Minesweeper M1 file photo [29287]

M1

CountryGermany
Ship ClassM-class Minesweeper
BuilderH. C. Stülcken Sohn
Yard Number710
Ordered22 Nov 1935
Laid Down9 Jul 1936
Launched5 Mar 1937
Commissioned31 Aug 1938
Sunk12 Jan 1945
Displacement682 tons standard; 874 tons full
Length223 feet
Beam29 feet
Draft9 feet
MachineryTwo VTE engines with exhaust turbines, two oil-fired boilers
Power Output3,452 shaft horsepower
Speed18 knots
Range5,000nm at 10 knots
Crew95
Armament2x10.5cm SK L/45 guns, 2x3.7cm anti-aircraft guns, 2x2cm anti-aircraft guns, 30x naval mines

Contributor:

ww2dbaseM1 was of the 1935 sub-class of the M-class minesweepers of the German Navy. She was commissioned into service in Sep 1938. During the preparations for the invasion of Poland, she ferried 230 naval infantrymen of the German Navy Marinestosstruppkompanie to battleship Schleswig-Holstein, and she was involved in the campaign once the war began. After the end of the Poland campaign, she was relocated to the North Sea. In Feb 1940, she rammed and sank four Danish fishing trawlers; even though some survived the sinking initially, commanding officer Oberleutnant zur See Hans Bartels did not pick up any survivors, thus all of them would eventually be lost. Bartels later reported his suspicion that these fishermen were reporting German movements to the British while flying the flag of a neutral nation. Between Apr 1940 and Mar 1941, Albrecht Brandi was the commanding officer of the ship, followed by Leutnant zur See Dornberger. After the Germans tore up their non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union, M1 was a part of the naval component of Operation Siegfried, the occupation of the islands Hiiumaa (German: Dagö), Saaremaa (Ösel), and Muhu (German: Moon) of Estonia. Later in 1941, she operated in the Norwegian Sea and the North Sea, based in Norway. In Apr 1944, Eberhard Kühn took command of the ship. In Jan 1945, she was attacked and sank by Tallboy bombs dropped by Lancaster bombers of No. 9 and No. 617 Squadrons RAF in Nordbyfjord about 40 kilometers (about 20 miles) east of Bergen, Norway; 20 were killed in the sinking, and the wreck sank to the depth of 340 meters (1,120 feet).

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Revision: Jun 2019

Minesweeper M1 Interactive Map

Photographs

Minesweeper M1 underway, circa late 1930s

M1 Operational Timeline

22 Nov 1935 The order for minesweeper M1 was issued.
9 Jul 1936 The keel of of M1 was laid down by Stülcken at the H. C. Stülcken Sohn shipyard in Hamburg, Germany.
5 Mar 1937 M1 was launched at the Stülcken at the H. C. Stülcken Sohn shipyard in Hamburg, Germany.
1 Sep 1938 M1 was commissioned into service under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Hans Bartels.
24 Aug 1939 M1 ferried 230 naval infantry troops of the German Navy Marinestosstruppkompanie to the battleship Schleswig-Holstein during the preparations for the invasion of Poland.
24 Feb 1940 M1 rammed and sunk four Danish fishing trawlers Ejjam (E 92), Gerlis (E 456), Merkator (348), and Polaris (E 504) off the Dogger Bank in the North Sea. There were four crewmen aboard each ship, and even though some survived the sinking initially, commanding officer Oberleutnant zur See Hans Bartels of M1 did not pick up any survivors, thus all of them would eventually be lost. Bartel suspected that the trawlers were reporting German movements to the British while flying the flag of a neutral nation.
12 Jan 1945 M1 was sunk in Nordbyfjord about 40 kilometers east of Bergen, Norway by bombs from British Lancaster bombers.




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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Anonymous says:
13 Nov 2021 01:45:34 AM

M1 bombarded Dirdal close to Stavanger Norway 19.th april 1940

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More on M1
Event(s) Participated:
» Invasion of Poland
» Start of the Battle of the Atlantic
» Operation Barbarossa

Minesweeper M1 Photo Gallery
Minesweeper M1 underway, circa late 1930s


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