''Gauleiter Telschow'' was a German fishing trawler that was requisitioned by the

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...

in the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

for use as a ''

Vorpostenboot ''Vorpostenboot'' (plural ''Vorpostenboote''), also referred to as VP-Boats, flakships or outpost boats, were German patrol boats which served during both World Wars. They were used around coastal areas and in coastal operations, and were tasked w ...

'', serving as V 206 ''Gauleiter Telschow'' and V 209 ''Gauleiter Telschow''. She was

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

ed and sunk in the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...

off

Heligoland Heligoland (; german: Helgoland, ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , da, Helgoland) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. A part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1890, the islands were historically possessions ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

by on 20 November 1939.

Description

''Gauleiter Telschow'' was long, with a beam of and a depth of . She was assessed at , . The ship was powered by a

triple expansion steam engine A compound steam engine unit is a type of steam engine where steam is expanded in two or more stages. A typical arrangement for a compound engine is that the steam is first expanded in a high-pressure ''(HP)'' cylinder, then having given up he ...

which had cylinders of , and diameter by stroke. The engine was built by Deschimag Seebeck,

Wesermünde Bremerhaven (, , Low German: ''Bremerhoben'') is a city at the seaport of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms a semi-enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the Rive ...

and was rated at 96

nominal horsepower Horsepower (hp) is a unit of measurement of power, or the rate at which work is done, usually in reference to the output of engines or motors. There are many different standards and types of horsepower. Two common definitions used today are the ...

. It drove a single screw propeller via a low-pressure turbine, double reduction gearing and a hydraulic coupling.

History

''Gauleiter Telschow'' was built as

yard number __NOTOC__ M ...

265 by Schiffbau-Gesellschaft Unterweser AG,

. She was launched on 25 September 1937 and completed on 17 December. She was built for Hussmann & Hahn,

Cuxhaven Cuxhaven (; ) is an independent town and seat of the Cuxhaven district, in Lower Saxony, Germany. The town includes the northernmost point of Lower Saxony. It is situated on the shore of the North Sea at the mouth of the Elbe River. Cuxhaven has ...

. The

Code Letters Code letters or ship's call sign (or callsign) Mtide Taurus - IMO 7626853"> SHIPSPOTTING.COM >> Mtide Taurus - IMO 7626853/ref> were a method of identifying ships before the introduction of modern navigation aids and today also. Later, with the i ...

DUBE were allocated, as was the

fishing boat registration Port letter and number (PLN) is a code identifying fishing vessels and other boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passe ...

PC 307. On 12 September 1939, she was requisitioned by the

and commissioned with 2 ''Vorpostenflotille'' as the ''

'' V 206 ''Gauleiter Telschow''. On 20 October, she was redesignated V 209 ''Gauleiter Telschow''. On 20 November 1939, ''Gauleiter Telschow'' was on patrol with V 210 ''R. Walther Darré'' when they were sighted by . ''Gauleiter Telschow'' was

ed and sunk in the

north west of

with the loss of 24 crew. She was the first German naval vessel sunk by a British

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

during the Second World War.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gauleiter Telschow 1937 ships Ships built in Bremen (state) Fishing vessels of Germany Steamships of Germany Auxiliary ships of the Kriegsmarine Maritime incidents in November 1939 World War II shipwrecks in the North Sea Ships sunk by British submarines