Supply ships of the Kriegsmarine. The tragic fate of the "Altmark"

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Supply ships of the Kriegsmarine. The tragic fate of the "Altmark"

We will not dwell on the details of what followed. Despite the protests of the Norwegians, the opposition of three destroyers and even torpedo tubes aimed at the English ships, the destroyer Cossack entered the fjord and landed a boarding party of 33 people on board the Altmark.


Destroyer "Cossack"


Norwegian destroyers Kjell and Skaev in Jøssingfjord.

These and subsequent actions of the British were a gross violation of the XIII Convention on the Rights and Duties of Neutral Powers in Naval War of the Hague Convention of 1907, to which the United Kingdom was also a party:



Article 1

Belligerents are bound to respect the supreme rights of neutral Powers and to refrain on neutral territory or in neutral waters from any action which would constitute, on the part of the Powers which permit them, a breach of their neutrality.

Article 2

Any hostile act, including seizure and exercise of the right of inspection, committed by warships of belligerents in the territorial waters of a neutral power constitutes a violation of neutrality and is strictly prohibited.

Article 3

When a vessel has been captured in the territorial waters of a neutral Power, that Power must, if the prize is still within its jurisdiction, use the means at its disposal to have the prize released with its officers and crew, and to have the crew placed on board by the captor taken into custody.

During the storming of the Altmark, seven German sailors were killed, most of them shot while trying to lower a boat, and six more were wounded. The nature of the wounds suggested that the British had used illegal dum-dum explosive bullets. All prisoners on board the Altmark were safely released, and the cry of the storming party, "The Navy's here!" fleet here!) entered the annals of British stories. However, there was a fly in the ointment: the Germans accused the British of simple robbery. Thus, Captain Dau's watch, chronometer and Iron Cross were taken away. The Altmark, which was maneuvering during the attack by the Kossak, ran aground on underwater rocks and was damaged.


Destroyer Kossack approaches Altmark


Coffins with dead German sailors on the poop deck of the Altmark


Captain Dau delivers a speech at the graves of fallen German sailors


A memorial plaque erected in memory of the crew of the Altmark who perished at the hands of "British sea pirates". Currently kept in the English Maritime Museum

While the attack on the Altmark was seen as a heroic act in Great Britain, Norway regarded it as a gross violation of neutrality and sent a corresponding note of protest to the British government, including a demand to return the prisoners held on board the Altmark to Norwegian territory. However, the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain not only did not express regret about what had happened, but also praised the actions of the Royal Navy in every possible way!

It is widely believed that the Altmark incident was almost the main reason for Germany's invasion of Norway, but this is far from true. For the German leadership, the most optimal would have been a neutral status for Norway, as it was during the First World War. After all, deliveries of Swedish iron ore, including through the ice-free Norwegian port of Narvik, were of strategic importance for the German economy. At the same time, Norwegian nickel should not be forgotten.

Here is what Grand Admiral Erich Raeder, who was Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy at the time, wrote about this in his memoirs:

"In short, the existing status of this country suited Germany best. The reliable and stable neutrality of Norway was entirely in keeping with our wishes. As long as this neutrality was maintained, we did not want any changes.

"But the situation could change at any moment. And if the enemy established bases in Norway, our entire northern front would be in mortal danger. The whole question was: how long and to what extent would the Allies respect the neutrality of a small country whose own interests and, to a large extent, sympathies were with England?"

The Anglo-French coalition tried to introduce its troops into the territory of Norway and Sweden back in late 1939 under the pretext of their transit to help Finland from “Soviet aggression,” but the authorities of the Scandinavian countries refused them this.

Later, the British developed plans "Wilfred" and R4. The first of these involved laying mines in Norwegian territorial waters in order to force German ships to move beyond them, thus becoming a completely legitimate target. Then, in the event of a thus provoked landing of German troops in Norway (or a clear intention to carry it out), plan R4 would come into effect - the occupation of the ports of Bergen, Stavanger, Trondheim and Narvik by Anglo-French-Polish troops.

According to the R4 plan, the landing of troops on ships and vessels in British ports took place from April 3 to 7, 1940. Early in the morning of April 8, the Allied radio reported the laying of minefields in Norwegian waters, defining their boundaries. The Norwegian government protested and demanded the immediate removal of the mines. German intelligence received information about the Allied plans in good time, and on April 9 the Wehrmacht began Operation Weserübung - the landing in Norway and Denmark.

Since the Altmark had damaged its rudder and propellers when it ran aground, it was towed to Kiel on March 28. After repairs, the ship was renamed Uckermark on August 6, 1940.

In January–March 1941, under the command of Captain Zatorski, together with her sister ship Ermland, she took part in Operation Berlin (Unternehmen Berlin) – a raid by the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in the North Atlantic.


Actions of German surface raiders in the Atlantic in January-May 1941

The participants in the operation left German bases and returned to ports in occupied France. During "Berlin", 22 ships with a tonnage of 115 GRT were sunk or captured.

On September 9, 1942, the Uckermark, in the role of blockade breaker, left the French port for Japan with a cargo of vegetable oil, fuel, two Arado seaplanes for the German auxiliary cruiser Thor, etc.

During the passage, the Uckermark supplied the auxiliary cruiser Michel and arrived in Yokohama on November 24. On November 30, while cleaning the cargo tanks, probably due to a safety violation, a powerful explosion of fuel vapor occurred, which became fatal not only for the Uckermark, but also for three other ships, including the Thor.

The fate of the captain of the Altmark, H. Dau, was also tragic. Germany's capitulation was such a heavy blow for him that the seasoned sailor shot himself.


Tanker Franken after the Soviet strike aviation, April 1945

By the time of Germany's capitulation, only two of the ships described remained in service. By decision of the Allied Commission, Dithmarschen was transferred to the United States, and Nordmark to Great Britain. The new owners highly appreciated the qualities of the "Germans", and they were included in their navy under the names USS Conecuh (AO-110) and RFA Northmark (later renamed HMS Bulawayo), respectively. At the same time, the trophies underwent modernization, including the installation of devices for the traverse transfer of cargo.


USS Conecuh


Transfer of liquid and dry cargo from USS Conecuh using the traverse method




HMS Bulawayo

In the American Navy, the former "Dithmarschen" served as a prototype for the creation of fast combat support ships (AOE). The British followed a similar path.


"Berezina" supplies warship

The first and only integrated supply ship appeared in the Soviet fleet only in December 1977 (Berezina, Project 1833, codename Pegas).

Sources of
1. Diego M. Lascano. Historia en imágenes del acorazado alemán Admiral Graf Spee. Buenos Aires, 1998
2. Wiggan Richard. Hunt the Altmark. London, 1982
3. Willi Frischauer, Robert Jackson. The Altmark Affair. New York, 1955
4. Thomas Wildenberg. Gray Steel and Black Oil. Fast Tankers and Replenishment at Sea in the US Navy, 1912-1995.
5. WR Carter. Beans, Bullets and Black Oil.
6. Naval Ships' Technical Manual. Chapter 571. Underway Replenishment.
7. The Hague Conventions and Declarations of 1899 and 1907.
8. Report of Interrogation of Prisoners of War from German Supply Ships. September, 1941.
9. Methods and technical means of transferring cargo at sea.
10. Ruge Friedrich. The Navy of the Third Reich. 1939-1945. Moscow, 2003
11. Kofman V.L. Pocket battleships of the Fuhrer. Corsairs of the Third Reich. Moscow, 2007
12. Kranke T., Brenneke J. Pocket Battleship. "Admiral Scheer" in the Atlantic
13. Raeder E. Gross-Admiral. Memories of the Commander of the Navy of the Third Reich. 1935–1943.
10 comments
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  1. +1
    30 January 2025 06: 14
    The Anglo-French coalition tried to introduce its troops into the territory of Norway and Sweden as early as the end of 1939
    - if the WB had occupied Norway, Germany would have lost its nickel, and their fleet and air force would not have posed a threat to the northern convoys to the USSR.
    1. +4
      30 January 2025 06: 40
      Quote: Puncher
      If the WB occupied Norway, Germany would lose its nickel
      Germany got all its nickel from Finnish deposits. There was little of it in Norway and it played no role in the German economy. In Norway, the port of Narvik was important for the Germans, from where Swedish iron ore and bearings were exported in the winter
      1. +1
        30 January 2025 07: 05
        Quote: Dutchman Michel
        Germany received all its nickel from Finnish deposits

        That's true, but it was delivered by sea along the Norwegian coast.
        1. 0
          30 January 2025 23: 57
          Not all of it, supplies also came from Norway
  2. +3
    30 January 2025 10: 06
    The nature of the wounds suggested that the British had used the banned explosive dum-dum bullets.

    If this is a quote from a source, then okay... but still, to make a correction, they are not "explosive" (containing explosives) in modern terminology, but expansive (increasing their cross-section upon collision with a target).
    1. +2
      30 January 2025 11: 08
      The name Razryvnye came from the fact that the bullet tore apart the body tissue. The wounds were often fatal, but if the person survived, the wound was very painful. But you are right, there was no explosive in the bullet.
  3. +1
    30 January 2025 17: 48
    Altmark, renamed Uckermark on 6 August 1940, continued to be used as an auxiliary and supply ship. On 30 November 1942, while in the port of Yokohama, a spark during repair work in the fuel tanks caused an explosion that tore the Uckermark apart. As a result of the disaster, 53 crew members died, and the Thor and Nanjing, which were moored nearby, were damaged and sank. The surviving members of the Uckermark crew returned home on the Kriegsmarine auxiliary ship Doggerbank. On 3 March 1943, Doggerbank was mistakenly attacked by the German submarine U-43 and sank. Only one person (out of 365) on board survived.

    The destroyer (HMS Cossack) was damaged by a torpedo explosion after an attack by the German submarine U-23 on 1941 October 563. As a result of the explosion, the ship's bow was torn off, the captain and 158 crew members of the destroyer were killed. On 25 October, a tug leaving Gibraltar took HMS Cossack in tow, but as a result of a storm on 27 October 1941, the Cossack sank in the Atlantic west of Gibraltar.
  4. +1
    30 January 2025 18: 21
    After repairs, the ship was renamed "Uckermark" on August 6, 1940.

    It would be more correct to say that they returned the ship's old name, since on 14.11.38/XNUMX/XNUMX "Uckermark" was renamed "Altmark".

    "Michelle"

    He is "Michel".
  5. +2
    30 January 2025 20: 29
    Excellent series of articles, I especially liked the one about the creation and improvement of the system for transferring cargo at sea, thank you.
  6. 0
    2 February 2025 03: 54
    When interests demand it, then for the Anglo-Saxons, some conventions, agreements, etc. are just toilet paper.