US lend-lease Vosper Schnellboote Bremerhaven 1956

[Arjan]

Some days ago I happened across this very rare photo of some US (Annapolis Yacht Yard) built PT boats. According to the text these boats were handed over to the German Navy in 1956. Quite remarkable because photos of these craft are very rare since most of these lend-lease boats were sent to the Soviet Union. I think these boats may have been returned by the Soviet Union and were then handed over to Germany. If my assumption is correct these boats would have been of very little use to the German Navy because they were by then no doubt beaten up and worn out.

https://www.alamy.com/apr-13-1956-the-first-naval-unit-of-the-germany-military-navy-a-minesweeping-image69298281.html

This American site has the "Lebenslauf" of two of these boats (661 and 671) :

https://www.navsource.net/archives/12/05661.htm
https://www.navsource.net/archives/12/05671.htm

I wonder if there are more photos of these former US/Soviet craft in Germany.

Arjan

[Urs Heßling]

hi,

According to the text these boats were handed over to the German Navy in 1956.

I have no record of that

If my assumption is correct these boats would have been of very little use to the German Navy because they were by then no doubt beaten up and worn out.

There were hardly any units in the German navy with Otto motors

greetings, Urs

[Arjan]

Perhaps the German Navy did indeed prefer diesel engines and turned the offer down. Also, as I mentioned earlier these boats, especially the Vospers were definitely past their sell by date. Apparently Elco lend-lease PT boats were also returned by the Soviets and also ended up in Bremerhaven in 1955. The latter were probably in a better condition than the Vospers because they had hardly seen any action. Not sure if the location of these two pics is also Bremerhaven :

Elco PT boats and one Vosper :



Elco PT boats :



If the German Navy wasn't interested in these craft they were probably scrapped. This also happened with the Vospers and Elcos in Britain and the US. There were too many of these wooden craft and maintenance was simply too costly. Also these boats were probably considered expendable and were never intended to last more than a couple of years.

Gruss,

Arjan

[Big A]

Also these boats were probably considered expandable and were never intended to last more than a couple of years.

I know for Sure that most PT boats in the Pacific theater were burnt after hostilities ended in 09/45.
Very few were used a litten longer for administrative purposes.

Axel

[Darius]

Hi,

bei S.S.Bereshnoj, Flot SSSR - Korablij i suda ljendliza - Sprawotschnik, wird nur angegeben, dass die Boote (u.a. PT 661 ex TK 247 und PT 671 ex TK 813) am 29.06.1955 in Kiel von der Sowjetmarine an die US Marine übergeben wurden und am 09.08.1955 "razformirowan"?

Also kein Hinweis, dass sie in einen deutschen Verband eingegliedert wurden.

Hier ein kleiner Hinweis, dass die Boote in der Barentssee dann versenkt wurden:
https://www.ndr.de/geschichte/Zeitreise-Ein-Stueck-Weltgeschichte-im-Kieler-Hafen,zeitreise2996.html

Rückgabe an die US Marine
1955 wurde in Kiel ein Teil dieser Lieferungen zurückgegeben. Die Sowjets hatten die Boote sogar neu angemalt und die alte amerikanische Kennung wieder angebracht. Aber dennoch sahen Fachleute auf den ersten Blick, dass es sich um veraltete und unbrauchbare Schiffe handelte. Die US Marine sollte sie später, vor allem in der Barentssee, einfach versenken. Die Deutschen selbst schauten der Begegnung der Siegermächte nur zu. Zwar war die Bundesrepublik durch die Pariser Verträge weitgehend souverän geworden, aber immer noch hatten die ehemaligen Besatzungsmächte besondere Rechte für ihre Streitkräfte. Die Bundesmarine sollte zudem erst ein Jahr später gegründet werden.

Darius

[Arjan]

Thanks a lot Darius, that explains a lot ! 

Gruss,

Arjan

[Urs Heßling]

hi,

Also these boats were probably considered expendable

You happen to provide the opportunity for a real pun (a play with words), as that was the title of a book and movie about their war exploits

greetings Urs

[Arjan]

No pun intended but I know the film "They were expendable" very well. I watched this film on video over and over again because the film used some authentic Elco PT boats and as such was great reference material when I was building my Revell and Lindberg models in the eighties. Nowadays it's easy to find reference pics on the internet.

Gruss,

Arjan