Graff Zeppelin Engine Spares Box

[bfreer]

I am hoping that you may be able to help me with this painted box that I have just acquired.

It is made from steel with a ply wood lining and is ca. 68 cm x 34 cm x 49cm

It is marked as kolbenringe (piston rings) for a 350/420 kW diesel engine.

Inside the lid is a typed paper label saying that the content are 50 kolbenringe and 10 each of the Olabstrifringe ( upper/lower and middle) oil scraper rings.

The box bottom has two tapped steel plates and the markings for 300mm diameter rings. with a central partition (missing).

This is most likely for an auxiliary engine - most likely a generator.

KM ships such as the Admiral Hipper had four 460 kw turbo charged diesel generators and two 230 kW diesel generators. These would have been used to supply power to the ship when the main engines were shut down. The same sized diesel engine with and without turbo would have given these different power outputs.

The Brown Boveri and Cie marine magazine form 1942 shows a Sullzer 8 cylinder marine diesel auxiliary engine of a similar output.

Both the Graf Zeppelin and the Admiral Hipper had similar BBC power plants.

The surprise is that the box plaque and label mark these as coming from the Graf Zeppelin.

They are not from either of the two airships as none of the engines match the dimensions and output and the weight of this steel box would have been too much.

The provenance is that this box was sold at auction in the East of England as being from a collector.

There is no waffenstamp - but if this was made by the shipyard or engine maker it would not be official issue and would not get one.

It looks like it has been used as a storage box for the last seventy years. There have been hasps bolted to it and removed. The brown is a 1960's/70's overpaint with the gray underneath. I have removed the ubiquitous white emulsion drips.

The plaque is suitably yellowed and the paper aged.

I have a question -  in that the paper description has the parts down as anrtiebs (propulsion).

Do the A II a x mean anything or the W6V30/38 ?

I assume if it is real it was removed when the ship was moved to Stettin.

So question is this faked, from another ship or from the Aircraft Carrier Graf Zeppelin. ?

[bfreer]

Other image

[bfreer]

More images

[Peter K.]

In fact GZ was equipped with 4 diesel engines type W6V30/38 of 350 kW each in the power stations 2 and 4

[bfreer]

Thank you Peter. That is very much appreciated.

Do you know who the manufacturer of these engines was ?

I had a good conversation with the archivist at MAN last year. If it was MAN I could ask for some more detail.

I assume AII a x was the storage location?

[bfreer]

Apologies I see that this was a MAN engine. I will contact their archivist to see if they have any more information.

[Peter K.]

Of course the WV-type, a single acting four stroke diesel engine, was developped by MAN and was also used as main engines on R-Boats, GORCH FOCK and HORST WESSEL.

I only know the very competent ladies of the MAN-archive, but I woud be interested in more details of the engine too.

The meaning of "AII a x" is unknown for me.

[Peter K.]

Zufallsfund:
BA/MA, RM 6/3195
Räumboote.- Dieselmotoren W8V30/38.- Beschreibung und Betriebsvorschrift

[bfreer]

A very helpful reply from MAN archive - shows  that they supplied four W6V30/38 to Deutsche Werke in Kiel for specific use on the Graf Zeppelin.  Two in late Dec 1938 and Two in Jan 1939. (Just after launch).

W6V30/38 means six cylinder with bore 30cm and stroke of 38cm.

As the bore was 30 cm the  black marks on the bottom match with the kobelringe diameter.

They have no records of making the box and as it has no MAN markings they assume it was made by Deutsche Werke.

Possibly AIIax is the deck/store reference

With all the supporting data being so specific and detailed it would appear that this is not a fake but is actually from the Flugzeugträger Graf Zeppelin.

Do any other parts or known items survive (above water) ?

MFG
Brian