''Pasewalk'' (GS05) was a Kondor I-class

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

built in

East Germany East Germany, officially known as the German Democratic Republic (GDR), was a country in Central Europe from Foundation of East Germany, its formation on 7 October 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with West Germany (FRG) on ...

. After the

Volksmarine The (VM, ; ) was the Navy, naval force of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990. The was one of the service branches of the National People's Army and primarily performed a Coastal defence and fortification, coastal defence ...

was disbanded just before the

reunification of Germany German reunification () was the process of re-establishing Germany as a single sovereign state, which began on 9 November 1989 and culminated on 3 October 1990 with the dissolution of the German Democratic Republic and the integration of i ...

, she was sold to Malta in 1992 and renamed ''P31'' and was used as a

patrol boat A patrol boat (also referred to as a patrol craft, patrol ship, or patrol vessel) is a relatively small naval ship, naval vessel generally designed for Coastal defence and fortification, coastal defence, Border control, border security, or law ...

. After being decommissioned, she was

scuttled Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull, typically by its crew opening holes in its hull. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vesse ...

as a dive site in 2009 off

Comino Comino () is a small island of the Maltese archipelago between the islands of Malta (island), Malta and Gozo in the Mediterranean Sea, measuring in area. Named after the cumin seed, the island has a permanent population of only two residents a ...

History

East Germany

The minesweeper was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one ...

on 12 December 1968 at Peenewerft shipyard in

Wolgast Wolgast () is a town in the district of Vorpommern-Greifswald, in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany. It is situated on the bank of the river (or strait) Peenestrom, vis-a-vis the island of Usedom on the Baltic Sea, Baltic coast that can be accessed ...

. She was launched on 18 June 1969 and commissioned on 18 October of that same year. She was the eighth ship to be built within the Kondor I class, and was named ''Pasewalk'' after the town of the same name in ''Mecklenburg-West Pomerania''

federated state A federated state (also State (polity), state, province, region, Canton (administrative division), canton, Länder, land, governorate, oblast, emirate, or country) is a territorial and constitutional community forming part of a federation ...

in northern

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. She was used to patrol the river banks between East and West Germany, as well as a minesweeper. After the Volksmarine was disbanded, she and the other Kondor I-class vessels were deemed too obsolete to join the German Navy, so she was decommissioned in 1990. Her armaments were removed.

Malta

The unarmed minesweeper was then purchased by Malta on 1 July 1992 along with her

sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same Ship class, class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They o ...

''Ueckermünde'', and they were given the pennant numbers ''P30'' and ''P31''. ''P31'' became a patrol boat within the Offshore Command of the

Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta The Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta () is the naval component of the Armed Forces of Malta, Maltese military. The Maritime Squadron has responsibility for the security of Malta, Maltese territorial waters, maritime surveillance a ...

. A third sister ship, ''Boltenhagen'', was purchased in 1997 and was given the pennant number . Since the former minesweepers were purchased unarmed, some light armament was then added by the AFM. ''P31'' was then used to secure the Maltese coast against smuggling and border control operations. Most notably was the rescue of 251

illegal immigrants Illegal immigration is the migration of people into a country in violation of that country's immigration laws, or the continuous residence in a country without the legal right to do so. Illegal immigration tends to be financially upward, wi ...

from their boat which was sinking to the south of Malta in over force 6 winds. ''P31'' was decommissioned in 2004 and bought by the Malta Tourism Authority. She was cleaned and then was scuttled on 25 August 2009 off the Maltese island of Comino at a depth of to serve as a diving site and artificial reef. The wreck now lies on bare sand, and it is located close but not on the important sea grass beds.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:P31 Ships sunk as dive sites Ships built in East Germany 1969 ships P31 Ships of the Volksmarine Cold War minesweepers of Germany Shipwrecks of Malta Maritime incidents in 2009 Underwater diving sites in Malta Comino Patrol boats

History

East Germany

Malta

See also

References