Flotillas of smaller vessels such as S-boats and U-boats, which often moved location through various ports in Germany and, during wartime, through occupied Europe, needed a larger support vessel providing feeding, medical treatment, supplies and accommodation facilities. This requirement led to the construction of a number of purpose-built tenders; the exact nomenclature used often changed, though the basic purpose remained. The designation as a Tender or Escort related to the type of duties performed rather than the type of ship. Tenders were classed as either simply ‘Tender’, or Flottentender, Stationstender, Unterseebootstender, etc. As an example of how designations might change for the same ship, the Saar will be found referred to as both a Fleet Tender (Flottentender Saar) and as a Submarine Escort Ship (U-Bootsbegleitschiff Saar).
The Flottentender Gazelle, one of many small auxiliary vessels used by the Kriegsmarine. During wartime they were often employed as command ships, for escort or minesweeping duties. (Deutsches U-Boot-Museum)
Examples of some of the more important vessels of this type would include the following:
Built by Howaldtswerke in Kiel, Wilhelm Bauer was the first ship of her class to be completed; she was launched in December 1938 and commissioned in April 1940. In July she became the depot ship for 27. Unterseebootsflottille, and in March 1945 for 25. U-flottille. She was bombed and sunk on 8 April 1945, and raised and scrapped in 1950.
| Specifications: | |||
| Length | 132.7m | Powerplant | 4x MAN diesels |
| Beam | 16m | Top speed | 20 knots |
| Displacement | 5,600 tons | Endurance | 9,000 nautical miles |
| Armament | 2x twin 10.5cm guns, 1x 4cm flak, 2x 3.7cm flak, 4x 2cm flak | Crew | 289 |
Launched in May 1939 and commissioned in October 1940, her first allotted task was as depot ship for 27. Unterseebootsflottille. In February 1941 she took over responsibility for 24. U-flottille, before returning to her original charges in February 1942. Bombed and sunk by Allied aircraft in December 1944, she was raised by the Soviets in 1950 and taken on strength by the Soviet Navy, serving as the Kuban; she was eventually scrapped in 1978.
This photo shows First Officer Otto Giese aboard the blockade-runner Anneliese Essberger. After supplying auxiliary cruisers in the Far East, she broke through the Allied blockade and returned to Germany safely. (Otto Giese)
| Specifications: | |||
| Length | 132.7m | Powerplant | 4x MAN diesels |
| Beam | 16m | Top speed | 20 knots |
| Displacement | 5,600 tons | Endurance | 9,000 nautical miles |
| Armament | 2x twin 10.5cm guns, 1x 4cm flak, 2x 3.7cm flak, 4x 2cm flak | Crew | 289 |
Launched in May 1940 but not commissioned until November 1943, Otto Wünsche was the last of the Howaldtswerke-built Willhelm Bauer class. Her assignment until just before the end of the war was as depot ship with 27. Unterseebootsflottille, joining 26. U-flottille thereafter. She survived the war, being taken into service by the Soviet Navy as the Pechora; she ended her life as an accommodation ship, but was not finally scrapped until 1977.
| Specifications: | |||
| Length | 139m | Powerplant | 4x MAN diesels |
| Beam | 16m | Top speed | 21 knots |
| Displacement | 5,900 tons | Endurance | 9,000 nautical miles |
| Armament | 2x twin 10.5cm guns, 1x 4cm flak, 2x 3.7cm flak, 4x 2cm flak | Crew | 289 |
Built by the Neptun yard in Rostock, Carl Peters was commissioned in January 1940 and became the depot ship for 1. S-Bootflottille. Her home base was in Kiel but operational deployment of her designated flotilla saw her based variously at Rotterdam and Ijmuiden in Holland, and at Abo in Finland. In April 1942 she took over 5. S-flottille and served with them in Norwegian waters, based first at Trondheim and then at Bodø. Remaining in Norway until December 1943, she returned to German waters to assist in the working-up of 21. S-flottille.
After a brief period of operational duty in early 1944 she returned to the training role, in which she remained until the end of the war. Carl Peters was sunk just a few days after the war when she ran onto uncleared mines.
| Specifcations: | |||
| Length | 114m | Powerplant | 4x MAN diesels |
| Beam | 14.5m | Top speed | 23 knots |
| Displacement | 3,600 tons | Endurance | 12,000 nautical miles |
| Armament | 2x twin 10.5cm guns, 2x 8.8cm flak, 1x 4cm flak, 6x 3.7cm flak, 8x 2cm flak | Crew | 225 |
U-bootsbegleitschiff Weichsel served as the depot ship for 3., 1., and then 22. U-Bootsflottillen. At the end of the war she was taken into service by the Royal Navy and renamed the Royal Rupert, before ultimately being handed over to the Soviet Union. (Deutsches U-Boot-Museum)
Sister ship to Carl Peters, the Adolf Lüderitz was commissioned in June 1940 and became the depot ship for 3. S-Bootflottille. She was based in Rotterdam until the opening of Operation ‘Barbarossa’ in mid 1941, when 3. S-flottille moved to the Baltic. In late 1941 she sailed for Norway to become depot ship for 8. S-flottille at Semskefjord and Kirkenes, and later for 6. S-flottille at Tromsø. Latterly, Adolf Lüderitz served as a wireless communications ship for U-boats operating out of Norway, before returning to Germany for a refit in February 1943. On completion of her refit she joined the S-Boot training flotilla and subsequently the S-Bootelehrdivision, where she remained until the end of the war. Adolf Lüderitz was allocated to the Soviet Union, and served as the Paysherd.
| Specifications: | |||
| Length | 114m | Powerplant | 4x MAN diesels |
| Beam | 14.5m | Top speed | 23 knots |
| Displacement | 3,600 tons | Endurance | 12,000 nautical miles |
| Armament | 2x 10.5cm guns, 1x 4cm flak, 6x 3.7cm flak, 8x 2cm flak | Crew | 225 |
Built by Blohm &Voss in Hamburg, Tsingtau was launched in June 1934 and commissioned in September of that year. She was the first tender to be purpose-built as a support ship for the Schnellboote, but on the outbreak of war she actually served as a training ship for anti-aircraft crews. She eventually reverted to her intended role, and survived the war unscathed, going on to serve post-war with the GMSA under British control. She was eventually broken up in Great Britain in 1950.
| Specifications: | |||
| Length | 87.5m | Powerplant | 4x MAN diesels |
| Beam | 13.5m | Top speed | 17.5 knots |
| Displacement | 2,400 tons | Endurance | 8,500 nautical miles |
| Armament | 2x 8.8cm guns, 8x 2cm flak | Crew | 149 |
Another product of the Neptun yard, this ship was built for export to China, but the Japanese invasion of that country prevented delivery. The vessel was taken over by the German Navy and commissioned as the Tanga in January 1939. She took over the 2. S-Bootflottille, operating in the Baltic until the beginning of 1940 and thereafter moving to Wilhelmshaven. Moving to the 6. S-flottille in March 1941, she remained with this training unit until moved to Norway in October 1941. She remained here for a year serving as a radio communications vessel for Kriegsmarine cruisers operating from Norway, returning to Germany in October 1942 for a refit. After its completion she joined the S-Bootlehrdivision, remaining as a depot ship for training units until January 1945; she then took over 11. S-flottille until the end of the war.
Painted in a striking disruptive camouflage pattern, this is either the U-boat depot ship Wilhelm Bauer or one of her sister ships Waldermar Kophamel or Otto Wünsche. The forward turret, just catching the sunlight, is a twin 10.5cm heavy flak mount. (Author’s collection)
Thereafter the Tanga operated with the GMSA for two years, before being passed to the US Navy. She remained in American hands for a little over a year before transferring to the Danish Navy, with which she had a long and successful career until finally broken up in 1967.
| Specifications: | |||
| Length | 87.5m | Powerplant | 4x MAN diesels |
| Beam | 13.5m | Top speed | 17 knots |
| Displacement | 2,490 tons | Endurance | 8,500 nautical miles |
| Armament | 2x 8.8cm guns, 8x 2cm flak | Crew | 149 |
Built by Stückelenwerft in Hamburg, Hela was launched in December 1938 and commissioned in October 1940. Designated as a Fleet Tender (Flottentender), she served throughout the war as a fleet command ship. Apart from minor damage suffered during an air raid in April 1945 she survived unscathed, and was taken over by the Soviets, serving as the Angara. Damage sustained during a fire in 1995 led to her being deactivated and serving as an accommodation ship. It appears that she has been refitted in more recent times and is up for sale – the sole remaining Kriegsmarine depot ship from World War II.
| Specifications: | |||
| Length | 100m | Powerplant | 4x MAN diesels |
| Beam | 12m | Top speed | 21 knots |
| Displacement | 2,520 tons | Endurance | 2,000 nautical miles |
| Armament | 2x 10.5cm guns, 2x 3.7cm flak, 2x 2cm flak | Crew | 224 |
Built by Germaniawerft in Kiel and commissioned in October 1934, the Saar was the first purpose-built tender/support ship, and on being accepted into the Navy she took up her post as depot ship for 2. Unterseebootsflottille ‘Saltzwedel’. During 1935 she served briefly as command ship for the U-boat training programme, before returning to her original role, at first with 1. U-flottille ‘Weddigen’ before returning in 1937 to 2. U-flottille. Following the outbreak of war the Saar took part in the invasion of Norway, serving as support ship to all of the U-boat units involved. By the end of the war she was serving as command ship for the Führer der Unterseeboote Ost, and after the end of hostilities she was handed over to the USA. In 1947 she passed to the French Navy, where she served as a workshop ship under the name Gustave Zede.
| Specifications: | |||
| Length | 100.5m | Powerplant | 2x 4800hp diesels |
| Beam | 13.5m | Top speed | 18.3 knots |
| Displacement | 3,250 tons | Endurance | 7,265 nautical miles |
| Armament | 3x 10.5cm flak, 8x 2cm flak | Crew | 228 |
Schnellbootsbegleitschiff Tanga. Originally built for export to China, she was taken over by the Kriegsmarine first as an S-boat depot ship, and subsequently as a command ship for the Commanding Admiral for the North Sea. (Deutsches U-Boot-Museum)