V 102 Cressida was a German cargo ship which was converted into a Vorpostenboot for the Kriegsmarine during World War II.[1]
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name |
|
| Owner |
|
| Operator |
|
| Port of registry |
|
| Builder | Lübecker Maschinenbau – Gesellschaft |
| Yard number | 380 |
| Launched | 1939 |
| Commissioned | 1 October 1939 |
| Decommissioned | 1947 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Survived the war and returned to civilian service, sank off the coast of Greece on 23 December 1962 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Converted Cargo ship |
| Tonnage | 1,046 GRT, 477 NRT |
| Length | 70.33 m (230 ft 9 in) |
| Beam | 10.52 m (34 ft 6 in) |
| Depth | 3.56 m (11 ft 8 in) |
| Installed power | 1500 APK |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) (1957–62) |
Description
editCressida was 70.33 m (230 ft 9 in) long, with a beam of 10.52 m (34 ft 6 in) and a depth of 3.56 m (11 ft 8 in). The ship was powered by a 4-cylinder compound steam engine which had two cylinders of 36 centimetres (14 in) and two cylinders of 76.0 centimetres (29+15⁄16 in) diameter by 80 centimetres (31+1⁄2 in) stroke. The engine was built by Christiansen & Meyer, Harburg. It was rated at 160nhp. The ship was assessed at 1,046 GRT, 477 NRT.[2]
History
editCressida was a cargo vessel built in Lübeck in early 1939 as yard number 380 by the shipbuilder Lübecker Maschinenbau-Gesellschaft,[3] for A Kirsten, Hamburg, which was its port of registry. The ship was allocated the Code Letters DJZB.[2] On 1 October 1939, the ship was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine as V 102 and was placed in the 1 Vorpostenflotille.[3] The ship participated in the German invasion of Denmark in April 1940, escorting the steamer Rugard and tugs Monsun and Passat alongside V 103 Sylvia and several minesweepers. The group landed three companies of the 170th Infantry Division at Middlefart.[4]
On 20 June 1940, the ship was converted into a Sperrbrecher, or a ship with a reinforced hull designed to clear a path through minefields. It was designated as Sperrbrecher 32 and was moved into the 3 Sperrbrecher-flotille, where it served for the duration of the war, being renamed Sperrbrecher 132 in 1945.[3]
After the war, the ship was given into the control of The Netherlands and was officially transferred on 5 September 1947, delivered by the German tugboat Nestor to Amsterdam from Bremerhaven. The ship was renamed Elsenburgh. It was owned by Wm. H. Müller & Co. NV, Rotterdam. The Code Letters PDXK were allocated. In 1952, the ship was completely renovated by the Koniklijke Maatschappij te Velde, Vlissingen, Zeeland, receiving a new Sulzer diesel engine. The engine was a two-stroke single acting engine which had five cylinders of 48 centimetres (18+7⁄8 in) diameter by 70 centimetres (27+5⁄8 in) stroke. It was rated at 1,500 rhp and could propel the ship at 12 knots (22 km/h).[3]
In November 1961, Elsenburgh was sold to the Seven Seas Shipping Corporation, Monrovia, Liberia and was renamed Gernik. It was operated under the management of Niksa Sekulovich, Lugarno, Switzerland.[3] On 23 December 1962 while carrying cargo from Haifa, Gernik ran aground on Karpathos off the coast of Greece during a storm.[5] While all of the crew made it safely ashore, the ship was declared a total loss.[3]
References
edit- ^ "Vorpostenboote der deutschen Kriegsmarine 1939–45". wlb-stuttgart.de (in German). Retrieved 5 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Cressida (22883)" (PDF). Lloyd's Register: Steamers & Motorships. CRE-CRI (in English and French). London: Lloyd's Register. 1939–1940. Retrieved 7 April 2022 – via Southampton City Council.
- ^ a b c d e f "Elsenburgh – ID 2011" (in Dutch). Stichting Maritiem Historische Databank. Retrieved 5 March 2020.
- ^ "Norwegian Campaign, Battles of Narvik, April 1940". naval-history.net. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
- ^ "Cressida (5613911)". Miramar Ship Index. Retrieved 6 March 2020.