U-51 Kapitänleutnant Hans Felix Hartmann

[CPTLTJASON]

U-48 departed on her third and final cruise she sank 9 freighters and fishing boats for 10,000 grt after 19 days at sea she returned to France, while making her final approach she struck a mine and was beached off the coast she was later towed out and scuttled.

On three patrols U-48 sank 42 ships for 130,000 grt.

[CPTLTJASON]

9/15/1942 Toulon, France 1st day at sea

U-597 (VIIC) is appointed a new Kommandant Oblt.z.S Hartmann they have been ordered to break out of the Mediterranean and head for the South American Coast.

Happy Thanksgiving!

[CPTLTJASON]

1/10/1937, Kiel Harbor, DDG Hansa Dock No.3

The DDG HANSA freighter HAMFELS 10,000 grt arrived from a run to Singapore and Hong Kong loaded with 11,000 tons of tin and rubber, she arrived at Wilhelmshaven on December 30, 1936 and transited the Kiel Canal to Kiel. On 1/2/1937 at 12:00 hrs. 2 officers and 25 petty officers and ratings of the Kriegsmarine arrived to take over the ship at 12:30 the Hansa’s house flag was lowered and the Kriegsmarine ensign flew on her mast, they will set sail today for Bremen via the Kiel Canal for a “refit” at A.G. Weser shipyard this “refit” will last for at least 9 months.
She’s under the temporary command of Oblt.z.S Ernst Hoffmann

She has also been given a new name.........
“Barracks Ship 35”

As “Barracks Ship 35” made her way to the Canal a photograph snapped a picture of the freighter.

[CPTLTJASON]

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.

[CPTLTJASON]

11/15/1937 Kiel Harbor Basin IV

Schiff 35 arrived at Kiel on November 12 and preparations were made for commissioning, today on November 15, 1937 at 12:00 Schiff 35 is commissioned into the Kriegsmarine. On the 25th of November final adjustments are made and Schiff 35 proceeds to the Baltic for 4 months of intensive training, after this we will return to Kiel for any final adjustments to her engines or artillery.

[CPTLTJASON]

5/1/1938 Kiel Harbor Basin V 1st day at sea

After nearly 5 months of training, testing, and adjusting Schiff 35 departs for Spanish Waters on a nonintervention cruise, she is to join the Pocket Battleships Admiral Graf Spee and the Deutschland, Our first disguise will be that of a supply ship for this our sister ship, the freighter Reichfels of the DDG Hansa Line will do. She is currently at sea serving as a supply ship for German troops in Spain she is under the cover name RUTH, We will proceed as the Riechfels using the Antwerp-Calcutta route which will take us into the Mediterranean. To assist in our disguise we took aboard 170 tons of cargo, Installed 8 single swinging derricks, repainted the DDG Hansa colors on the funnel and removed searchlights and exterior artillery all of which are stored aboard in Hold No.8

Schiff 35 departed at 08:00 we will proceed through the Great Belt/Skagerrak/Kattegat. Then via the English Channel stopping at Amsterdam to top off fuel and provisions. We are expected to meet the fleet in naval square CH 5656

With the Merchant flag flying on the mainmast the 510 man crew enjoy the final views of the Fatherland little do they know that it will be years before they see it again...........................

[CPTLTJASON]

5/10/1938 Amsterdam Harbor 9th day at sea

Schiff 35 arrived at Amsterdam on the 4th and docked at the DDG Hansa pier, in six days we took on fuel, food, and provisions, once the clearance papers were ready we cast off today at 10:45 for the English Channel and the Atlantic.

Here we see Schiff 35 picking up speed after dropping off the Pilot at Buoy-7A she was photographed by the Pilot.

[CPTLTJASON]

These last few posts have been trial runs for what hopefully will be a surface raider series, since one can’t take command of a surface ship in SH5 a uboat will be doing the traveling, sinking, etc. with the raider showing up in pictures now some of the pictures will be photoshopped albeit sparingly

Camouflages will be based on what’s available in game I can try and color the funnel, hull, etc. in paint or gimp 2 (still experimenting with both) for this patrol I will be keeping a Kriegstagebuch but before I can get going I have to study the KTB of a surface ship I’ve found one belonging to the Hilfskreuzer Kormoran which will be a big help in keeping mine as accurate as possible so in a couple weeks Schiff 35 will depart once again.

[CPTLTJASON]

12/30/1938 Deschimag AG Weser, Bremen Commissioning Pier 1 08:00 hrs.

“Schiff 35” was commissioned today at 08:00 hrs under the command of Fregattenkapitän Hans Felix Hartmann. Her Kommandant named her “Afrika” .this is her story,

On 3/24/1937 the newly constructed freighter of the DDG Hansa Line unloads her cargo of raw materials which include tin, rubber, jute, ground nuts, oil nuts, and oil cakes. She is the Hamfels 9,000 grt.

At 12:00 hrs 3 officers, 9 petty officers, and 30 ratings come aboard and informed her master Kapitän Klingemann that she is being requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine to serve as a barracks ship. Her 50 man crew were disembarked at Hamburg and she departed on 3/25 bound for Deschimag AG Weser, Bremen. The newly formed Seekriegslietung has given her the designation of “Barracks Ship 35”. Slowly making her way through the Elbe she passed Cuxhaven on the 26th and rounded into the German Bight. On the 27th she entered the Weser and slowly made her way to Bremen, she arrived at Deschimag AG Weser in the early hours of the 27th. At 05:00 hrs work commenced, she was turned inside out stripped of everything her hull cut and lengthened fore and aft to accommodate new holds, her boat deck lengthened and her bridge structure was raised and another deck was added. At the Hauptdeck she was strengthened and mounts for 8 x 5.9 in SK L/45s were installed. 2 more 5.9s would be installed on the poop deck and forecastle. She was originally fitted with 2 x 6 Cylinder Diesel engines with the new length of the ship another pair of diesels will be added and according to MAN she could make a top speed of 25 knots. More fuel tanks were added as well however some will carry fuel for the aircraft, drinking water, and wash water. Other work Included transforming her spaces into quarters for her large crew.

On 8/1/1937 Fregattenkapitän Hans Felix Hartmann took command of the now designated “Schiff 35” . for the next 4 months he rejected 3/4 of all the crew sent by the personnel department. Half of the men had fought in the Great War and at least 10 of the petty officer and ratings had served aboard the Möwe and Wolf II. On 8/18/1938 the conversion work was completed final Installation and adjusting of her guns and 6 torpedo tubes was complete by late November. Her full complement was assembled by Christmas and was finally commissioned today. Now we will make for Kiel for loading of supplies, food, ammunition, torpedoes, mines, and everything in between.

[CPTLTJASON]

7/1/1939 Baltic, Kiel Basin V 1st day at sea 17:30 hrs.

Schiff 35 arrived at Kiel via the Kiel Canal and spent 2 weeks taking on provisions, fuel, ammunition, mines, and torpedoes she then headed off for 4 months of training in the Baltic Sea. She successfully completed her training, decamouflage, gunnery, and torpedo were conducted during the first 3 months she spent the final month on mine laying exercises. Before returning to Kiel, Schiff 35 took on her first disguise, she returned to her old self DDG Hansa colors went up exterior artillery hidden and camouflage party dressed as sailors of DDG Hansa they returned to Kiel on 6/20/1939

On 6/21 Hartmann departed for Berlin and he received his orders make for Jan Mayern and await further instructions, he was given sealed orders to be opened when given the order. Hartmann returned on 6/28 and final preparations were completed today at 08:00 hrs. At 13:00 hrs. she was shifted to Basin V and took on 2 crated Arado Ar 196 A-1 aircraft and 2 Leichte Schnellboote (LS 15 Werft No. 15-6A3 & LS 20 Werft No. 20-36Z), 4 prize crews, and 30 torpedoes.

On Saturday July 1, 1939 at 17:30 hrs she raised anchor, cast off from Basin V and steamed quietly out of Kiel Harbor. Her cover was herself the Hamfels 9,000 grt loaded with Locomotive parts and misc. cargo bound for Calcutta.

[CPTLTJASON]

7/7/1939 North Sea 7th day at sea 12:00 hrs./AF 7618

Schiff 35 passed trough the Great Belt/Kattegat/Skagerrak without incident, once in the North Sea she sighted Portuguese and Norwegian freighters and tankers, today FregKpt.z.S Hartmann ordered the ships camouflage changed in roughly 4 hours she became the Soviet freighter KOSTROMA 10,000 grt out of Murmansk.

She is expected to arrive to Jan Mayern on 7/10. The meteorologist Kplt.z.S Dr. Wurst predicts good weather with some light fog and the occasional storm.

[CPTLTJASON]

7/10/1939 North Greenland Sea, Jan Mayern Island

Schiff 35 arrived at 03:07 she sighted the tanker in the darkness and closed to 1000m, or so she thought in reality she was close to 400m, engine telegraphs rang full astern and her Helmsman put the wheel hard to port, after a strongly worded exchange Hartmann and Kapitän Stein proceed SSW and dropped anchor at 06:00 hrs.

Hartmann’s orders state “remain at Jan Mayern/North Greenland Sea area until further notice”

[CPTLTJASON]

Something always has to go wrong when I start so I had to restart apparently something damaged the sub, hull integrity was at 29%.

8/1/1939 Baltic, Kiel Basin V 1st day at sea 17:30 hrs.

Schiff 35 departs for Jan Mayern Island and the North Greenland Sea.

Final preparations were completed today at 08:00 hrs. At 13:00 hrs. she was shifted to Basin V and took on 2 crated Arado Ar 196 A-1 aircraft and 2 Leichte Schnellboote (LS 15 Werft No. 15-6A3 & LS 20 Werft No. 20-36Z), 4 prize crews, and 30 torpedoes.

Tuesday August 1, 1939 at 17:30 hrs she raised anchor, cast off from Basin V and steamed quietly out of Kiel Harbor. She is leaving harbor disguised as the DDG Hansa freighter then she will turn for the Baltic for her second conversion.

[CPTLTJASON]

8/5/1939 Kattegat 5th day at sea

Schiff 35 steamed east into the Baltic at 17 knots during this period her funnel was painted black with a red band and a hammer/sickle added the following day she stopped to paint her hull black. FregKapitan.z.S Hartmann exited the Baltic and is now making for Jan Mayern Island to meet a tanker. In the meantime there is nothing for the ship and her 445 man crew to do but maintain a low profile.

She now sails as the Soviet freighter KOSTROMA 10,300 grt in ballast from from Murmansk to Iceland

[CPTLTJASON]

8/22/1939 Jan Mayern Island 22nd day at sea

Schiff 35 arrived on the 14th of August and began a resupply. During the transit to Jan Mayern Derrick No.3’s span tackle snapped and caused the Derrick to crash on the deck, so Mtr.O.Gfr H Schümer (37561) and Mtr II F Reich (17000) were repairing it when the tackle snapped once again and Schümer and Reich fell to the deck both suffered broken bones and injuries but the Ob.Ass.Artz Dr. Schultz says they will survive and recommends they be transferred to the Ermland the derrick was repaired later that day. On arriving to Jan Mayern Schiff 35 tied alongside and began the transfer of the wounded. lowering boats 2,3,&6 they began bringing aboard food, supplies, 300 5.9in shells, and 130 additional EMC mines. During this transfer the red band on the funnel was painted blue. We are now the Soviet research ship KEMEROVO from Arkhangelsk. On 8/20/1939 the Kybfels arrived under the command of Korvkpt.z.S Hans Müller. The Seekriegslietung assigned her to us and we can use her as we see fit. The following day the Seekriegslietung informed us the Graf Spee departed Kiel on August 21, and we will meet up with her at Point Red 4.

At 08:00 hrs today, raised anchor and set course for Point Red 4. By 13:00 we were encountering clearing weather and heavy seas.