Hilfskreuzer Schiff 44 (HSK-16) “Afrika”

[CPTLTJASON]

Page dedicated to the development, voyage, etc of the fictional Hilfskreuzer “Afrika”.

[CPTLTJASON]

23.8.1939 Kiel Harbor 1st day at sea
After 5 months of conversion and training the Hilfskreuzer Ship-15 is ready for service. Under the command of FKpt.z.S Hans Felix Brinkmann (former artillery officer of the Admiral Scheer) Ship-15 is ordered to make for the Central Atlantic and await further orders. Since arriving at Kiel on 1.8.1939 Ship-15 has been taking on provisions, fuel, water, ammunition, etc. enough to last up to one year at sea. In the meantime Brinkmann has been in Berlin being briefed, (On September 1, 1939 at 05:45 Poland will be invaded, Ship-15 is to remain undetected in southern waters. If Hostilities have not ended by September 25th The Kommandant is authorized to begin commerce raiding. From 50N to the equator.)
Ship-15 will be disguised as a transport under the Reich Service flag, the disguise is as follows,
Outer hull painted black
Deck hatches, ventilators, winches, etc. painted grey.
Superstructure and funnel painted grey.
Masts Grey with crow's nest
Cannons I and IV disguised and painted as deckhouses.
Boats set out
German flag hoisted on the mainmast.

Ship 15 is ordered to depart Kiel on 24.8.1939 at midnight.

[CPTLTJASON]

24.8.1939 Kiel Harbor.

At 23:00 hrs. the starboard watch is called and anchors are raised, Ship 15 is departing for the Atlantic under the cover of darkness. Morale aboard is high after months of the inactivity the raider soon might see action, Ship 15 will take the Kattegat/Skagerrak route then proceed through the Denmark Strait. Our next report will be when she is in the Atlantic.

[CPTLTJASON]

6.9.1939 North Atlantic 14th day at sea 62° 20’N, 30° 22,W

Ship 15 has entered the North Atlantic, the crew has been mustered and a short speech by the Kommandant is given to the crew among the topics covered is the ship’s new name, The Typhoon.
after the speech Brinkmann orders the ship’s disguise changed from German Transport to Greek freighter the chosen disguise will be the Athens shipping Co. Ltd. ship OLYMPUS 7,388 grt (ANJF) Piraeus.

1. Hull painted black with Greek neutrality markings,
2. Superstructure painted white
3. Funnel painted black height and width remain the same
4. Masts, ventilators, winches, etc. painted dark yellow
5.Greek flag hoisted on the signal deck.

The situation has deteriorated rapidly since September 1st, on the 3rd of September England, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and India declare war on Germany. With this the Seekriegslietung has ordered Brinkmann to speed up the march south and to not attack shipping North or east of the Azores and to keep east of the Caribbean. The Deutschland will operate between Newfoundland and Bermuda while the Graf Spee will patrol the South Atlantic/Indian Ocean. Ship 15 is to proceed to the Pacific Ocean once the Graf Spee has cleared Ascension Island area. For now Ship 15 will continue the transit south.

[CPTLTJASON]

1/10/1940 South Atlantic 35° 26’S, 12° 34’E 139th day at sea

Ship 15 has been patrolling without success since the last report only 3 neutral freighters were sighted, stopped, searched, and released. Seeing no success FKpt.z.S Brinkmann decides to move south on December 22nd 1939 at 14:00 hrs. Ship 15 crossed the equator. For crossing ceremony lasted all afternoon. From there Ship 15 briefly patrolled the South American routes without success and Brinkmann continued the voyage south Brinkmann began to plan the minelaying operation off Cape Town. Along with the I. Officer, Navigator, and Mine Officer Brinkmann planned to lay 220 EMC mines on the approaches to Cape Town and a smaller minefield off the Cape of Good Hope.
This will be accomplished during one night while Ship 15 moves at full speed. The mine officer and the specialists begin to prepare mines for the operation. Afterwards we will make for the Indian Ocean to resume commerce raiding along the Cape-Indi-Australia routes and the Mozambique Channel. We will retain the disguise of the Greek freighter for now and will change after the minelaying operation.

[CPTLTJASON]

5/26/1940 Indian Ocean 21°42’S, 85°28’E 277th day at sea

SInce the last report only one French freighter was sunk the LARRODE 3,800 grt (ZHDU) from La Rochelle to Rangoon again in ballast. After this Ship 15 returned to the East coast of Madagascar and after another fruitless hunt returned to the mid Indian Ocean and is currently proceeding towards the Sunda Strait. Brinkmann plans to capture tankers for 1. Conversion into Auxiliary minelayers 2. Convert into supply ships. Ship 15 will meet the tanker Ermland the which besides food, fuel, and provisions has parts for the Arado Ar 196 seaplanes, a so called Leichte Schnellboote, and 300 EMC mines. The meeting which was scheduled for May 1st will now take place on June 10th in (Waiting Area F II, Point Red V).

Brinkmann will also receive 10 Prize officers. An indication of what the Seekriegslietung expected of Ship 15. The raider will retain the current disguise of an anonymous British freighter.

Pictures:
1. Ship 15 taken from the motor launch following a hull inspection by the Kommandant and Chief Engineer.
2. Sinking of the French freighter LARRODE

[CPTLTJASON]

May 1, 1938 A.G. Weser Werft, Bremen Commissioning Pier

After many months of reading, writing, and utter failure I bring you the war patrol of the Hilfskreuzer Schiff Nr.44 “Afrika”


Ship 44 began her life as the DDG Hansa Line freighter Weserfels 7,700 grt (DOSG) working the East Asia Line (Hamburg-Calcutta). On her 8th voyage she pulled into Hamburg loaded with Oil Nuts, Jute, Oil Cakes, among other cargo. 3 days later on August 2, 1937 officers and representatives of the Kriegsmarine and Deschimag A.G. Weser Werft boarded the freighter and were taken to the master’s cabin Kplt.z.S Muller informed Kapitan Neumeister “We have orders to requisition the Weserfels for naval service”. Eight hours later the remaining cargo was disembarked and the Weserfels sailed for Bremen arriving 16 hours later under the temporary command of Muller, and docked at the Haushafen II she remained there for 3 days before her new commanding officer arrived KKpt.z.S Hans Felix Hartman. By this time the Spanish Civil War had been raging for over a year. Hartmann had served as Artillery officer aboard the Admiral Graf Spee before that he commanded a minesweeper (M-13) and expert in navigation, minelaying, and artillery made him a suitable candidate for the commander of a commerce raider. Hartmann took command and sailed the ship for the Deschimag A.G. Weser Werft, Bremen where the ship would undergo an extensive refit and modifications

In a 8 months shipwrights lengthened, modified, and finally armed the Weserfels now known by her hull number HSK-16. She was completed on April 30, 1938 and commissioned the following day. During the 8 months she was at the shipyard Hartmann began picking his 440 man crew he meticulously picked officers, petty officers, and ratings rejecting the initial recommendations of the personnel office. After the commissioning came the five and half months of training. Artillery, minelaying, torpedo firing, aircraft launch and recovery, engine, rudder exercises and trials were conducted in the Baltic.

[CPTLTJASON]

October 31, 1938 Kiel, Kaiserhafen IV



Confident that his ship was ready for action Hartmann sailed into Kiel on August 5, 1938 and docked at the Kaiserhafen IV that same evening Ship 44 took on her ammunition, torpedoes, stores, mines, fuel, water, coal among other items needed for her operation. Hartmann, recently promoted to Fregattenkapitän has been making several trips to Berlin for briefings with the Seekriegslietung (1/SKL)

On October 1st Ship 44 weighed anchor and proceeded to Kiel-Holtenau the home base of 5/196 Bordfliegerstaffel here she took aboard 6 Arado Ar 196 A-1 aircraft during the night, by dawn she was back at her dock and loading resumed.

Shipments are brought in by train or ship, Hartmann arranged to have no more than 30 wagons per shipment by day each set would arrive with a mix of food, provisions, supplies, spare parts, torpedoes, ammunition, etc. for 4 nights barges would come alongside and load mines (100 EMC mines per shipment).

On the night of October 30th, a new Leichte Schnellboote (LS 33) arrived and was hoisted aboard. The following Morning 10 wagons were dropped off these contained ammunition, fuel, spare parts, and equipment for the boat. The final shipment was on October 19th when 103 wagons were dropped off these contained wood, steel plate, beams, canvas, paint, among other structural materials needed to effect disguises. The following evening and into the night 60 officers and men of the newly formed 8.MSK under Oblt.z.S Felix von Lindner board Ship 44 a few hours later the Luftwaffe detachment under the command of Hptm Wolfgang Kelsch come aboard along with 15 Prize officers, an indication of what was expected of Ship 44.

During the night the ship’s disguise was changed, she was to become a transport sailing under the “Reich Service Flag”

1. Hull Black

2. Superstructure light grey

3. I and X 15cm guns camouflaged and painted grey

4. Smokestack length and width remain

5. Masts yellow without the crows nest

6. Boats setout

7. Deck hatches, ventilators, winches, booms, etc. painted grey

8. Masts and cargo booms put up

9. Draft marks added to hull

10. Reich Service Flag hoisted atop the bearing deck.

Ship 44 has orders to sail at 01:00 hrs. on November 1.

*Radio Transmission Gkdos 3184/38 *
After 01:00 hrs. on November 1st Ship 44 is to depart at Kommandant discretion.

*S.K.L.*

[CPTLTJASON]

November 1, 1938 Kiel Harbor 1st day at sea

Loading was completed late on the 31st at 23:00 hrs. the I. Officer KKpt Baumgartner informs the Kommandant “All crew present and accounted for, Ship clear for sea” at midnight the starboard watch is called, and at 01:10 hrs. Ship 44 raises anchor and casts off no bands nor crowds are there to see them off the raider silently pulls away from the harbor unbeknownst to all aboard that this is the last they will see of Germany for a very long time.................

Hartmann has orders to proceed to the Mediterranean and conduct commerce warfare against Spanish republican shipping coming down from Odessa, USSR. Since the attack on the Panzerschiff Deutschland on May 27, 1937 and another attack on the cruiser Leipzig on the 15th and 18th of June, Germany withdrew from Nonintervention patrols uboats have since been sent, albeit secretly however these operations have failed. The orders for Ship 44 were quite specific,* *“The auxiliary cruiser must only sink merchants flying the Spanish Republican flag or the flag of the USSR. Before engaging a merchant, it must be certain that the identity of the enemy has been positively established to avoid the destruction of an allied or neutral vessel”**. The area of operations of Ship 44 is between the ports of Cartagena and Barcelona, and no further east of the Baleares Islands. Furthermore, the operational orders state, **“If the operations of the auxiliary cruiser become known the ship is to leave the area immediately and return once the situation has settled down”**. Mining operations are to be carried out according to the SKL’s recommendations, **“The areas in which mines must be laid are as follows, 1.) On the approaches to the Ports of Valencia and Barcelona. 2.) on the Odessa-Cartagena/Barcelona/Valencia routes”.** More details will come as the ship heads out. Hartmann will take the short route through the English Channel. No escort will be taken out of Kiel to avoid being seen or announcing our departure.

[CPTLTJASON]

11/28/1938 Gulf of Valencia, 41° 7'N, 4° 11'E (3877 CH) 28th day at sea

Ship 44 has been busy since entering the Gulf on the 22nd of November. In the late evening of the 22nd a small steamer was sighted and at 16:10 Ship 44 decamouflaged and hoisted battle ensign. At 16:11 Fkpt Hartmann ordered the I. Gunnery Officer Kplt(V) Byer to open fire. Cannons VIII, IX, and X opened fire at 8000m, closing the range to 3000m Ship 44 fired 14 salvos obtaining hits on the superstructure, bridge, engine room, and funnel. At 16:19 the ship slowed and eventually stopped. The Kommandant decided against sending a boarding commando aboard as the ship was mostly on fire, 2 lifeboats (Nr. III and V) were sent to rescue the crew all crewmembers were rescued and brought aboard the raider. The master Captain L.R Garcia gave a brief statement to the Kommandant: “The Pinto departed Odessa, USSR on November 9th loaded with ammunition, army/air force equipment, and misc. cargo”.
The first success of Ship 44 was the Spanish Republican freighter PINTO 2,427 grt (AZTO) from Odessa, USSR-Barcelona.
The following morning a British task force was sighted Numerous destroyers, and at least 2 freighters The Navigation Officer L.z.S Schneider, identified the 2 larger vessels as the HMS London and HMS Dorsetshire. At 12:20 another Spanish Republican freighter was spotted at 12:26 range 4000m Ship 44 decamouflaged and hoisted her battle ensign, she signaled “Stop immediately, do not use wireless, sending boat”. The vessel complies and the main radio room reports no distress signals on the 500m, 600m, or 650m wavelengths. A boarding commando under Oblt.z.S Schmidt boarded the vessel and determining that nothing of value could be taken, evacuated the crew, and 170 lbs. of scuttling charges placed aboard in the holds and engine room. These do little more than cause the ship to settle again Hartmann ordered the artillery to finish off the ship, cannons IX and X open fire, 8 salvos (16 HE rounds) send the freighter to the bottom. The freighter was the NORTE 5,929 grt (GCFH) from Odessa-Valencia loaded with army stores and equipment. 105 prisoners aboard. Later that day another enemy ship was sighted the French tanker BONAAT 10,316 grt (ZTLO) from Toulon-Tampico, Mexico. The freighter was not stopped, only friendly greetings exchanged. 15:15 Mtr.O.Gfr Weber on the fore crosstrees reported to the Bridge, “Feindlicher frachter in sicht mit 351°T 3000m, Spanische republikansische flagge vom mast! 2 minutes later Ship 44 rang out 4 salvos from cannons VI and VIII the freighter was hit 7 times in the engine room and bridge the freighter turns to port and explodes, a cutter (Nr. I) is sent away to rescue survivors 15 were saved including 2 officers. It is later determined that the Master, 3 officers, and 49 sailors went down with ship. The freighter FRESNO 6,393 grt (KDNC) again from Odessa-Cartagena loaded with ammunition. For the next 5 days no shipping has been sighted, The Kommandant will retain the disguise of the English ship. 118 prisoners are now aboard. Hartmann plans to transfer them to the freighter Kybfels which has departed La Spezia, Italy on November 27th.

[CPTLTJASON]

12/18/1938 Mediterranean Sea 48th day at sea

Ship 44 hasn’t encountered a single enemy since the last report, now Hartmann the I. Offizier, Navigation officers, and the mine officer laid out a plan to mine 2 harbors and part of the supply route. Working north to south Ship 44 mined the Port of Valencia during the night of 11/28-29 79 EMC mines were laid without being detected. During the day Ship 44 laid a larger minefield (121 mines) along the Odessa Supply route this minefield was laid where the Odessa-Cartagena and Odessa-Valencia routes meet. Moving North towards Barcelona Ship 44 laid her remaining 27 mines, undetected she left the area passing between the Islands of Majorca and Menorca at 17 knots. On December 1, 1938 Ship 44 and the freighter Kybfels met during the night they transferred prisoners so as to keep the identity of the Kybfels anonymous.

The following morning the Kybfels disguised as an Italian freighter proceeded west towards the Strait of Gibraltar and off to Vigo where the prisoners would be released.

For 10 days Ship 44 remained changing her disguise yet again and overhauling the Diesel engines, she would take on the identity of the Kybfels
1. Outer hull painted black
2. White superstructure
3. Yellow masts height remained the same
4. Ventilators, winches, etc. painted dark yellow
5. Funnel painted in DDG Hansa line livery height
and width remain the same
6. 4 Derricks removed
7. Cannons I and X disguised as deckhouses both
are painted white
8. German merchant flag hoisted on the signal deck

During the night the main radio room reported the first success of the minefields,

1. Soviet freighter ANASTASIA 7,310 grt (TLOZ)
2. Soviet freighter LOTZ 2,616 grt (UNTZ)
3. Spanish Republican freighter LUISA 1,300 grt (BYTM)
4. Spanish Republican tanker BRANKO 7,960 grt (YMLZ)
5. Spanish Republican tanker TOLEDO 6,000 grt (BOMM)
6. Soviet tanker MOLOTOV 9,360 grt (PMOM)
Total tonnage sunk: 34,816 grt

Hartmann reported the success to the 1/SKL and at 08:00 hrs.

Radio message 1366/38 Anlage 169/38
“Have sunk 10 ships for 49,565 grt”, 3 minefields laid off Valencia, Barcelona, and the Odessa shipping route”.
Ship 44

Just over an hour later, Ship 44 received the following radio message,

Radio message 1513/38 Anlage 1761/38
“Congratulations to the Kommandant and crew, released from combat operations, proceed as directed (gkdos 1773/38 anlage 1923/38 V.1.9.28)”
1/Seekriegslietung

Ship 44 set sail for La Spezia arriving 3 days later meeting the freighter Hamburg and the tanker Hansel. She remained at La Spezia for 3 days her departure delayed due to bad weather her next stop is Piraeus, Greece. After that she will spend time training in Mediterranean south of Island of Cyprus.

[CPTLTJASON]

From the Kommandant, Officers, and Ratings of the Merchant raider "Afrika" we wish y'all a blessed and Merry Christmas!

[CPTLTJASON]

During the first and second world wars submarines posed the greatest threat to England’s supply lines. Operating mainly in the Atlantic and Mediterranean they sank over ¾ of allied shipping despite this they had limited range and couldn’t operate independently against England’s global empire, so the Germans developed other ways to sink vessels around the world by using surface warships and disguised commerce raiders to sink over 1,500,000 tons of shipping and above all they tied down allied warships hunting them.
11 merchants in total were converted , 9 made it to sea however, there was a 12th raider her identity never established by Bletchley Park. She was a large, dreaded merchant raider rumored doomed to sail the 7 seas for eternity this is the story of the Merchant Raider “Stortebecker”..................

The raider began her career as a freighter of the DDG Hansa Line’s Ehrenfels Class of motorships, she was the “Weserfels”7,000 grt built at the Deshimag A.G. Weser Werft, Bremen in 1936 she entered commercial service in 1938 and ran the Hansa Line’s East Asia Route from Calcutta to Hamburg. On returning from a voyage from Calcutta the Weserfels docked early at Hamburg and by the afternoon she was in the hands of the Kriegsmarine who intended to use her as supply ship for the raging Spanish Civil War instead the Seekriegslietung had a different fate for the ship she was to be converted into the navy’s first commerce raider but not just any commerce raider for a year and half the vessel was transformed from her peaceful 509ft hull into a heavily armed 660ft raider capable of sustaining operations for over 330 days. The conversion took place at the shipyard that brought her to life, A.G. Weser Werft. During this time the SKL assigned her a captain, FKpt.z.S Hans Felix Hartmann an artillery officer aboard the Pocket Battleship Deutschland. He had just received command of the Minesweeper M-39 three months prior after being injured aboard the Deutschland. With enthusiasm for the new command Hartmann began to pour over the available material from raiders of the Great War and had lengthy conversations with Karl August Nerger commander of the Hilfskreuzer Wolf. After this Hartmann began assembling his crew rejecting the navy’s recommendations and demanding officers, petty officers, and ratings by name by mid-April the crew was assembled in barracks at Bremen awaiting their vessel’s completion.
By early May the conversion was complete and soon HSK-14 was commissioned into the Kriegsmarine as “Schiff Nr.77” all the while retaining her original name “Weserfels”. Schiff 77 proceeded to Kiel from Bremen via Bremerhaven where she took on the tremendous number of provisions, stores, equipment, fuel, coal, water, among other things on arriving to Kiel the raider took aboard her reconnaissance aircraft 5 x Arado Ar 196 A-1 aircraft 2 assembled and 3 in five ton crates.
Another month of training cruises followed by a brief stay in Kiel while Hartmann proceeded to Berlin to receive the final briefing from GAdm Reader himself.
Ship 77 will depart as part of Operation “Fall Weiss”.

[CPTLTJASON]

8/12/1939 Baltic, Kiel Harbor, 1st day at sea

After months of preparations and training the starboard watch is called at midnight and Ship 77 weighs anchor at 01:00 hrs. her last links to Germany severed the raider slowly moves away from the pier during the last 2 nights the vessel was painted all grey is now disguised as a German Transport under the Reich Service Flag.
1. Outer hull painted grey
2. On deck winches, hatches, ventilators, etc. grey
3. Superstructure grey
4. Smokestack grey length unchanged
5. Masts grey, searchlights removed
6. Pole masts and cargo booms put up
7. Cannons I and X not disguised both painted grey
8. Boats setout
9. Draft marks fitted
10. German flag hoisted on roof of signal deck.
In accordance with her outbound orders Ship 77 is to make for Point Red 10 and meet her escorts.

[CPTLTJASON]

8/29/1939 Norwegian Sea 138 km East of Jan Mayern Island 18th day at sea

Ship 77 made it through the Skagerrak without incident. A radio message came through ordering Ship 77 to put into Wilhelmshaven to pickup supplies and men not available at Kiel. She arrived at night and took aboard 19 crates, 2 officers, and 10 ratings. She remained there for 10 days before casting off for the last time in the meantime Hartmann was promoted to Kapitan.z.S. The crossing through the North Sea was uneventful except for the sighing of a freighter. On the 28th Ship 77’s meteorologists Kplt Dr. Wurst and L.z.S Dr. Klein predicted unfavorable weather through the Denmark Strait, so Hartmann decided to take the ship off Jan Mayern to 1. Wait for conditions to deteriorate and 2. Change the ship’s disguise to that of a British vessel. Ship 77 arrived early on the 29thand soon the I. Officer Fkpt Baumgartner organized work parties and soon work commenced on the new disguise,
1.Hull painted black
2.Superstructure white
3.Masts, winches, ventilators, etc. painted yellow
4.Camouflage for 3.7cm painted brown
5. 2nd pair of derricks removed
6.Funnel raised and painted black
7.Boats painted grey
8.Fore ventilators painted yellow and raised
9.Cannons I and X camouflaged

The Leichte Schnellboote is taken for a test run and the Kommandant of LS-33 Oblt.z.S Fredrich Hemmer reported no major defects on its first deployment. Weather is forecast to improve with the approach of heavy rain and fog in 48-72hrs.