Blohm und Voss
Type | 210 Shipyard | |
Historical Name of Location | Hamburg, Germany | |
Coordinates | 53.539203000, 9.961015000 |
Contributor: Al Griffis
ww2dbaseBlohm und Voss was founded by Hermann Blohm and Ernst Voss in Hamburg, Germany as a shipyard and machinery factory. The shipyard was established on the island of Kuhwarder. Most of this land was swamp and cow pastures and would need months of work to build a firm foundation under the shipyard. The area measured 15,000 square meters with 250 meters of water frontage. There would be four slips initially with the ability to handle ships of 300 feet and they would launch into the North Elbe. The shipyard launched its first ship, freighter Castle, in 1879. In 1880, with business being slow, the company decided to build dry docks to attract repair and maintenance businesses. Drydock 1 was completed in early 1882. Between 1885 and 1887, two additional slips, measuring 120 meters each, were added. In 1885, a second drydock was put into operation. In May 1887, additional land was purchased, increasing the size of the facility to 77,546 square meters. Between 1887 and 1889, one additional slip was added, which brought the total to seven. In 1889, the seven slips were widened; during this process, four of the slips merged into two larger ones, thus making the total number of slips to five. In 1891, the facility area increased to 94,000 square meters. In 1905, Blohm und Voss worked out a new lease with the Hamburg Senate for additional land which totaled 560,000 square meters, including 3 kilometers of shoreline. In 1906, it signed an agreement with Parsons for turbines. The light cruiser SMS Dresden was the first ship to use the new turbines. In Nov 1907, slips 6, 7 and 8 were completed. In about 1908, dock 5, with 46,000-ton lifting capability, joined the shipyard. Between 1909 and Dec 1910, slip 9 and 10 were built; the scaffolding stood 68 meters tall and was watched over by the watch tower which was 78 meters tall. During WW1, Blohm und Voss saw several overs from the German Navy, including 98 submarines; other orders included merchant ships, large torpedo boats, and a light cruiser. Two battle cruisers were laid down but not completed prior to the end of WW1. In the 1920s, much like other German shipyards, Blohm und Voss saw very few orders. In 1942, Elbe 17, a large drydock, was completed; it measured 351 meters in length and 59 meters in width, and it was built for the construction of the planned H-class battleships. In Jul 1943, it suffered considerable damage due to Allied bombing. In 1944 a subcamp of Neuengamme concentration camp was established to provide forced laborers for the shipyard's use. During the war, the average number of employees at the Blohm und Voss was about 9,000. After the war, Blohm und Voss ceased production until 1950. At the time of this writing, the Blohm und Voss facilities are operated by the firm Lürssen.
Last Major Update: Jun 2019
Ships Constructed at Blohm und Voss
Ship Name | Yard No | Slip/Drydock No | Ordered | Laid Down | Launched | Commissioned |
Orion | 486 | VII | 27 Mar 1930 | 9 Dec 1939 | ||
Gorch Fock | 495 | VI | 2 Dec 1932 | 2 Dec 1932 | 3 May 1933 | 26 Jun 1933 |
Tsingtau | 2 Aug 1933 | 21 Oct 1933 | 6 Jun 1934 | 24 Sep 1934 | ||
Grille | 21 Aug 1934 | 17 Jul 1934 | 15 Dec 1934 | 20 May 1935 | ||
F7 | 498 | 17 May 1934 | 10 Jan 1935 | 25 May 1936 | 15 Feb 1937 | |
F8 | 499 | 17 May 1934 | 29 Jan 1935 | 27 Jul 1936 | 8 Apr 1937 | |
Z14 Friedrich Ihn | 503 | II | 19 Jan 1935 | 30 Mar 1935 | 5 Nov 1935 | 9 Apr 1938 |
Z15 Erich Steinbrinck | 504 | III | 19 Jan 1935 | 30 May 1935 | 24 Sep 1936 | 8 Jun 1938 |
Admiral Hipper | 501 | VIII | 30 Oct 1934 | 6 Jul 1935 | 6 Feb 1937 | 29 Apr 1939 |
Z16 Friedrich Eckholdt | 505 | IV | 19 Jan 1935 | 14 Nov 1935 | 21 Mar 1937 | 2 Aug 1938 |
Horst Wessel | 508 | II | 1 Oct 1935 | 15 Feb 1936 | 13 Jun 1936 | 17 Sep 1936 |
Bismarck | 509 | IX | 16 Nov 1935 | 1 Jul 1936 | 14 Feb 1939 | 24 Aug 1940 |
Wilhelm Gustloff | 511 | VII | 1 Aug 1936 | 5 May 1937 | 1 Sep 1939 | |
Albert Leo Schlageter | 515 | II | 2 Jan 1937 | 15 Jul 1937 | 30 Oct 1937 | 10 Feb 1938 |
Mircea | 519 | 17 May 1938 | 22 Sep 1938 | 25 Jan 1939 | ||
H | 525 | IX | 14 Apr 1939 | 15 Jul 1939 | ||
Herbert Norkus | 524 | II | 1 Aug 1939 | 7 Nov 1939 | ||
U-559 | III | 1 Feb 1940 | 8 Jan 1941 | 27 Feb 1941 | ||
P2 (Planned) | VIII | 1 May 1940 * | 1 May 1942 * | 1 Oct 1943 * | ||
U-575 | X | 1 Aug 1940 | 30 Apr 1941 | 19 Jun 1941 | ||
U-576 | X | 1 Aug 1940 | 30 Apr 1941 | 26 Jun 1941 | ||
U-577 | X | 1 Aug 1940 | 15 May 1941 | 3 Jul 1941 | ||
U-578 | X | 1 Aug 1940 | 15 May 1941 | 10 Jul 1941 | ||
M (Planned) | 526 | DryDocks IV & V | 25 May 1939 | 1 Oct 1940 * | 1 Oct 1942 * | 1 Apr 1944 * |
P5 (Planned) | VII | 1 May 1941 * | 1 May 1943 * | 1 Oct 1944 * | ||
P11 (Planned) | VIII | 15 May 1939 | 1 May 1942 * | 1 May 1944 * | 1 Oct 1945 * | |
P9 (Planned) | VIII | 15 May 1939 | 1 May 1942 * | 1 May 1944 * | 1 Oct 1945 * | |
SP9 (Planned) | VII | 1 Sep 1942 * | 1 Dec 1943 * | 1 Jun 1945 * | ||
U-1011 | 211 | III | 23 Mar 1942 | 12 Mar 1943 | ||
O (Planned) | 606 | VII | 1 Oct 1941 | 1 Jan 1944 * | 1 Jul 1945 * | 1 Jul 1946 * |
U-2501 | VI | 6 Nov 1943 | 3 Apr 1944 | 12 May 1944 | 27 Jun 1944 | |
U-2549 | VI | 6 Nov 1943 | 3 Dec 1944 | |||
R2 (Planned) | IV | 1 Jun 1943 | 1 Aug 1945 * | 1 Feb 1947 * | 1 Feb 1948 * | |
N2 (Planned) | VII | 1 May 1943 | 1 Sep 1945 * | 1 Mar 1947 * | 1 Mar 1948 * |
* Projected dates; not actual
Slip/Drydock Utilization
[Con]: Construction; [FO]: Fitting Out
Blohm und Voss Interactive Map
Photographs
Maps
Blohm und Voss Timeline
5 Apr 1877 | Blohm und Voss was founded by Hermann Blohm and Ernst Voss in Hamburg, Germany as a shipyard and machinery factory. The shipyard was established on the island of Kuhwarder. Most of this land was swamp and cow pastures and would need months of work to build a firm foundation under the shipyard. The area measured 15,000 square meters with 250 meters of water frontage. There would be four slips initially with the ability to handle ships of 300 feet and they would launch into the North Elbe. |
10 May 1879 | The Blohm und Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany launched its first ship, freighter Castle. |
4 Jul 1885 | Drydock No. 2 at Blohm und Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany began operations. |
7 May 1887 | The Blohm und Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany purchased additional land, increasing the size of the facility to 77,546 square meters. |
2 Dec 1932 | The keel of Gorch Fock was laid down by Blohm und Voss in Hamburg, Germany. |
3 May 1933 | Gorch Fock was launched by Blohm und Voss in Hamburg, Germany. |
2 Aug 1933 | The Blohm und Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany received the order to build tender Tsingtau. |
21 Oct 1933 | The keel of Tsingtau was laid down at the Blohm und Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany. |
6 Jan 1934 | Tsingtau was launched at the Blohm und Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany. |
10 Jan 1935 | The keel of fleet escort ship F7 was laid down at the Blohm und Voss yard in Hamburg, Germany. |
29 Jan 1935 | The keel of fleet escort ship F8 was laid down at the Blohm und Voss yard in Hamburg, Germany. |
16 Nov 1935 | The Blohm und Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany received the contract for laying down the hull of the future battleship Bismarck; the construction number was BV 509. |
15 Feb 1936 | The keel of Horst Wessel was laid down by Blohm und Voss in Hamburg, Germany. |
25 May 1936 | Fleet escort ship F7 was launched at the Blohm und Voss yard in Hamburg, Germany. |
13 Jun 1936 | Horst Wessel was launched by Blohm und Voss in Hamburg, Germany, sponsored by Nazi martyr Horst Wessel's mother. Rudolf Hess gave a speech at the ceremony, which Adolf Hitler also attended. |
1 Jul 1936 | The keel of the battleship Bismarck was laid down at Blohm und Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany. |
27 Jul 1936 | Fleet escort ship F8 was launched at the Blohm und Voss yard in Hamburg, Germany. |
1 Aug 1936 | The keel of Wilhelm Gustloff was laid down by Blohm und Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany. |
5 May 1937 | Wilhelm Gustloff was launched at Slip VII of the Blohm und Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany. |
15 Jul 1937 | The keel of Albert Leo Schlageter was laid down by Blohm und Voss in Hamburg, Germany. |
30 Oct 1937 | Albert Leo Schlageter was launched by Blohm und Voss in Hamburg, Germany. |
22 Sep 1938 | Mircea was launched by Blohm und Voss in Hamburg, Germany. |
14 Feb 1939 | The German battleship Bismarck was launched at the Blohm und Voss shipyard, Hamburg, Germany. |
15 Jul 1939 | The keel of battleship H was laid down at the Blohm und Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany. |
1 Aug 1939 | The keel of Herbert Norkus was laid down by Blohm und Voss in Hamburg, Germany. |
30 Sep 1939 | The construction of battleship H was suspended. |
7 Nov 1939 | Herbert Norkus was launched prematurely by Blohm und Voss in Hamburg, Germany to make way for submarine construction. |
1 Aug 1940 | U-576 was laid down by the firm Blohm und Voss in Hamburg, Germany. |
12 Mar 1943 | The keel of U-1011 was laid down at the Blohm und Voss yard in Hamburg, Germany. |
25 Jul 1943 | 109 USAAF bombers attacked Hamburg, Germany in the afternoon as a follow up to the night raid by British bombers on the previous day; 15 bombers were lost. German passenger ship Weissesee was sunk in the harbor, the incomplete passenger liner Vaterland was heavily damaged at the Blohm und Voss shipyard, and the incomplete submarine U-1011 was also damaged at the Blohm und Voss shipyard. |
3 Apr 1944 | The keel of U-2501 was laid down at the Blohm und Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany. |
12 May 1944 | U-2501 was launched at the Blohm und Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany. |
1 Jul 1944 | The Blohm und Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany began employing forced laborers provided by a subcamp of Neuengamme concentration camp. |
22 Jul 1944 | The repair work for U-1011 was canceled. |
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WW2-Era Place Name | Hamburg, Germany |
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James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, 23 Feb 1945
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