Hello
Let me introduce myself. My name is Jarek and I am leading a team of people responsible for oraganization of 100 year anniversay of our yard - Nauta Shiprepair Yard in Gdynia. One of the task is preperation of an album.
In the album we want to include some information about the World War II times. Our facility was used by Deutsche Werke Kiel- Werk Gotenhafen which conducted repair operations of German vessels. Couple years ago during dredging operations in our yard we found an anchor from German vessel (Kriegsmarine symbol is found on it). The anchor has description M/N4715 from one side and 25001/1942/KMX from another side.
Can you help us to identify from what vessel is this anchor.
Maybe somebody has the list of vessels repaired in Deutsche Werke Kiel- Werk Gotenhafen? Any photos we could use?
My email address is j.staluszka@nauta.pl. Any help would be highly welcommed.
Hai
Just an assumption:
Maybe it's one of the removed 'Stevenanker'.
Hello,
great to know there will be a publication on the 100 year history of Gdynia shipyard. Does it date back to May 1927? Only date I found in the sources I had access to. Think main business started with the former Blohm & Voss Floating Dock 1 bought in 1929.
Anyway rearding WW II think beside the daughter facility of Deutsche Werke Kiel AG (all stocks state owned) also a Naval Arsenal (Kriegsmarinearsenal) directly run by the Navy. Plus the bulding site used by Gutehoffnungshuette for the assembling of 3 floating docks for the Navy. Also the Walther company from Kiel set up a facility at Hela with one or two small floating docks.
All the best for your publication and kind regards
Markus
Zitat von: Flynavy68 am 30 Mai 2025, 10:02:26Couple years ago during dredging operations in our yard we found an anchor from German vessel (Kriegsmarine symbol is found on it). The anchor has description M/N4715 from one side and 25001/1942/KMX from another side.
Can you help us to identify from what vessel is this anchor.
N4715 is probably the build number and 1942 obviously the build year.
I attached a picture with measurements (they are not 100% accurate but good enough to get an idea) for the anchor of PG (Hipper class). The hipper class anchor also should be around 6500kg.
Is the paint the original one or did someone of you repaint it?
Would be helpful to give us length and width measurements of your anchor.
If the width is below 2m it's probably a destroyer.
If it's a bigger anchor it could be... Hipper class, Graf Zeppelin, Wilhelm Gustloff.
Also if it's a big anchor somebody at Freiburg might find out more at the archive.
Thanks for your support.
Basing on rough measurement the L is 2,80m and W is 1,77m. The anchor was painted shortly after the dredging works. Later on the Kriegsmarine swastika was covered by putty (according to Polish law you cannot promote Nazi symbols).
According to information gathered here in Gdynia in the basin where it was found there were three docks:
Schwimmdock B - lifting capacity 40 000t
plus two smaller docks - 4000t and 6000t
Bigger vessels like Wilhelm Gustloff went to another basin where Schwimmdock C was moored - lifting capacity 70 000t ( I have aerial picture made by RAF showing Gustloff in the dock).
So we may assume by looking at the size of the anchor and the location that it is from something smaller - destroyer?. But the info which I got from Polish maritme hobbists is that in the year 1942 - 1943 no German destroyes were docked in Deutsche Werke Gottenhafen. So maybe light cruiser?
Destroyer anchors should have a width around 1,45m. 1,77m could fit a ship around 170m length.
So the best matches are:
Leipzig (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leipzig_(Schiff,_1931)), Nürnberg (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%BCrnberg_(Schiff,_1935)), Köln (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6ln_(Schiff,_1930))
They were all around 170m long and served in the baltic sea in 1944/45.
Also possible but less likely:
Emden (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emden_(Schiff,_1925)) A bit too small for this anchor and the mission history also doesn't match as good.
Deutschland (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deutschland_(Schiff,_1933)), Admiral Scheer (https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Admiral_Scheer) They both also served in the baltic sea in 1944/45. But they were a bit bigger and way heavier so I would expect a bigger anchor on them.
The anchor was produced in 1942 and it was dropped in Gydnia later.
But we don't know if it was dropped in 1945 or earlier. We also don't know where and when the anchor was added to the ship that dropped it.
Leipzig was in a shipyard in Libau in 1942.
Köln was in a shipyard in Wilhelmshafen in 1942.
Logistically it makes more sense that the anchor was added in Wilhelmshafen.
Leipzig on the other hand was repaired in Gydnia in January 1944 at "Deutsche Werke".
Hello,
Leipzig was part repaired at Deutsche Werke Gdynia/Gotenhafen after horrible collision with Prinz Eugen on October 15th, 1944.
No proof but only a guess that one of her anchors got lost during or in course of this incident.
Regards
Markus
The anchor was in the mud since the end of the war - which year it was dropped - 1942, 43, 44, 45 - no idea. What I have learned there were heavy bomber raids in 1944 (On 18th Decemeber, 1944 the biggest floating docks were destroyed)
In the evening I got some pictures of Leipzig - looking at the original and photos back in the 40's looks the same
Hello,
the terrible ramming of Leipzig by Prinz Eugen is well documented in pictures
https://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg/4410-bilder/leipzig.htm
Picture shows Prinz without ancor in C-Dock being repaired.
Is it possible that one of her anchors got lost either when she rammed Leipzig or when the tugs towed her out of he little sister.
B.t.w. B-Dock and C-Dock weren't destroyed in the raid. C-Dock sunk, B-Dock probably damaged.
Both made kind of later carreer in Red Fleet.
Kind regards
Markus
Small add up, you may proof me wrong
to my eyes in this picture Prinz Eugens left anchor is missing
https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Crew_at_quarters_aboard_USS_Prinz_Eugen_%28IX_300%29_during_Operation_-Crossroads-._%C2%BE_front_view._At_sea._-_NARA_-_80-G-627446.jpg
So you rather think the anchor comes from Prinz Eugen? Are the anchors from the two vessels - Leipzig and Prinz Eugen the same?
There are Picture showing Prinz Eugen without the 'Stevenanker' dated around 1942. Just the two anchors on each Side are left. It's just the Hole visible were the anchor once was.
When, where and why it was removed - to me it's unclear.
Zitat von: MarkusL am 10 Juli 2025, 10:40:36Hello,
the terrible ramming of Leipzig by Prinz Eugen is well documented in pictures
https://www.wlb-stuttgart.de/seekrieg/4410-bilder/leipzig.htm
Picture shows Prinz without ancor in C-Dock being repaired.
Is it possible that one of her anchors got lost either when she rammed Leipzig or when the tugs towed her out of he little sister.
B.t.w. B-Dock and C-Dock weren't destroyed in the raid. C-Dock sunk, B-Dock probably damaged.
Both made kind of later carreer in Red Fleet.
Kind regards
Markus
Zitat von: MarkusL am 10 Juli 2025, 11:05:43Small add up, you may proof me wrong
to my eyes in this picture Prinz Eugens left anchor is missing
https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Crew_at_quarters_aboard_USS_Prinz_Eugen_%28IX_300%29_during_Operation_-Crossroads-._%C2%BE_front_view._At_sea._-_NARA_-_80-G-627446.jpg
To be honest: the anchor is visible in all given pictures on the right place.
Zitat von: MarkusL am 10 Juli 2025, 11:05:43Small add up, you may proof me wrong
to my eyes in this picture Prinz Eugens left anchor is missing
https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Crew_at_quarters_aboard_USS_Prinz_Eugen_%28IX_300%29_during_Operation_-Crossroads-._%C2%BE_front_view._At_sea._-_NARA_-_80-G-627446.jpg
Zooming into that photo.
Prinz Eugens anchor history seems to be a little obscure.
Ingo Bauernfeinds book on the Heavy Cruiser has on p. 123 a picture of Prinz Eugen with both anchors raised.
To me they look a little bit different than the one shown.
Is it sure that 42 indicates the year of production. Sunk at Gotenhafen/Gdynia was the submarine tender Waldemar Kophamel, 5.600 t, put into service end of 1940. Vessel capzised in the air raid of Dec 18th 1944 at basin VII in the docking pit of C-Dock. Raised and repaired from 1949 on.
Regards
Markus
Zitat von: Flynavy68 am 08 Juli 2025, 08:49:22According to information gathered here in Gdynia in the basin where it was found there were three docks:
Schwimmdock B - lifting capacity 40 000t
plus two smaller docks - 4000t and 6000t
Bigger vessels like Wilhelm Gustloff went to another basin where Schwimmdock C was moored - lifting capacity 70 000t ( I have aerial picture made by RAF showing Gustloff in the dock).
Can you take a look at this map and tell us where the anchor was found? If you don't know exactly maybe guess as good as you know and tell us the roman number of the dock according to this map.
http://maps.mapywig.org/m/City_plans/Central_Europe/AMPG_hafengebiet_gotenhafen_ca1939-45.jpg (http://maps.mapywig.org/m/City_plans/Central_Europe/AMPG_hafengebiet_gotenhafen_ca1939-45.jpg)
I found something but first I want to double check if it could be true.
Regarding the "Stevenanker":
In "Schwerer Kreuzer Prinz Eugen" Paul Schmalenbach states:
ZitatDer Anker in der Stevenklüse ist ab Sommer 1942 zwecks Gewichtersparnis nicht mehr an Bord gewesen.
Prinz Eugen spent 1942 in Brest, Norway and Kiel. It arrived in Gotenhafen in october. In theory it could've picked up a new anchor in Kiel just to drop it 1 month later in Gotenhafen to reduce weight... but this doesn't sound too plausible.
Kind of funny as the plan is from Nauticus 1944 so no copyright any longer.
The floating dock at VII is Schwimmdock C, btw rated 60.000t.
The smaller "Destroyer" Docks 4.000t and 6.000t of Deutsche Werke located at basin VI.
Schwimmdock B was moored after transfer of Schwimmdock C from Kiel at jetty at basin VIII. I assume unusable as no docking pit dredged there.
Picture showing Prinz Eugens anchors be found here
https://de.pinterest.com/pin/290130400996377710/
though I'm not on Pinterest.
Anyway just a guess
at Gotenhafen/Gdynia also a Naval Arsenal - Kriegsmarinearsenal was set up.
Could it have been practice to store some spare/replacement anchors there?
Regards
Markus
Hallo,
die Arsenalfrage ist nicht uninteressant, wenn man die nicht fertig gestellten "Dickschiffe" (z. B. Kreuzer SEYDLITZ, GRAF ZEPPELIN) in die Betrachtung mit einbezieht.
Auch kann man darüber nachdenken, ob die Anker für L vormals LÜTZOW auch schon an die Sowjets nach Leningrad geliefert wurden.
Darüber hinaus dürfte die KM eben in ihren Arsenalen einen gewissen Überhang als nötige Reserve gelagert haben.
REINHARD
not to mention light cruisers KH 1 and KH 2 captured building at Rotterdam with overoptimistic early plans to complete both vessels in 1942
Anchor was found in the mud during dredging works in Basin VI. In the attachemnt there is a pink * just below words Wilhelm Gustlaff Museum. The floating docks now are in the same place as in 1943/44 - please see the photo - the anchor was somewhere near the dock in the bottom of the photo
Ah that's good to know.
What I found in the "Kriegstagebuch" of Prinz Eugen:
Zitat10.10.44 | Gotenhafen - Hafenbecken IV
[...]
Feinzusatzp K 3 | Anker durchgebrannt. Pumpenteil saß fest. Anker zur Werftinstandsetzung abgegeben.
K 1. Bandagen des Ankers haben sich gelöst.
But it's the wrong basin number. And as I think about it a bit more it doesn't sound like they mean the anchor of the ship but the "Anker" of an electric engine of a pump. So I was on a wrong track.
Anyway those ship logs contain a lot of details. The loss of a 6 tons anchor really should be noted somewhere.
I will scan some more ship logs in the coming days.
I checked the logs of the following ships: Deutschland, Emden, Eugen, Hipper, Köln, Leipzig, Nürnberg.
The only ship of them that ever was in "Hafenbecken VI" was Admiral Hipper from 15.01.1945 to 30.01.1945.
At first repairs were planned but as the Soviet army got closer every day they decided to pick up as much ammunition and refugees as they can and leave.
They decided to even set 2 of their 4 main gun towers out of order to store more ammunition inside those.
Maybe they dropped one anchor on purpose to reduce weight.