German training ship Bremse

For other ships with the same name, see Bremse (ship).

Bremse in dry dock, 1940-41
History
Nazi Germany
Name	Bremse
Laid down	1931 by Reichsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven
Launched	June 14, 1932
Commissioned	July 7, 1933
Fate	Sunk on September 6, 1941, by British cruisers.
General characteristics
Class and type	Training ship
Displacement	1,870 tons
Length	345 ft (105 m)
Beam	31 ft (9.4 m)
Draft	9 ft (2.7 m)
Propulsion	MAN diesel engines, two shafts, 28,400 shp (21.2 MW)
Speed	29.1 knots (53.9 km/h; 33.5 mph)
Range	3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km)
Complement	285
Armament	4 × 12.7 cm SK C/34 naval guns 4 × 3.7 cm SK C/30 AA guns 8 × 2 cm FlaK 30 250 × EMC mines
Armor	30 mm belt, 25 mm deck

Bremse was built as an artillery training ship (Artillerieschulschiff) of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine with a secondary function as a test bed for new marine diesel engines later installed in German panzerschiffe. During World War II, she operated as an escort ship until her sinking in September 1941.

History

Bremse was commissioned on June 14, 1933, and attached to the artillery training school at Kiel, to replace older predecessors. In 1933 she underwent repairs and a complete refit; her mast was shortened to improve stability and her artillery director was removed.[1]

In 1939 the ship was used in the film Der letzte Apell as the British scout cruiser HMS Amphion; two additional dummy funnels were added.[1]

Wartime career

During the Invasion of Poland in September 1939, Bremse escorted the auxiliary minelayers Tannenberg and Hansestadt Danzig and in October, she escorted troop transports in the Baltic. She then returned to the artillery school in Kiel until March 1940.[1]

In April 1940, during Operation Weserübung, Bremse participated in the attack on Bergen. She was shelled by Norwegian coastal artillery and hit by two 21 cm rounds; she was subsequently repaired in Stavanger. Later, on November 1 Bremse was accidentally rammed by the steamship Donau off Bergen, suffering minor damage.[1]

In June 1941, Bremse was sent back to Kiel for escort duty. On July 30 she was bombed by British Albacore torpedo bombers and Fulmar fighters from the aircraft carrier HMS Victorious but escaped unharmed.[1]

Sinking

On September 6, 1941, in Hammerfjord, while escorting the troop transports Trautenfels and Barcelona, Bremse was intercepted and attacked by the British cruisers HMS Nigeria and Aurora. Bremse drew the cruisers away from the transports, so that they could escape, but Nigeria rammed her, cutting Bremse in half and sinking her.[2] (Some sources give an alternative outcome, reporting that the Nigeria was damaged by a mine and Bremse sunk by gunfire.[1]) 160 men, over half of her crew, died.

References

1. Emmerich, Michael (9 Nov 2004). "Bremse". German Naval History. Retrieved 24 Aug 2009.
2. "Philip Vian". Royal Naval Museum Library. 2004. Archived from the original on 15 July 2008. Retrieved 14 July 2008.

• Bremse at german-navy.de