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CHAPTER 17 -- INTERMISSION -- ODDS & ENDS
Dreadnought posted a City Journal entry in IMPERIAL DOCKYARDS WILHELMSHAVEN
Chapter 17: INTERMISSION – ODDS & ENDS This is a classically dramatic view of the pristine KM Admiral Graf Spee in 1937, only months after completing her sea trials and being commissioned into the “new” German Navy (Kriegsmarine). She was just the third new ship to join the Kriegsmarine since the end of the “Great War”. As allowed under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles, she was a replacement for the aging pre-dreadnought battleship Braunschweig. She was also the third ship in the Deutschland Class of cruisers. Why replace a battleship with a cruiser? The Versailles Treaty only allowed Germany to replace her worn out, pre-World War battleships with vessels of no more than 10,000 tons displacement – thereby forcing Germany to build “heavy cruisers”. But these were no mere cruisers. Deutschland (1933), Admiral Scheer (1934), and Admiral Graf Spee (1936), were nominally 10,000 tons – but only at minimum load. The German design bureau had done their best to create a viable warship within the tonnage limits, but simply could not formulate a design that could contest the sea lanes still ruled by the Royal Navy. So the next best option was simple – cheat. When the specifications were released to the Press and the Treaty Commission, the displacement was reported as a few hundred tons over the limit – an acceptable accident. But in truth, all three cruisers were to weigh-in at or above 16,000 tons when fully combat loaded – double the displacement of the average “Treaty Cruiser”. Another set of reported specifications were equally shocking – especially to the British. The entire class was equipped with a single rudder, two shaft system with large, three-bladed propellers. They were powered by four sets of 9-cylinder, double-acting, two-stroke, MAN diesel engines. Though the all-diesel propulsion was a radical innovation, it was something the German navy had been trying to pull off for twenty-five years. In addition to a massive weight savings, the diesels averaged an economic cruising range of 10,200 miles at 12 knots. The sleek “9 to 1” length-to-width ratio promoted an average speed of 28 knots, with Graf Spee actually achieving 29.5 knots in sea trials. This surprising turn of speed – and great operating radius – came as a rude awakening to Britain. The bulk of the Royal Navy battleline could not achieve 25 knots. In fact, only three old British battlecruisers were capable of running the “Deutschlands” to ground (Hood, Renown, and Repulse). The frightening truth for the “Island Nation” was that the German Oberkommando Marine, when forced by “The Treaty” to build cruisers, had turned to the French Jeune Ecole theory – commerce raiding. The final ugly truth that “nailed the coffin lid shut”, was the armament. All three “Deutschlands” were armed with a main battery of excellent 11 inch SK-C/28 guns. Six in two triple turrets on the centreline, one fore and one aft. The turrets were designed with a maximum elevation of 40 degrees, allowing an extreme range of 39,890 yards. Their secondary armament consisted of eight 5.9 inch guns in single shield mountings arranged on either beam amidships. At the very stern there were eight 21 inch torpedo tubes in twin external mounts. In effect, the Germans had taken Adm. Jackie Fisher’s “battlecruiser concept” to the extreme and aimed it at the heart of England’s commercial sea lanes. The “Deutschland Class” were instantly labeled “Pocket Battleships” by the British Press and with very good reason. They might not be able to stand against the 15 inch guns of a British battleship – but they could easily outrun them. And though British cruisers were fast enough to catch them, the “Deutschlands” could destroy them with the biggest cruiser armament in the world – long-ranged 11 inch guns. They could, literally, run away from anything big enough to kill them – and kill anything fast enough to catch them. Makes you wonder what went wrong off the River Plate in 1939, doesn’t it? When last we saw them, the three-ship squadron was anchored off the South Mole after returning from a “Goodwill Tour” of the Mediterranean – with special emphasis on impressing their Italian allies. Wrapping up a precise and showy performance for Mussolini and his admirals, the squadron sailed for home, with brief stops at Toulon and Gibralter to duly impress the French and English. Arriving in The Jade after an ostentatious transit of the English Channel, they were directed to lay-to off the South Mole to avoid the congestion in the dockyard. The Port Admiral immediately dispatched lighters with fresh fruits, vegetables, and much-sought meats – along with bad news. The VizeAdmiral commanding the squadron had requested immediate dry-docking of his ships so the massive diesels could be overhauled after their long voyage – but his request was denied. Unfortunately, no docks or basins would be available for at least a fortnight, maybe longer. Shortly thereafter, a tanker came out to preform a “ship-to-ship” replenishment. The fuel oil bunkers would be filled – but engines would have to wait. SS Ohio has eased in between Admiral Scheer and Admiral Graf Spee, made fast, and begun passing fuel oil to both ships. The process could take several hours since the warships will require as much as 2,000 tons each. The Texaco Oil Company SS Ohio was a large tanker for her day – 9,625 tons, capable of carrying 10,000 tons of fuel oil. Equipped with Westinghouse steam turbines, she could make 16 knots at full load and was considered among the fastest of her kind. And she will forever be remembered for her epic battle to run fuel through to the Island of Malta in 1942. The convoy, code-named “Operation Pedestal”, was under near constant attack for four days and the Axis threw everything they had at it – German U-Boats, Italian submarines, Italian bombers, German Stukas, E-Boats, and even Italian Motor Torpedo Boats. Though heavily damaged, with her back broken and her hull open to the sea, Ohio stubbornly refused to sink. Late on the fourth day, with destroyers lashed on either beam and harbor tugs from Malta leading the tow, she crept up the main channel to safe anchorage in Grand Harbor Valletta. Ohio was received by a joyous crowd of thousands of Maltese men and women cheering and waving as a brass band belted out “Rule Britannia”. When the tanker made fast at the dock, and her engines were shut down, it was for the last time. The crippled Ohio never sailed again. But to this day, she is fondly remembered in Malta, and still considered the saviour of the beleaguered island. Here you see a close-up picture showing the magnificent detailing on the tanker’s deck. The derrick posts, pumping controls, deck houses, product hatches, transfer pipes – even the catwalk across the midships deck – are all portrayed on the model. The texturing and weathering accurately depict what a busy, working, oil tanker might look like – scuffed and stained decks, dingy white paintwork, a worn and weathered waterline, and rust streaks along the hull. @Barroco Hispano model is not only a superb work of realism, but of Art. Resting at the dock, above, is the USS Erie – the name ship of a class of gunboats built for the US Navy between 1934 and 1936. With a displacement of only 2,000 tons, a speed of 20 knots, and an 8,000 mile radius, they were a relatively inexpensive, but extremely versatile warship. Only 328 feet long with a draft of not quite 15 feet, they were small and very maneuverable. Their main battery consisted of four 6 inch MK 17 guns, mounted two fore and two aft in open-backed shields, with ten lighter guns devoted to anti-aircraft defense. On the fantail were two racks holding a total of 30 depth charges. Originally designed for peacetime duties, the Erie Class was intended to be used in a variety of roles – fleet duties screening against destroyers and submarines, anti-submarine warfare, support for destroyer attacks, anti-aircraft support, high-speed mine laying, and even amphibious landing support. Their 6 inch main battery even made them viable convoy protection against commerce raiders. But their most famous role was in the execution of “gunboat diplomacy”. Their presence in the bays and harbors of politically volatile Central and South American countries could have a “calming effect” on excitable politicians. And their shallow draft was ideal for use in the rivers and estuaries of Far Eastern countries where American missionaries and business interests often required assistance. These three Erie Class are lucky – they have been assigned as port security for Wilhelmshaven. They patrol the harbor entrances, stopping inbound freighters and verifying their papers, or looking for suspicious craft that might be loitering in restricted zones. They can also be dispatched on rescue missions as needed. They are trim and efficient. Their layout has no wasted space, while everything necessary for their role has been squeezed into a compact, but spacious, superstructure amidships. A careful examination will show many interesting details. The crews of Erie Class gunboats assigned to the Far East Station sometimes spent long months, virtually isolated, far up navigable Chinese rivers. They were foreigners in a foreign land. But they learned to interact with the peoples of the host nation and often felt “at home” among them. Depending upon the disciplinary standards of a gunboat Captain (often a Lieutenant), Chinese Nationals might be employed aboard as “informal” crew members. Some were trained as engineers and mechanics for the engine room, while others were used for general maintenance – scrapping and painting rust, etc, etc. In some instances, regular seamen were allowed to employ “servants” – cooks, laundrymen, and even “house boys”. This might sound condescending to our 21st Century ears – but a hundred years ago this was not uncommon, nor was it demeaning. It allowed the local people to make money to feed, clothe, and house their families. It was an honest day’s wage for an honest day’s work – and it made the “Yankee Sailors” more welcome in the community. For the Abel Seaman, it made life easy and “good”. Duty in the “China Gunboats” was often envied as a “cushy billet, and when seamen were eventually transferred back to the “deep water” Navy – they were thought of as a sharp and resourceful breed known as “China Hands”. The “lighter” pulling alongside is the Dutch motor vessel “MV Rian” – indicative of the hundreds of small freighting vessels that plied the waters of the English Channel and the North Sea in those days. Their small size and light draft was ideally suited to working the shallow harbors along the Belgian and Dutch coasts as well as navigating the sand banks and channels of the Frisian Islands and The Jade. Yet again --- MY THANKS to @Barroco Hispano for such beautiful warships. I know he puts in long hours producing these fine models – most especially his superb texture and weathering – but I know all of you enjoy the magnificent results as much as I do. If you enjoyed anything you saw – please punch the “like” button so I will know. A comment would be even more informative. Comments and critiques requested and gratefully accepted. All questions answered promptly to the best of my ability. THANK YOU for your visit ! INTERMISSION We will be taking a break for several weeks. I’m not sure if it will be two weeks or four weeks, or possibly more. But it will only be a “break”. WE WILL RETURN – SOON! The reason for the break is actually a happy one. @AP (The King of the Wind Turbines) has kindly offered his extensive “batting” skills to fulfill some of my many needs, cherished wishes, and even dreams. He has devoted much of his time to providing a variety of props and lots that will fill some gaps, add a much higher degree of realism, and put some life into the dockyards. I CANNOT THANK HIM ENOUGH FOR HIS PATIENCE AND GENEROSITY OF SPIRIT !! This sudden “bounty” is so interesting and original that it should not have to wait for a new edition to the series – it belongs in Wilhelmshaven. Consequently, over the next several weeks, I will be busy re-lotting, redesigning, re-shooting pics, and re-writing the last four chapters in the series. NEXT TIME…...(whenever that might be)…...The Fitting-Out Basin.- 9 Comments
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