
- ^ Paterson 2017, pp. 288–289.
- ^ German Naval Staff Operations Division. "War Diary, June 1944" (PDF). p. 243.
- ^ Dalzel-Job 1991, Chapter 11.
- ^ a b Blackman 1953, p. 214.
Bibliography
edit- Blackman, Raymond V. B., ed. (1953). Jane's Fighting Ships 1953–54. New York: McGraw-Hill.
- Dalzel-Job, Patrick (1991). From Arctic Snow to Dust of Normandy. Leo Cooper. ISBN 0862998425.
- Gröner, Erich (1993). Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815–1945 (in German). Vol. 8/I: Flußfahrzeuge, Ujäger, Vorpostenboote, Hilfsminensucher, Küstenschutzverbände (Teil 1). Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 3-7637-4807-5.
- Paterson, Lawrence (2017). Hitler's Forgotten Flotillas: Kriegsmarine Security Forces. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4738-8239-3.
- Roche, Jean-Michel (2013). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours [Dictionary of French Warships from Colbert to Today] (in French). Vol. II: 1870–2006 (2nd ed.). France. ISBN 978-2-9525917-3-7. OCLC 165892922.
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