SS Gneisenau was a 18,160 gross register tons (GRT) Norddeutscher Lloyd (NDL) ocean liner that was launched and completed in 1935. Like several other German ships of the same name, she was named after the Prussian Generalfeldmarschall and military reformer August Neidhardt von Gneisenau (1760–1831).
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Namesake | August Neidhardt von Gneisenau |
| Owner | Norddeutscher Lloyd |
| Builder | Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau AG |
| Launched | 17 May 1935 |
| Fate | Sunk 2 May 1943 |
| Notes | Refloated 12 July 1950 and scrapped |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Ocean liner |
| Tonnage | 18,160 GRT |
| Length | 198.9 m (652 ft 7 in) |
| Beam | 22.5 m (73 ft 10 in) |
| Draught | 12.5 m (41 ft 0 in) |
| Speed | 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) |
Construction and career
editGneisenau was the second of three sister ships built for NDL, with the other ships being the Potsdam (later Empire Fowey) and the Scharnhorst. DeSchiMAG of Bremen, Germany, built Gneisenau. Gneisenau was launched at Bremen on 17 May 1935.[1]
Gneisenau's maiden voyage began on 3 January 1936.[2] Until the outbreak of World War II, she worked NDL's express service between Bremen and the Far East. At 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)[3] she was among the fastest ships on the route.[4] On 2 May 1943, Gneisenau was mined in the Baltic Sea, capsized, and sank. The wreck was raised on 12 July 1950 and scrapped in Denmark.[5]
References
edit- ^ Sgarlato, Nico; Sgarlato, Alessio (2022). "Auxiliary Aircraft Carrier I (Europa)". Secret Projects of the Kriegsmarine: Unseen Designs of Nazi Germany's Navy. Greenhill Books. ISBN 978-1-78438-688-7.
- ^ "Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser". 31 Dec 1935. p. 1. Archived from the original on 23 October 2018. Retrieved 22 January 2019.
- ^ Harnack 1938, p. 549.
- ^ Talbot-Booth 1942, p. 405.
- ^ "SS Gneisenau (+1943)". Wrecksite. Archived from the original on 15 March 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2015.
Sources and further reading
edit- Harnack, Edwin P (1938) [1903]. All About Ships & Shipping (7th ed.). London: Faber and Faber. p. 549.
- Rothe, Claus (1987). Deutsche Ozean-Passagierschiffe 1919 bis 1985. Berlin: VEB Verlag für Verkehrswesen. ISBN 3-344-00164-7.[page needed]
- Talbot-Booth, E.C. (1942) [1936]. Ships and the Sea (7th ed.). London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co. Ltd. pp. 405, 518.
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