Greets Gentlemen
can someone please tell me the make-up of this unit(s) ? I understand there were the Flak Schiff's Medusa and Arcona but were there also the L-Schiffe's: Schleswig=Holstein and the Schlesien as well ?
also were the ships responsible for certain areas or were they mobil outside the port-harbor city ?
thank you
Erich ~
Hello, Erich,
ARCONA and MEDUSA, former light cruisers of the Imperial German Navy, decommissioned as such in 1930, were re-built (re-constructed) as floating AAW batteries, recommissioned in the spring of 1940 and, their propulsion unusable, towed to specified positions and anchored there (immobile).
The "ships of the line" SCHLESIEN and SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN, in use as training ships during the war, were "mobile" till the end (5/45 off Swinemünde and 12/44 in Gotenhafen, respectively).
The SCHLESWIG-HOLSTEIN was, apparently, equipped with additional AAW guns in 1944 to enable her to be used as AAW ship, but I have no details about that.
Greetings, Urs
According to Breyer, "Marine-Arsenal No. 21", Schlesien and Schleswig-Holstein were re-activated and rebuilt as so called convoy escort ships.
They were supposed to provide cover fire for land troops in the baltic and to protect supply convoys.
For this purpose their machinery was overhauled, the old AA armament removed and replaced by four single 10,5-cm, seven single 4-cm-Bofors and 18 x 2-cm in two 4-gun- and six 2-gun-mountings.
Also the 28-cm-guns got new barrels and the ships were equipped with radar.
Schlesien got Fumo-25 and FuMo-36, Schleswig-Holstein only FuMo-25 because she was disabled by air attack during the reconstruction and further work abandoned.
Urs u. Thorsten
many thanks for this information
Erich ~
Hier noch ein Foto der "Medusa".
(http://s2.imgimg.de/uploads/Medusaa578e59fjpg.jpg)