Wetterbeobachtungs-Schiff Admiral
Scheer Schwerer Kreuzer
Built |
Name |
Denmark Strait |
Note |
1934 |
Admiral Scheer |
31.10.-1.11. 1940 |
1940: supported by weather
ships: WBS 4 : Hinrich Freese WBS 5 : Adolf Vinnen |
Commerce War: 23rd October 1940 to 1st April 1941. During the 161 days of commerce war in the Atlantic and Indian Ocean, the Admiral Scheer sunk 14 ships, captured 2 ships and destroyed the auxiliary cruiser Jervis Bay. |
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Operations 5.11 - 28.1. 1940
Support from Weather ships and Weather
flights:
13th October 1940: Küstenfliegergruppe 706
receive orders from Marinegruppekommando Nord to set up reconnaissance flights in the Denmark Strait
to support the Admiral Scheer breakthrough in the last week of October. Two weather ships - WBS 4 Hinrich Freese and
WBS 3 Fritz Homann - were to become
the floating seaplane base on the isle of Jan Mayen.
19th October 1940: Hinrich Freese
sail from Trondheim with a
load of fuel, supplies and 3 members of the
Luftwaffe and reach Jan Mayen on the 22nd October. 29th October 1940: Two He 115 seaplanes arrive
at Jan Mayen from Norway – unfortunately one seaplane was damaged and sink shortly after
landing in Maria Muschbukt. With only one seaplane left, the Marinegruppekommando
Nord decide to cancel the aerial reconnaissance from Jan Mayen. Mission
cancelled when the last He 115 was destroyed at its anchor during a storm the
following night. Hinrich Freese
and 2 air crews
return to Trondheim where they arrive on the 5th November. |
"Admiral Scheer" - Possible mail connections
Date |
Port / Ship |
Direction |
to 23.10.1940 |
Gotenhafen, Germany |
In & Out |
27.10.1940 | Brunsbüttel, Germany | Out |
28.10.1940 | Stavanger, Norway | Out |
12.11.1940 | Refuelled by tanker Eurofeld |
Out Eurofeld |
14.11.1940 | Re-supplied by supply ship Nordmark | ? |
14.12.1940 | Re-supplied by supply ship Nordmark | ? |
26.12.1940 |
Point "Andalusien" (15'S 18'W): Prize Duquesa (Herzogin) and Admiral Scheer meet Schiff 33 Pinguin, Schiff 10 Thor, supply ship Nordmark and tanker Eurofeld. (Eurofeld return to France ?) |
Out Eurofeld |
24-28.1.1941 |
Point "Andalusien" (15'S 18'W): Admiral Scheer and captured Norwegian tanker Sandefjord meet Schiff 10 Thor and supply ship Nordmark. More than 200 prisoners transferred to Sandefjord which sail to France with a prize crew. Arrive Bordeaux on 27.2.1941. |
Out Sandefjord |
14.2.1941 |
Indian Ocean (13'S 64'E) : Meet Schiff 16 Atlantis, the 2 prizes Speybank, Ketty Brövig and german freighter Tannenfels. Prisoners transferred to Tannenfels and sailed to France. Arrive Bordeaux on 20.4.1941. |
Out Tannenfels |
9.-10.3.1941 |
Point "Andalusien" (15'S 18'W): Meet Schiff 33 Pinguin, supply ship Nordmark and Schiff 41 Kormoran. Admiral Scheer received supplies (mail ?) from Kormoran which had left Gotenhafen, Germany on 3.12.1940. |
In (?) Kormoran |
11.-24.3.1941 |
Meets the 2 German freighters Portland from Chile and Alsterufer from Germany (?). Admiral Scheer transferred 327 prisoners to Portland who left for Bordeaux, France. Alsterufer (mail ?) may just have arrived from Germany (?) |
In Alsterufer Out Portland |
30.3.1941 | Bergen, Norway | Out |
from 1.4.1941 |
Kiel, Germany |
In & Out |
Letter from Funkgefreiter
Karl-Heinz Lübke M 10149 in Kiel (24.5.1941)
Card from Eibach
26.5.1941 to Bootsmann on Adm. Scheer during repair in Kiel.
Card from Ulm
(Donau) 23.6.1941 to bootsmann onboard
Admiral Scheer (Feldpost Nr.
10149)
- forwarded to Schiff 21 Widder (Feldpost M
29834). Canc. Zurück, Feldpostsperre
and
Absender nicht zuermitten.
Feldpost Nr. M 10149 |
(1939-1945) Panzerschiff "Admiral Scheer" 1940 Kreuzer "Admiral Scheer" |
From: "Die deutsche Feldpostübersicht 1939-1945" by Norbert Kannapin.
5.11.1940 - off Newfoundland (52.45N
32.13W) - Admiral Scheer
attack on convoy HX 84
and sinks the auxiliary cruiser Jervis Bay + 5
merchant ships.
Prize crew
from Admiral Scheer.
War Records 23.10.40 - 1.4.41 |
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Prize Name | Type | Flag | Date | Tonnage | Fate | |
Mopan | Freighter | United Kingdom | 05-11-40 | 5389 | Sunk | |
Jervis Bay | Auxiliary Cruiser | United Kingdom | 05-11-40 | 14164 | Sunk | |
Maidan | Freighter | United Kingdom | 05-11-40 | 7908 | Sunk | |
Trewellard | Freighter | United Kingdom | 05-11-40 | 5201 | Sunk | |
Kenbane Head | Freighter | United Kingdom | 05-11-40 | 5225 | Sunk | |
Beaverford | Freighter | United Kingdom | 05-11-40 | 10042 | Sunk | |
Fresno City | Freighter | United Kingdom | 05-11-40 | 4955 | Sunk | |
Port Hobart | Freighter | United Kingdom | 24-11-40 | 7448 | Sunk | |
Tribesman | Freighter | United Kingdom | 01-12-40 | 6242 | Sunk | |
Duquesa | Freighter | United Kingdom | 18-12-40 | 8651 | Captured* | |
Sandefjord | Tanker | Norway | 17-01-41 | 8038 | Captured | |
Barneveld | Freighter | Netherlands | 20-01-41 | 5597 | Sunk | |
Stanpark | Freighter | United Kingdom | 20-01-41 | 5103 | Sunk | |
British Advocate | Tanker | United Kingdom | 20-02-41 | 6994 | Captured | |
Gregorios | Freighter | Greece | 20-02-41 | 2546 | Sunk | |
Canadian Cruiser | Freighter | Canada | 21-02-41 | 7178 | Sunk | |
Rantau Pandjang | Freighter | Netherlands | 22-02-41 | 2542 | Sunk | |
Total Admiral Scheer |
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* Sunk by Schiff 33 Pinguin in Feb. 1941 |
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Update: 28.10.2005
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