Development and design
Because the previously used fleet tender Hela, the former M135 minesweeper, had become too small for the new tasks and needs of the fleet staff, a planned new building was included in the 1936 state budget under the name of Ersatz Hela.
The ship had a length of 99.8 m over all or 92.5 m in the waterline and was 12.8 m wide, with a side height of 7.45 m and a maximum draft of 4.05 m maximum 2,520 tonnes (standard 2,113 tn.l.). The armament consisted of two 10.5-cm SK L / 45 C32 rapid-loading cannons, a 3.7-cm SK C / 30 and two 2.0-cm Flak C / 30 automatic cannons. A conspicuously large ship crane for watering and recovering the various barges and dinghies as well as for loading the ship with ammunition and supplies was located amidships behind the funnel. The equipment with a catapult and seaplane of the Arado Ar 196 A-1 planned in the original draft was not implemented because it was foreseeable early on that the ship would hardly leave its home waters and thus an airborne aircraft would not be needed for reconnaissance or transport. [1]
The procurement of the initially planned four MAN 9-cylinder four-stroke marine diesel engines of the type W 9 Vu 40/46 with Büchi supercharging, with a total planned 6300 hp, caused considerable difficulties and led to long construction delays. Eventually this plan was abandoned and the ship received two two-stroke six-cylinder diesel engines from MAN instead, which were removed from the not yet completed cargo ship Sofia of the German Levante Line. Their total of 4720 hp gave the Hela a top speed of 20 knots over two shafts with volcano drives and propellers. The bunker supply of 280 t of diesel fuel enabled an action radius of 2000 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 15 knots. [1]
The crew consisted of 224 to 259 men (without admiralty staff). In addition, officers and crew quarters were available for up to 108 other persons who would serve as staff on board. [1]
Construction and career
Service in the Kriegsmarine
She was laid down on 23 November 1937 and launched on 29 December 1938 at Stülckenwerft in Hamburg. After almost three years of construction, the ship was commissioned on 16 October 1940 under the command of Corvette Captain Paul Schulze and, after the test drives, were placed under the command of the fleet. From December 1940, she served as a command ship for the newly created office of the 2nd Admiral of the Fleet with his staff, at that time Rear Admiral Leopold Siemens (later Vice Admiral, 1889–1979).
On 5 May 1941, Hela brought Hitler to Gdynia, the so-called Gotenhafen during the German occupation from 1940 to 1945, where he visited Bismarck, which was in the roadstead, before it broke out into the Atlantic. After the sinking of the Bismarck only three weeks later, on 27 May 1941, in which the fleet chief Günther Lütjens and his entire staff were killed, the office of the 2nd admiral of the fleet was dissolved in order to create a new fleet command, and the Hela stood now available to the fleet command again until the end of the war. In October 1943, Corvette Captain Oswald Neumann took command of the ship, which he commanded until the end of the war.
On 16 April 1945, Hela was slightly damaged in a British air raid on Swinoujscie, the then German Swinemünde. Before the end of April, in view of the approaching Soviet armed forces, it was still possible to bring the ship across the Baltic Sea to Eckernförde under its own power, where it was confiscated by Great Britain after Germany's surrender. While the naval officers, regarded by the victorious powers as Nazis and labeled as such, were arrested, the remaining crew was taken prisoner and led by foot to Mittelholstein under the command of the last remaining officer, the chief engineer Oberleutnant zur See (Ing.) Heinz Johann Schulz. The team had to camp in an open field for several weeks until the first were released from captivity in July 1945. [1]
Service in the Soviet Navy
After the end of the war, the ship was awarded to the Soviet Union as spoils of war and on 5 November 1945, she was added to the inventory of the Soviet Navy. The takeover took place on 25 December 1945, the Soviet flag was hoisted for the first time on 20 January 1946, on 29 March 1946 the ship was incorporated into the Soviet Baltic Fleet and on 13 May 1946 under the name Angara (Russian: Ангара).
Initially, the ship served the port captain of Leningrad, today's Saint Petersburg. Three years later it was placed under the Black Sea Fleet and stationed in Sevastopol, Crimea. From 22 June 1957 to 13 March 1958, due to its luxurious furnishings from the Kriegsmarine, among others with very spacious wood-paneled cabins and dining rooms, it was used as the official government yacht of the Soviet Union. Many well-known personalities and high-ranking politicians were guests on the ship at the invitation of the Soviet government, including the Finnish President, the Indian Prime Minister, the King of Afghanistan, the Defense Ministers of China, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Romania, and the naval chiefs of the GDR, Bulgaria, Poland and Romania. On 13 March 1958, the ship was returned to the Black Sea Navy Command. There it served as the command ship of the regional naval commander until 1992.
In 1992 the Hela was probably the last still active larger surface ship of the former German Navy, albeit under a foreign flag. The armament, such as the two 10.5 cm guns on the fore and aft deck, however, had already been removed. On 26 February 1995, a fire broke out in the engine room, which the crew could not extinguish and which caused severe damage. [1] Since the ship was no longer maneuverable under its own power, it was reclassified as a residential ship PKZ-14 in January 1996 and then no longer used as a command ship or government yacht. In the period that followed, up to 2006, the ship was hardly serviced and rusted away.
Fate
The ship was up for sale for a rumored USD 1.2 million as early as 2000 and was offered by a British shipbroker in later years. In 2007, following the mediation of influential Russian businessmen, the Russian Navy sold it to the Italian Antonio Crispino (with Ellici Trasporti srl as a contractual partner), who wanted to convert it into a sea-going luxury yacht. The final selling price has not been published. On 29 April 2011, the planning and development work began, with which the Italian company Navirex was entrusted by Mario Grasso and the Francesco Rogantin Studio for Naval Architecture and Engineering, with Mr. Fausto Corradini as coordinating project manager. After the hull had already been derusted and re-preserved in a dry dock and propellers and shafts had been removed, the ship was towed to the pier of a shipyard in Sevastopol. There the crane was removed first and by mid-2012 all the superstructures and the funnel were also removed. [2] [3]
A yacht that was to be chartered out was planned with ten large cabins, the individual design of which was to be modeled on the Carlton Hotel in Cannes, and a saloon measuring 25 m × 10 m, as well as wide stairs and elevators. The ship should be diesel-electric, with a planned cruising speed of 15 knots and a maximum speed of 20 knots, which would have been the performance of the former Hela. With an economical speed of 12 knots the range should be 5,000 nautical miles. With an average of twelve passengers, the crew would have consisted of 20 people.
In the fourth quarter of 2019, the ship was scrapped at the Inkerman demolition yard. [4]
PKZ-14 on 30 August 2005
PKZ-14 on 18 July 2008
The Bayern class was a class of four dreadnought battleships built by the German Kaiserliche Marine. The class comprised Bayern, Baden, Sachsen, and Württemberg. Construction started on the ships shortly before World War I; Baden was laid down in 1913, Bayern and Sachsen followed in 1914, and Württemberg, the final ship, was laid down in 1915. Only Baden and Bayern were completed, due to shipbuilding priorities changing as the war dragged on. It was determined that U-boats were more valuable to the war effort, and so work on new battleships was slowed and ultimately stopped altogether. As a result, Bayern and Baden were the last German battleships completed by the Kaiserliche Marine.
SMS Goeben was the second of two Moltke-class battlecruisers of the Imperial German Navy, launched in 1911 and named after the German Franco-Prussian War veteran General August Karl von Goeben. Along with her sister ship, Goeben was similar to the previous German battlecruiser design, Von der Tann, but larger, with increased armor protection and two more main guns in an additional turret. Goeben and Moltke were significantly larger and better armored than the comparable British Indefatigable class.
Leipzig was the lead ship of her class of light cruisers built by the German navy. She had one sister ship, Nürnberg. Leipzig was laid down in April 1928, was launched in October 1929, and was commissioned into the Reichsmarine in October 1931. Armed with a main battery of nine 15 cm (5.9 in) guns in three triple turrets, Leipzig had a top speed of 32 knots.
SMS Schlesien was one of five Deutschland-class pre-dreadnought battleships built for the German Kaiserliche Marine between 1904 and 1906. Named after the German province of Silesia, Schlesien was laid down at the Schichau-Werke shipyard in Danzig on 19 November 1904, launched on 28 May 1906, and commissioned on 5 May 1908. She was armed with a battery of four 28 cm (11 in) guns and had a top speed of 18 knots. The ships of her class were already outdated by the time they entered service, as they were inferior in size, armor, firepower, and speed to the revolutionary new British battleship HMS Dreadnought.
Nürnberg was a German light cruiser of the Leipzig class built for the Kriegsmarine. She was named after the city of Nuremberg and had one sister ship, Leipzig. Nürnberg was laid down in 1934, launched in December of that year, and completed in November 1935. She was armed with a main battery of nine 15 cm (5.9 in) guns in three triple turrets and could steam at a speed of 32 knots. Nürnberg was the longest-serving major warship of the Kriegsmarine, and the only one to see active service after the end of World War II, though not in a German navy.
The Admiral Hipper class was a group of five heavy cruisers built by Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine beginning in the mid-1930s. The class comprised Admiral Hipper, the lead ship, Blücher, Prinz Eugen, Seydlitz, and Lützow. Only the first three ships of the class saw action with the German Navy during World War II. Work on Seydlitz stopped when she was approximately 95 percent complete; it was decided to convert her into an aircraft carrier, but this was not completed either. Lützow was sold incomplete to the Soviet Union in 1940.
The Deutschland class was a series of three Panzerschiffe, a form of heavily armed cruiser, built by the Reichsmarine officially in accordance with restrictions imposed by the Treaty of Versailles. The ships of the class, Deutschland, Admiral Scheer, and Admiral Graf Spee, were all stated to displace 10,000 long tons (10,160 t) in accordance with the Treaty, though they actually displaced 10,600 to 12,340 long tons at standard displacement. The design for the ships incorporated several radical innovations, including the first major use of welding in a warship and all-diesel propulsion. Due to their heavy armament of six 28 cm (11 in) guns and lighter weight, the British began referring to the vessels as "pocket battleships". The Deutschland-class ships were initially classified as Panzerschiffe, but the Kriegsmarine reclassified them as heavy cruisers in February 1940.
SMS Ariadne was the fifth member of the ten-ship Gazelle class of light cruisers that were built for the German Kaiserliche Marine in the late 1890s and early 1900s. The Gazelle class was the culmination of earlier unprotected cruiser and aviso designs, combining the best aspects of both types in what became the progenitor of all future light cruisers of the Imperial fleet. Built to be able to serve with the main German fleet and as a colonial cruiser, she was armed with a battery of ten 10.5 cm (4.1 in) guns and a top speed of 21.5 knots.
The König class was a group of four dreadnought battleships built for the German Kaiserliche Marine in the early 1910s. The class comprised König, the lead ship, Grosser Kurfürst, Markgraf, and Kronprinz. The design for the ships was derived from the preceding Kaiser class, using the same basic hull but with the main battery of ten 30.5 cm (12 in) guns in five twin-gun turrets rearranged to improve the guns' firing arcs. Instead of the staggered wing turrets used in the Kaisers, the Königs placed their main guns all on the centerline using superfiring pairs fore and aft. Budgetary constraints and the need to begin construction quickly to compete with Britain in the Anglo-German naval arms race prevented any more radical changes. Diesel engines were planned for the ships, but they could not be readied in time, so all four vessels reverted to steam turbines for their propulsion system.
SMS Hela was an aviso built for the German Kaiserliche Marine in the mid-1890s, the last vessel of that type to be built by the German Empire. As the culmination of the type in German service, she represented significant improvements over earlier vessels, particularly the Wacht and Meteor classes, which had been disappointments in service. She was intended to serve as a fleet scout and as a flotilla leader for torpedo boats. Hela marked a step toward the development of the light cruiser. Armed with a battery of four 8.8 cm (3.5 in) guns and three 45 cm (17.7 in) torpedo tubes, the ship proved to be too weakly-armed for front-line combat.
Rostislav was a pre-dreadnought battleship built by the Nikolaev Admiralty Shipyard in the 1890s for the Black Sea Fleet of the Imperial Russian Navy. She was conceived as a small, inexpensive coastal defence ship, but the Navy abandoned the concept in favor of a compact, seagoing battleship with a displacement of 8,880 long tons (9,022 t). Poor design and construction practices increased her actual displacement by more than 1,600 long tons (1,626 t). Rostislav became the world's first capital ship to burn fuel oil, rather than coal. Her combat ability was compromised by the use of 10-inch (254 mm) main guns instead of the de facto Russian standard of 12 inches (305 mm).
SMS Arcona was the ninth member of the ten-ship Gazelle class of light cruisers that were built for the German Kaiserliche Marine in the late 1890s and early 1900s. The Gazelle class was the culmination of earlier unprotected cruiser and aviso designs, combining the best aspects of both types in what became the progenitor of all future light cruisers of the Imperial fleet. Built to be able to serve with the main German fleet and as a colonial cruiser, she was armed with a battery of ten 10.5 cm (4.1 in) guns and a top speed of 21.5 knots. Arcona was a modified version of the basic Gazelle design, with improved armor and additional coal storage for a longer cruising range.
The Braunschweig-class battleships were a group of five pre-dreadnought battleships of the German Kaiserliche Marine built in the early 1900s. They were the first class of battleships authorized under the Second Naval Law, a major naval expansion program. The class comprised five ships—Braunschweig, Elsass, Hessen, Preussen, and Lothringen—and they were an improvement over the preceding Wittelsbach class. The Braunschweigs mounted a more powerful armament of 28 cm (11 in) and 17 cm (6.7 in) guns. Less than two years after the first members of the class entered service, the ships were rendered obsolescent by the British all-big-gun battleship Dreadnought, which curtailed their careers.
The Derfflinger class was a class of three battlecruisers of the Imperial German Navy. The ships were ordered for the 1912–13 Naval Building Program of the German Imperial Navy as a reply to the Royal Navy's two new Lion-class battlecruisers that had been launched a few years earlier. The preceding Moltke class and the incrementally improved Seydlitz represented the end of the evolution of Germany's first generation of battlecruisers. The Derfflinger class had considerable improvements, including a larger primary armament, all of which was mounted on the centerline. The ships were also larger than the preceding classes. The Derfflinger class used a similar propulsion system, and as a result of the increased displacement were slightly slower.
The Moltke class was a class of two "all-big-gun" battlecruisers of the German Imperial Navy built between 1909–1911. Named SMS Moltke and SMS Goeben, they were similar to the previous battlecruiser Von der Tann, but the newer design featured several incremental improvements. The Moltkes were slightly larger, faster, and better armored, and had an additional pair of 28 cm (11 in) guns.
SMS König Albert was the fourth vessel of the Kaiser class of dreadnought battleships of the Imperial German Navy. König Albert's keel was laid on 17 July 1910 at the Schichau-Werke dockyard in Danzig. She was launched on 27 April 1912 and was commissioned into the fleet on 31 July 1913. The ship was equipped with ten 30.5-centimeter (12 in) guns in five twin turrets, and had a top speed of 22.1 knots. König Albert was assigned to III Battle Squadron and later IV Battle Squadron of the High Seas Fleet for the majority of her career, including World War I.
Grille was an aviso built in Nazi Germany for the Kriegsmarine in the mid-1930s for use as a state yacht by Adolf Hitler and other leading individuals in the Nazi regime. The ship received a light armament of three 12.7-centimeter (5 in) guns and was fitted to be capable of serving as an auxiliary minelayer. Completed in 1935, her experimental high-pressure steam turbines, which were installed to test them before they were used in destroyers, required significant modifications and the ship finally entered service in 1937. Over the next two years, she was used in a variety of roles, including as a training vessel and a target ship, in addition to her duties as a yacht.
Admiral Nakhimov was a Project 1134A Kresta II-class cruiser of the Soviet Navy, named for Russian naval commander Pavel Nakhimov. The third ship of her class, the ship served during the Cold War, from 1971 to 1991. She served with the Northern Fleet for the duration of her career, often operating in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean in order to show the flag. She was decommissioned in 1991 before being sold for scrap due to reduced naval funding in 1993.
The German torpedo boat T33 was one of fifteen Type 39 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during World War II. Completed in mid-1944, the boat was assigned to convoy escort duties and supporting German forces in the Baltic. She escorted a heavy cruiser in January 1945 as she bombarded Soviet troops and helped to evacuate troops and refugees from advancing Soviet forces in May. T33 was allocated to the Soviet Union after the war and was renamed Primerny. She served with the Baltic Fleet until 1954 when the ship was converted into an accommodation ship and renamed PKZ-63. She was turned over to be scrapped on 9 November 1956 and subsequently broken up.
Sposobny was a Project 61 destroyer of the Soviet Navy, which briefly became part of the Russian Navy. The ship served during the Cold War from 1971 to 1989.
Nazi Germany
Russia
