10/31/1937 Bremen, Deschimag A.G. Weser Shipyard
“Barracks Ship 35” arrived safely at Bremen on 1/15/1937 and her refit began for 9 months and 16 days she was a mess of pipes, steel plates, and timbers this is just some of the work done on Barracks Ship 35
-Boat deck lengthened
-Flat bridge face was extended forward and curved
-Superstructure was extended fore and aft adding an additional 10 cabins for fleet staff
-two searchlights added aft of the bearing deck, which was also extended.
-On her main deck 6x21” torpedo tubes (3 on each side) were installed they are covered by retractable flaps. Her main armament consists of 8x15 cm SK L/45s 4 were fitted on each side these will be hidden by retractable flaps on her hull on her poop deck and her forecastle another 2 were installed. Also on the main deck 2x3.7cm SK C/30s, 2x75mm, and 2x2cm Quads were installed fore and aft.
- 4 lifeboats were added aft, the two most aft will be used by boarding parties.
-On D deck (Mine deck) 2 sets of rails were installed for mine laying she will carry on her operation 375 mines however fully loaded she can carry a maximum of 450 mines.
-the funnel is retractable, as well as her main and fore masts are also retractable the cross trees can also be lowered
-Bow and stern were strengthened for operations in ice fields
-Her fuel bunkers were enlarged she at 13 knots she has a range of 150,000 km,
-She also received 4xMAN 6- Cylinder Diesel engines this gave her a top speed of 25 knots.
-Her endurance was about 100 days this was boosted to 220
-3xArado Ar 196 A-3 aircraft will be carried aboard, 2 assembled and one crated, these will be stored as follows:
-Arado Ar 196 A-3 7R+GK will be housed in Hold No.4
-Arado Ar 196 A-3 X3+ZY will be housed in Hold No.7
-Arado Ar 196 A-3 M2+AA will be stored crated in Hold No.3
-In Hold No.6 a new motorboat called LS2 will be carried she will be fitted out as a minelayer.
-Accommodations for 500 officers and ratings were fitted along 3 decks
-Pair of derricks removed, located between the Bridge and funnel.
During these 9 months, the Oberkommando der Kriegsmarine assigned Kplt.z.S Hans Felix Hartmann to command the ship (4/4/1937) Hartmann joined the Reichsmarine in 1919 and rose swiftly through the ranks to Kapitänleutnant taking command of the destroyer Z.20, on 3/30/1937 he was summoned to Berlin and given instructions personally by GAdm Reader to take command of the now designated “Schiff 35”. For this to be possible he was promoted to Korvettenkapitän
Hartmann handpicked his 500 officers and men rejecting all the men he had been sent by the personnel office. Of the 500 men aboard 20 belong to the Luftwaffe (pilots and technicians) The commissioning ceremony will take place in Kiel in mid November.
