Otto Wünsche

CountryGermany
Ship ClassWilhelm Bauer-class Submarine Tender
BuilderHowaldtswerke Kiel
Ordered27 Aug 1938
Laid Down23 Sep 1938
Launched23 May 1940
Commissioned8 Nov 1943
Displacement5,900 tons full
Length457 feet
Beam52 feet
Draft17 feet
MachineryFour MAN diesel engines, two shafts
Power Output13,800 shaft horsepower
Speed21 knots
Range9,000 statute mile at 15 knots
Crew289
Armament4x10.5cm L/45 guns (2x after 1944), 1x40mm L/60 Bofors gun (after 1944), 2x3.7cm guns, 4x2cm machine guns (12x after 1944)

Contributor:

ww2dbaseSlightly larger than her two sister ships, the German submarine tender Otto Wünsche was launched in May 1940, but was not commissioned into service until Nov 1943. In Feb 1945, she moved from Pillau, Germany (now Baltiysk, Russia) to Warnemünde, Germany to escape from the advancing Soviet forces. She was assigned to the 26th Submarine Flotilla in Apr 1945. After the end of the war, in Jun 1945, she suffered an accidental ammunition explosion while in port at Flensburg, Germany; several crew members were killed. After repairs, she served as a floating barracks for some time before sailing to Latvia twice, in Jan and Feb 1946, to repatriate German servicemen. In Mar 1946, she was taken over by the Soviet Union and given a new name, Pechora. She served with the Soviet Northern Fleet between Mar 1946 and 1973, after which she served, under the new name of PKZ-14, as a floating barracks ship. She was removed from the Navy List in Apr 1977 was scrapped later that year.

ww2dbaseSource: german-navy.de

Last Major Revision: Oct 2022

Submarine Tender Otto Wünsche Interactive Map

Otto Wünsche Operational Timeline

27 Aug 1938 The order for the construction of Otto Wünsche was issued.
23 Sep 1938 The keel of Otto Wünsche was laid down at the Howaldtswerke shipyard in Kiel, Germany.
23 May 1940 Otto Wünsche was launched at the Howaldtswerke shipyard in Kiel, Germany.
8 Nov 1943 Otto Wünsche was commissioned into service.
9 Feb 1945 Otto Wünsche arrived in Germany and disembarked German servicemen who had been in Latvia at the end of the war.
14 Jun 1945 Otto Wünsche suffered an accidental ammunition explosion while in port at Flensburg, Germany. Several crew members were killed.
5 Nov 1945 Otto Wünsche was taken over by the Soviet Union.
6 Mar 1946 The former German submarine tender Otto Wünsche was commissioned into the Soviet Navy under the new name Pechora.
20 Jul 1946 Pechora arrived at the Soviet Navy base near Polyarny, Murmansk Oblast, Russia.
17 Sep 1973 Pechora reclassified as a floating barracks ship and was renamed PKZ-14.
13 Apr 1977 Soviet floating barracks PKZ-14 was removed from the Navy List.




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