F-class Destroyer Escort

F-class Destroyer Escort

Country

Germany

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

This article refers to the entire F-class; it is not about an individual vessel.

ww2dbaseThe ten F-class fleet escort ships (German: Flottenbegleiter) were the only ships built for the German Navy during WW2 in this role. They were built by Krupp Germania Werft of Kiel, Germany; Blohm und Voss of Hamburg, Germany; and Kriegsmarinewerft of Wilhelmshaven, Germany. They entered service in the late 1930s, and were rebuilt before 1940 to remedy hull structure issues caused by their over-powerful engines. In addition to escort duties, they also served as tenders and submarine training ships.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: Sep 2019

F-class Destroyer Escort Interactive Map

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F-class Destroyer Escort Operational Timeline

17 May 1934	The order for fleet escort ship F6 was placed.
17 May 1934	The order for fleet escort ship F5 was placed.
17 May 1934	The order for fleet escort ship F4 was placed.
17 May 1934	The order for fleet escort ship F3 was placed.
17 May 1934	The order for fleet escort ship F2 was placed.
17 May 1934	The order for fleet escort ship F7 was placed.
17 May 1934	The order for fleet escort ship F8 was placed.
17 May 1934	The order for fleet escort ship F1 was placed.
2 Aug 1934	The keel of fleet escort ship F1 was laid down at the Krupp Germania Werft yard in Kiel, Germany.
17 Aug 1934	The construction of escort ship F10 was ordered.
22 Aug 1934	The keel of fleet escort ship F4 was laid down at the Krupp Germania Werft yard in Kiel, Germany.
24 Aug 1934	The construction of escort ship F9 was ordered.
6 Sep 1934	The keel of fleet escort ship F6 was laid down at the Krupp Germania Werft yard in Kiel, Germany.
6 Sep 1934	The keel of fleet escort ship F5 was laid down at the Krupp Germania Werft yard in Kiel, Germany.
12 Nov 1934	The keel of F9 was laid down at the Reichsmarinewerft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
12 Nov 1934	The keel of F10 was laid down at the Reichsmarinewerft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven, 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.
1 Mar 1935	Fleet escort ship F1 was launched at the Krupp Germania Werft yard in Kiel, Germany.
2 Apr 1935	Fleet escort ship F2 was launched at the Krupp Germania Werft yard in Kiel, Germany.
1 Jun 1935	Fleet escort ship F3 was launched at the Krupp Germania Werft yard in Kiel, Germany.
2 Jul 1935	Fleet escort ship F4 was launched at the Krupp Germania Werft yard in Kiel, Germany.
14 Aug 1935	Fleet escort ship F5 was launched at the Krupp Germania Werft yard in Kiel, Germany.
1 Oct 1935	Fleet escort ship F6 was launched at the Krupp Germania Werft yard in Kiel, Germany.
15 Dec 1935	Fleet escort ship F1 was commissioned into service.
27 Feb 1936	Fleet escort ship F2 was commissioned into service.
7 Mar 1936	Fleet escort ship F3 was commissioned into service.
5 Apr 1936	Fleet escort ship F4 was commissioned into service.
1 May 1936	Fleet escort ship F5 was commissioned into service.
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.
25 May 1936	Fleet escort ship F7 was launched at the Blohm und Voss yard in Hamburg, Germany.
25 May 1936	Fleet escort ship F6 was commissioned into service.
27 Jul 1936	Fleet escort ship F8 was launched at the Blohm und Voss yard in Hamburg, Germany.
15 Feb 1937	Fleet escort ship F7 was commissioned into service.
8 Apr 1937	Fleet escort ship F8 was commissioned into service.
21 Aug 1937	F9 was commissioned into service.
21 Mar 1938	F10 was commissioned into service.
28 Oct 1938	Fleet escort ship F3 was decommissioned for conversion into a fleet tender.
28 Oct 1938	Fleet escort ship F6 was decommissioned from service for conversion into a fleet tender.
6 Sep 1939	German escort ship F9 was transferred from the Baltic Sea to the Helgoland archipelago north of Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
6 Sep 1939	Fleet escort ship F7 was transferred from the Baltic Sea to the German archipelago of Helgoland.
6 Sep 1939	Fleet escort ship F8 was transferred from the Baltic Sea to the German archipelago of Helgoland.
6 Sep 1939	German escort ship F10 was transferred from the Baltic Sea to the Helgoland archipelago north of Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
20 Sep 1939	Fleet escort ship F6 completed her conversion into a fleet tender and was recommissioned Königin Louise.
14 Dec 1939	HMS Ursula sank German escort ship F9 with a torpedo in the North Sea.
18 Dec 1939	F5 was recommissioned into service.
5 Mar 1940	Fleet escort ship F3 was recommissioned as a fleet tender, with the new name of Hai.
1 Apr 1940	Fleet escort ship F8 was assigned to the 25th Submarine Flotilla as a torpedo recovery vessel.
1 Apr 1940	Fleet escort ship F7 was assigned to the 25th Submarine Flotilla as a torpedo recovery vessel.
1 Apr 1940	The work to convert fleet escort ship F2 was halted.
6 Apr 1940	Fleet escort ship F2 was recommissioned into service.
1 Aug 1940	The work to convert F4 from a fleet escort ship to a torpedo recovery vessel ceased.
23 May 1941	Fleet escort ship F1 was renamed Libelle during her rebuild.
5 Jun 1941	Libelle was recommissioned into service.
28 Jun 1941	Fleet tender Hai sustained some damage by Soviet aircraft in the Baltic Sea.
24 Jun 1942	Fleet tender Hai sustained some damage by Soviet aircraft.
4 Sep 1942	Libelle arrived in Germany.
15 Jan 1945	Libelle was renamed Jagd.
29 Jan 1945	Fleet escort ship F5 struck a mine in western Baltic Sea and suffered heavy damage; while being towed toward Swinemünde, Germany (now Swinoujscie, Poland), she collided with a wreck and sank.
25 Feb 1945	The former German ship F7, now in Soviet service, was renamed Buran.
30 Mar 1945	Fleet tender Königin Louise was sunk by USAAF B-24 bombers at Wilhelmshaven, Germany.
3 May 1945	Fleet tender Hai was sunk by British Typhoon fighter bombers at Kiel, Germany.
5 Nov 1945	Fleet escort ship F7 was transferred to the Soviet Union.
15 Feb 1946	Fleet escort ship F7 was assigned to the Soviet North Baltic Fleet.
2 Dec 1946	Buran was disarmed and reclassified an experimental ship.
30 Dec 1946	Fleet escort ship F2 was sunk during a storm at Scapa Flow, Scotland, United Kingdom.
24 Apr 1947	Buran ceased her role as an experimental ship.
7 May 1951	Buran was reclassified as a depot ship and was renamed Dubna. She was attached to the North Atlantic Fleet.
24 Dec 1955	Dubna was transferred to the Baltic Fleet.

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F-class Destroyer Escort