Kriegsmarinewerft
Type | 217 Shipyard | |
Historical Name of Location | Wilhelmshaven, Weser-Ems, Germany | |
Coordinates | 53.522308000, 8.125514000 |
Contributor: Al Griffis
ww2dbaseIn Jul 1853, the Kingdom of Prussia and the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg signed the Jade Treaty (German: Jadevertrages), which saw the transfer of 340 hectares of land on the western shore of the Jade Bight to Prussia for the construction of a naval port. In 1869, the area being developed was officially inaugurated as Wilhelmshaven, on the occasion of the visit of King Wilhelm I of Prussia. By the end of the year, dry dock I, dry dock II, dry dock III, slip I, and slip II were all completed. In 1871, the Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven shipyard was officially operational. In 1873, Wilhelmshaven was granted city status and received a municipal constitution. Between 1876 and 1880, the shipyard underwent a period of modernization. In 1880, the construction of the Ems-Jade Canal began; it would be completed in Jun 1888. By the end of 1880, the shipyard employed approximately 3,000 workers. In 1886, entrance No. 2 was completed, with larger locks. As Wilhelmshaven became a major base of the German High Seas Fleet, a new dike between the first driveway and Mariensiel to the west was authorized. Between 1905 and 1909, slip I and slip II of the shipyard were enlarged to 380 meters by 340 meters. Between 1906 and 1908, dry dock IV, dry dock V, and dry dock VI were built. In 1907, the Kaiser Wilhelm Bridge was built; it was the largest double-pivot bridge in Europe. In 1909, the third entrance was completed. In 1910, the shipyard employed approximately 8,000 workers. In 1912, a 40,000-ton floating dry dock was completed. By 1916, the shipyard employed about 15,000 workers. During WW1, the shipyard employed approximately 21,000 workers. The shipyard briefly closed at the end of WW1, and re-opened under the new name Reichsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven in 1919. It constructed civilian vessels in the early 1920s, but by the mid-1920s it would return to building warships, launching light cruiser Emden in 1925, six torpedo boats between 1926 and 1928, light cruiser Königsberg in 1929, light cruiser Köln in 1930, gunnery training ship Bremse in 1931, and heavy cruiser Admiral Scheer in 1934, among others. In 1935, with the rise of the Nazi Party, the shipyard was renamed Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven. In Feb 1936, the plans for the North Yard (German: Nordwerft) expansion was authorized, and construction began in Jun 1936. In the same year, the shipyard launched heavy cruiser Admiral Graf Spee. By Jul 1937, 7,000 workers were involved in the North Yard expansion. By 1938, it was increase of 13,000 workers. In Jan 1939, the shipyard launched battleship Scharnhorst. During WW2, it launched battleship Tirpitz and many Type VII submarines. On 18 Dec 1939, the British Royal Air Force dispatched 22 Wellington bombers to attack the shipyard and surrounding facilities; 12 of them were shot down. In Nov 1942, the fourth entrance (east chamber) was completed; it was the largest lock in the world at that time, with two chambers each 390 meters in length, 60 meters in width, and 12 meters in depth. At the end of WW2, the shipyard employed approximately 17,000 workers. Immediately after the end of hostilities, Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven remained in operations, repairing ships destined to be transferred to the Allied nations as reparations. In 1946, various shipbuilding facilities began to be dismantled or destroyed, although it would remain active as a military port.
Last Major Update: Nov 2023
Ships Constructed at Kriegsmarinewerft
Ship Name | Yard No | Slip/Drydock No | Ordered | Laid Down | Launched | Commissioned |
Emden | 100 | I | 7 Apr 1921 | 8 Dec 1921 | 7 Jan 1925 | 15 Oct 1925 |
Möwe | 102 | 6 Apr 1925 | 2 Mar 1925 | 24 Mar 1926 | 1 Oct 1926 | |
Albatros | 105 | 6 Apr 1925 | 5 Oct 1925 | 15 Jul 1926 | 15 May 1927 | |
Greif | 104 | 6 Apr 1925 | 5 Oct 1925 | 15 Jul 1926 | 15 Mar 1927 | |
Seeadler | 103 | 6 Apr 1925 | 5 Oct 1925 | 15 Jul 1926 | 15 Mar 1927 | |
Falke | 107 | Drydock III | 6 Apr 1925 | 17 Nov 1925 | 22 Sep 1926 | 15 Jul 1928 |
Kondor | 106 | Drydock III | 6 Apr 1925 | 17 Nov 1925 | 22 Sep 1926 | 15 Jul 1928 |
Königsberg | 108 | I | 8 Apr 1925 | 12 Apr 1926 | 26 Mar 1927 | 17 Apr 1929 |
Köln | 116 | II | 8 Apr 1925 | 7 Aug 1926 | 23 May 1928 | 1 Jan 1930 |
Iltis | 109 | 6 Apr 1925 | 8 Mar 1927 | 12 Oct 1927 | 1 Oct 1928 | |
Wolf | 110 | 6 Apr 1925 | 8 Mar 1927 | 12 Oct 1927 | 15 Nov 1928 | |
Luchs | 112 | Drydock III | 6 Apr 1925 | 2 Apr 1927 | 15 Mar 1928 | 15 Apr 1929 |
Tiger | 111 | Drydock III | 6 Apr 1925 | 2 Apr 1927 | 15 Mar 1928 | 15 Jan 1929 |
Jaguar | 114 | I | 6 Apr 1925 | 4 May 1927 | 15 Mar 1928 | 15 Aug 1929 |
Leopard | 113 | I | 6 Apr 1925 | 4 May 1927 | 15 Mar 1928 | 1 Jun 1929 |
Leipzig | 117 | I | 18 Apr 1925 | 18 Apr 1928 | 18 Oct 1929 | 8 Oct 1931 |
Bremse | 22 Apr 1930 | 14 Jun 1932 | 7 Jul 1932 | |||
Admiral Scheer | 123 | I | 19 May 1931 | 25 Jun 1931 | 1 Apr 1933 | 12 Nov 1934 |
Admiral Graf Spee | 124 | II | 23 Aug 1932 | 1 Oct 1932 | 30 Jun 1934 | 6 Jan 1936 |
F10 | 127 | 17 Aug 1934 | 12 Nov 1934 | 11 May 1936 | 12 Mar 1938 | |
F9 | 126 | 24 Aug 1934 | 12 Nov 1934 | 11 May 1936 | 21 Aug 1937 | |
Scharnhorst | 125 | II | 25 Jan 1934 | 15 Jun 1935 | 3 Oct 1936 | 7 Jan 1939 |
Tirpitz | 128 | II | 14 Jun 1936 | 2 Nov 1936 | 1 Apr 1939 | 25 Feb 1941 |
P (Planned) | 133 | II | 8 Aug 1939 | 1 May 1939 * | 1 May 1941 * | 1 May 1943 * |
N (Planned) | 129 | I | 24 May 1938 | 1 Jan 1940 * | 1 Jan 1942 * | 1 Jan 1943 * |
U-751 | 134 | II | 2 Jan 1940 | 16 Nov 1940 | 31 Jan 1941 | |
U-752 | II | 5 Jan 1940 | 29 Mar 1941 | 24 May 1941 | ||
U-754 | II | 8 Jan 1940 | 5 Jul 1941 | 28 Aug 1941 | ||
L (Planned) | 130 | VII | 25 May 1939 | 1 Mar 1940 * | 1 Sep 1940 * | 1 Apr 1944 * |
P3 (Planned) | II | 1 May 1942 * | 1 May 1944 * | 1 Oct 1945 * | ||
SP10 (Planned) | I | 1 Mar 1943 * | 1 Jun 1944 * | 1 Dec 1945 * | ||
P8 (Planned) | VIII | 1 May 1943 * | 1 May 1945 * | 1 Oct 1946 * | ||
P (Planned) | 607 | II | 1 Dec 1941 | 1 Jun 1944 * | 1 Dec 1945 * | 1 Dec 1946 * |
SP17 (Planned) | I | 1 Mar 1945 * | 1 Jun 1946 * | 1 Dec 1947 * |
* Projected dates; not actual
Slip/Drydock Utilization
[Con]: Construction; [FO]: Fitting Out
Kriegsmarinewerft Interactive Map
Photographs
Maps
Kriegsmarinewerft Timeline
20 Jul 1853 | The Kingdom of Prussia and the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg signed the Jade Treaty, which saw the transfer of 340 hectares of land on the western shore of the Jade Bight to Prussia for the construction of a naval port. |
25 Jun 1856 | The development plan for the land Kingdom of Prussia obtained from the Grand Duchy of Oldenburg in 1853 was approved. |
17 Jun 1869 | The port of Wilhelmshaven was inaugurated on the occasion of the visit of King Wilhelm I of Prussia. |
1 Apr 1873 | Wilhelmshaven, purpose-built as a naval city, was granted city status and received a municipal constitution. |
15 Sep 1876 | Kaiserliche Werft Wilhelmshaven in Germany began a period of modernization. |
5 Jun 1888 | The Ems-Jade Canal was completed in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. |
8 Dec 1921 | The keel of Emden was laid down at the Reichsmarinewerft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. |
7 Jan 1925 | Emden was launched at the Reichsmarinewerft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. Admiral Hans Zenker gave a speech at her launching, and the ship was christened by the widow of Karl von Müller, who had commanded the original warship by the same name of Emden during WW1. |
5 Oct 1925 | The keel of Seeadler was laid down at the Reichsmarinewerft yard in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. |
5 Oct 1925 | The keel of Albatros was laid down by Reichsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. |
15 Jul 1926 | Seeadler was launched at the Reichsmarinewerft yard in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. |
15 Jul 1926 | Albatros was launched by Reichsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. |
4 May 1927 | The keel of torpedo boat Jaguar was laid down by Reichsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. |
15 Mar 1928 | Jaguar was launched by Reichsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. |
12 Nov 1934 | The keel of F10 was laid down at the Reichsmarinewerft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. |
12 Nov 1934 | The keel of F9 was laid down at the Reichsmarinewerft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. |
11 May 1936 | F9 was launched at the Kriegsmarinewerft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. |
11 May 1936 | F10 was launched at the Kriegsmarinewerft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. |
14 Jun 1936 | A contract for 'New Construction G' was issued by the German Navy to the Kriegsmarine Werft in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. |
2 Nov 1936 | The keel of battleship Tirpitz was laid down at the Kriegsmarinewerft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. |
6 Jul 1937 | The first modification of Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven in Germany was authorized. |
1 Apr 1939 | Battleship Tirpitz was launched at the Kriegsmarinewerft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. Grossadmiral Alfred von Tirpitz's daughter Ilse von Hassel christened the battleship named after her father. |
21 Sep 1939 | The work on light cruiser N ceased at Kriegsmarinewerft in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. |
18 Dec 1939 | 24 British Wellington bombers were launched to attack German shipping during daylight, with the target area centered around the naval port city of Wilhelmshaven, Germany; only 22 flew to the target area because 2 developed technical problems shortly after takeoff. Flak quickly broke up the bomber formation, then the German Bf 109 and Bf 110 fighters that came to the ships' defense shot down 12 of the 22 bombers. German pilots claimed 34 kills for the loss of 2 fighters during combat and another crashed at landing; the German Air Ministry confirmed only 26. British pilots also overestimated their kills, claiming 13 definite and 12 probable. |
7 Nov 1942 | The fourth entrance to the Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven in Germany was completed. |
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WW2-Era Place Name | Wilhelmshaven, Weser-Ems, Germany |
Lat/Long | 53.5223, 8.1255 |
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