home › Decor › National People's Army of the GDR - Volksarmee der DDR. List of escort ships and missile boats of the German Navy After German reunification

National People's Army of the GDR - Volksarmee der DDR. List of escort ships and missile boats of the German Navy After German reunification

download

Abstract on the topic:

List of patrol ships and missile boats of the Navy of the GDR

Plan:

1 Patrol ships (Küstenschutzschiffe)
- 1.1 Ermine type (Project 50, Riga class)
- 1.2 Type DOLPHIN (Project 1159, Koni class)
2 Missile boats
- 2.1 Missile boat Type Osa-1 (Project 205)
- 2.2 Small rocket ships(Kleine Raketenschiffe) Type Lightning (Project 1241RE, Tarantul class)
  - 2.2.1 Small rocket ships (Kleine Raketenschiffe)Project 151 (Sassnitz-Klasse)

Introduction

AT list of patrol ships and missile boats of the GDR Navy included all patrol ships (SKR) and missile boats (RKA) that entered the GDR Navy (Volksmarine) in the period 1956-1990.

1. Patrol ships (Küstenschutzschiffe)

1.1. Ermine type (Project 50, Riga class)

"Ernst Telman" (1956-1977)
"Karl Marx" (1959-1977)
"Karl Liebknecht" (1957-1968)
"Friedrich Engels" (1959-1969)

68 ships of this type were built in the USSR at factories No. 445 (named after 61 Communards) in Nikolaev, shipyard No. 820 ("Yantar") in Kaliningrad, at Shipyard No. 199 (named after Lenkom) in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in 1954- 1958. 4 ships were transferred to the GDR Navy in 1956-1959, where they became part of the 4th Volksmarine flotilla. In the early 1960s, modernization took place in the Soviet Union.

Displacement: 1054/1186 tons
Dimensions: length: 96.6 meters; width: 10.2 meters; draft: 2.9 meters.
Power: 20,030 hp
Max speed: 29.5 knots; Range: approx. 2000 miles
Armament: 3 X 1 100-mm AU B-34USMA; 4 X 37-mm AU V-11 or V-11M, 2 or 3 533-mm TA DTA-53-50 or TTA-53-50, 24 X MBU-200, 4 X BMB-2, 26 sea anchor mines per deck.
Crew: 168 people

1.2. Type DOLPHIN (Project 1159, Koni class)

"Rostock" (1978-1990)
"Berlin" (1979-1990)
"Halle" (1986-1990)

In total, 12 ships of this type were built at the Krasny Metallist Shipyard in Zelenodolsk in 1975-1987. Three of them were transferred to the GDR in 1978,1979 and 1986, where they became part of the 4th Volksmarine flotilla. In 1990-1991 they were temporarily part of the German Navy (classified as frigates). "Berlin" and "Halle" were dismantled for metal in 1995, and "Rostok" - in 1998.

Displacement: 1515/1670 tons
Dimensions: length: 96.51 meters; width: 12.56 meters; draft: 4.06 meters.
Power: 18,000 HP
Max. travel speed: 29.5 knots; Range: approx. 2000 knots.
Armament: 4 x 30 mm. ZAU AK-230; 4 x 76.2mm. AU AK-726; 4 x SCRC P-20 launchers; 4 x anti-ship missiles P-20 (SS-N-2C "Styx"); 2 x launchers ZiF-122 ZRK 8E10; 20 x SAM 9M33 (SA-N-4 "Gecko"); 8 x launchers MT-4US SAM "Strela-3"; 16 x SAM 9M32M (SA-N-5 "Grail"); 24 x RBU-6000 "Smerch-2"; 120 x RGB-60; 12 x BB-1; up to 14 minutes in load.
Crew: 110 people.

2. Missile boats

2.1. Missile boat Type Osa-1 (Project 205)

1. "Max Reichpich"(since 1971 S-31) (1962-1990), 2. "Albin Kobis"(since 1971 S-32) (1962-1981), 3. "Rudolf Egelhofer" (1964-1981), 4. "Richard Sorge"(since 1971 S-33) (1964-1990), 5. "August Lutgens" (1964-1990), 6. "Paul Eisenschneider" (1964-1981), 7. "Karl Meseberg" (1964-1990), 8. "Walter Kremer" (1964-1990), 9. "Paul Schultz" (1964-1990), 10. "Paul Wichorek" (1965-1990), 11. "Fritz Gast" (1965-1990), 12. "Albert Gast" (1965-1990), 13. "Heinrich Dorrenbach" (1971-1990), 14. "Otto Toast" (1971-1990), 15. "Joseph Shares" (1971-1990).

Boats of this type were a development of the Project 183R Komar series. They were built in the Soviet Union from 1960 to the early 1980s at three plants: Primorsky in Leningrad, Dalzavod in Vladivostok and Rybinsk. In 1962-1971, 15 boats were transferred to the GDR Navy. Ships of this type were part of the 6th Flotilla of the Volksmarine throughout their service. In 1981, three ships were excluded from the lists of the fleet. The rest - in the course of the abolition of the Volksmarine. "Heinrich Dorrenbach", "Otto Toast" and "Albert Gast" in 1993-1995 were temporarily part of the Latvian Navy.

Displacement: 173/216 tons
Dimensions: length: 38.6 m; length: 7.6 m; draft: 1.73 m.
Power: 12,000 HP
Max. travel speed: 39 knots; Range: 2000 miles.
Armament: 4 x 30 mm. ZAU AK-230; 4 x PU KT-97 SCRC P-15
Crew: 26 people

2.2. Small missile ships (Kleine Raketenschiffe) Type Lightning (Project 1241RE, Tarantul class)

"Albin Kobis" (1984-1990)
"Rudolf Egelhofer" (1985-1990)
"Fritz Globig" (1985-1990)
"Paul Eisenschneider" (1986-1990)
"Hans Beimler" (1986-1990)

In the early 1980s, the Volksmarine command faced the question of replacing obsolete Osa-class missile boats with more modern ships of this class. From October 1984 to October 1986, five large Soviet-made Project 1241 missile boats appeared in the GDR Navy. They served in the 6th Flotilla Volksmarine. After the abolition of the Volksmarine in 1990-1991, they were part of the German Navy as URO corvettes. "Hans Beimler" in 1994 installed as a museum in Peenemünde. "Rudolf Egelhofer" in October 1996 was placed as a memorial in the port of Fall River at the pier of the Massachusetts Memorial Museum "USS Massachusetts Memorial", open to the public. The rest were dismantled for metal in 1994-1995.

Displacement: 392/469 tons;
Dimensions: length: 56.1 m; width: 10.2 m; draft: 2.5 m.
Maximum travel speed: 42 knots; Range: 1400 miles
Armament: 4 anti-ship missiles P-15 "Termit", 1 - 76-mm AK-176, 2 x 6 30-mm AK-630, 1 MANPADS "Strela-3" (ammunition load 16 MANPADS), 2 PU jamming PK -16
Crew: 41 people.

2.2.1. Small rocket ships (Kleine Raketenschiffe)Project 151 (Sassnitz-Klasse)

The ships were built at the Peenewerft shipyard in Wolgast.

"Sassnitz"(1990)
"Ostseebad Sellin"
"Ostseebad Binz"

It was assumed that this RCA would go into service with the fleets of the countries participating in the Warsaw Pact. Before the unification of Germany, only one ship was built, two ships were already completed in Germany. "Sassnitz", "Ostseebad Binz" and "Ostseebad Sellin" as patrol boats in 1990-1991 were temporarily part of the German Navy. Subsequently, they were transferred to the coast guard of Germany. Three ships in an unfinished state were transferred to Poland, four more were removed from construction in October 1990. In addition, five more ships of this class were planned for construction, but things did not go any further.

Displacement: 348 tons
Dimensions: length: 48.9 meters; width: 8.45 meters; Draft: 2.15 meters.
Max. travel speed: 37 knots; Range: 2200 miles.
Armament: 1 - 76 mm. AU AK-176, 1 x 6 - 30 mm. AK-630 AU, 8 anti-ship missiles.

download
This abstract is based on an article from the Russian Wikipedia. Synchronization completed on 07/18/11 11:17:24
Similar abstracts:

AT list of patrol ships and missile boats of the GDR Navy included all patrol ships (SKR) and missile boats (RKA) that entered the GDR Navy (Volksmarine) in the period 1956-1990.

Patrol ships (Küstenschutzschiffe)

Ermine type (Project 50, Riga class)

List

"Ernst Telman" (1956-1977)
"Karl Marx" (1959-1977)
"Karl Liebknecht" (1957-1968)
"Friedrich Engels" (1959-1969)

Story

68 ships of this type were built in the USSR at factories No. 445 (named after 61 Communards) in Nikolaev, shipyard No. 820 ("Yantar") in Kaliningrad, at Shipyard No. 199 (named after Lenkom) in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in 1954- 1958. 4 ships were transferred to the GDR Navy in 1956-1959, where they became part of the 4th Flotilla Volksmarine. In the early 1960s, modernization took place in the Soviet Union.

Characteristics

Displacement: 1054/1186 tons
Dimensions: length: 96.6 meters; width: 10.2 meters; draft: 2.9 meters.
Power: 20,030 hp
Max speed: 29.5 knots; Range: approx. 2000 miles
Armament: 3 X 1 100-mm AU B-34USMA; 4 X 37-mm AU V-11 or V-11M, 2 or 3 533-mm TA DTA-53-50 or TTA-53-50, 24 X MBU-200, 4 X BMB-2, 26 sea anchor mines per deck.
Crew: 168 people

Type DOLPHIN (Project 1159, Koni class)

List

"Rostock" (1978-1990)
"Berlin" (1979-1990)
"Halle" (1986-1990)

Story

In total, 12 ships of this type were built at the Krasny Metallist Shipyard in Zelenodolsk in 1975-1987. Three of them were transferred to the GDR in 1978,1979 and 1986, where they became part of the 4th Volksmarine Flotilla. In 1990-1991 they were temporarily part of the German Navy (classified as frigates). "Berlin" and "Halle" were dismantled for metal in 1995, and "Rostok" - in 1998.

Characteristics

Displacement: 1515/1670 tons
Dimensions: length: 96.51 meters; width: 12.56 meters; draft: 4.06 meters.
Power: 18,000 HP
Max. travel speed: 29.5 knots; Range: approx. 2000 knots.
Armament: 4 x 30 mm. ZAU AK-230; 4 x 76.2mm. AU AK-726; 4 x SCRC P-20 launchers; 4 x anti-ship missiles P-20 (SS-N-2C "Styx"); 2 x launchers ZiF-122 ZRK 8E10; 20 x SAM 9M33 (SA-N-4 "Gecko"); 8 x launchers MT-4US SAM "Strela-3"; 16 x SAM 9M32M (SA-N-5 "Grail"); 24 x RBU-6000 "Smerch-2"; 120 x RGB-60; 12 x BB-1; up to 14 minutes in load.
Crew: 110 people.

missile boats

Missile boats type Osa-1 (Project 205)

List

Story

Boats of this type were the development of the project 183P "Komar" series. They were built in the Soviet Union from 1960 to the early 1980s at three plants: Primorsky in Leningrad, Dalzavod in Vladivostok and Rybinsk. In -1971, 15 boats were transferred to the GDR Navy. Ships of this type were part of the 6th Flotilla Volksmarine throughout their service. In 1981, three ships were excluded from the lists of the fleet. The rest - in the course of the abolition of the Volksmarine. "Heinrich Dorrenbach", "Otto Toast" and "Albert Gast" in 1993-1995 were temporarily part of the Latvian Navy.

Characteristics

Displacement: 173/216 tons
Dimensions: length: 38.6 m; length: 7.6 m; draft: 1.73 m.
Power: 12,000 HP
Max. travel speed: 39 knots; Range: 2000 miles.
Armament: 4 x 30 mm. ZAU AK-230; 4 x PU KT-97 SCRC P-15
Crew: 26 people

Small missile ships (Kleine Raketenschiffe) Type Lightning (Project 1241RE, Tarantul class)

List

"Albin Kobis" (1984-1990)
"Rudolf Egelhofer" (1985-1990)
"Fritz Globig" (1985-1990)
"Paul Eisenschneider" (1986-1990)
"Hans Beimler" (1986-1990)

Story

In the early 1980s, the Volksmarine command faced the question of replacing obsolete Osa-class missile boats with more modern ships of this class. From October 1984 to October 1986, five large Soviet-made Project 1241 missile boats appeared in the GDR Navy. They served with the 6th Flotilla Volksmarine. After the abolition of the Volksmarine in -1991, they were part of the German Navy as URO corvettes. "Hans Beimler" in 1994 installed as a museum in Peenemünde. "Rudolf Egelhofer" in October 1996 was placed as a memorial in the port of Fall River at the pier of the Massachusetts Memorial Museum "USS Massachusetts Memorial", open to the public. The rest are dismantled for metal in -

Of all the small fleets of the countries - allies of the USSR under the Warsaw Pact, the Military navy National People's Army of the GDR in the late 1980s. was the most capable. It was based on modern ships that entered service in the 1970s - 1980s. In the western part of the Baltic Sea, the GDR Navy could independently solve the following tasks:
- coastal defense;
- providing support to ground forces in coastal areas;
- landing of tactical landings;

- anti-submarine defense;
- Fight against mines.

In total, by the time of German reunification in 1990, it included 110 warships of various classes and 69 auxiliary ships. As part of naval aviation there were 24 helicopters (16 of the Mi-8 type and 8 of the Mi-14 type), as well as 20 Su-17 fighter-bombers. The number of personnel of the Navy is about 16 thousand people.

The largest ships in the Navy of the GDR were three patrol ships (SKR) of the Rostock type (project 1159), built in the USSR at the Zelenodolsk shipbuilding plant in 1978,1979 and 1986, respectively.

The basis of the anti-submarine forces were 16 small anti-submarine ships (MPK) of the Parchim type, pr.133.1. The ships were built from 1980 to 1985 at the Peenewerft shipyard in Volgast according to a project developed in the GDR with the help of Soviet specialists based on the MPK pr.1124. In 1986-1990. for the USSR, 12 MPKs of this type were built according to modernized project 133.1-M.

Another example of cooperation between the Soviet Union and East Germany in the field of military shipbuilding was the construction in the GDR according to the Soviet project (project 151) of missile boats (RKA) with a total displacement of 380 tons, which were planned to be armed with eight of the latest anti-ship missiles (ASM) "Uranus" (production of anti-ship missiles under a Soviet license, it was planned to deploy in the GDR). It was assumed that this RCA would go into service with the fleets of the countries participating in the Warsaw Pact. Before the reunification of Germany, only two boats of this type were built, four more were in varying degrees of readiness. To replace the obsolete RCA pr.205 (at the end of the 1980s, all 12 RCA of this project were put into reserve), the GDR Navy received five missile boats pr.1241-RE from the USSR. These boats (developed by Almaz Central Design Bureau on the basis of pr.1241.1-T) since 1980 were built for export by Rybinsk and Yaroslavl shipyards. In total, 22 RCAs were built for Bulgaria, the GDR, India, Yemen, Poland and Romania. The GDR Navy also included six large torpedo boats, Project 206, built in the USSR in 1968-1976.

It is interesting to note that only in the Navy of the GDR there was such a class of ships as ultra-small (with a displacement of 28 tons) TKA of the Libelle type ( further development TKA type "Iltis") with chute torpedo tubes for 533-mm torpedoes. The torpedo was fired backwards - just like the Soviet G-5 TKAs did in 1930-1940. The East German fleet had thirty TKAs of the Libelle type.

The amphibious forces included 12 landing ships (DK) of the Hoyegswerda type (with a total displacement of 2000 tons), designed and built in 1974-1980. in the GDR. Two more ships of this type were converted into supply transports.

The Navy of the GDR had quite numerous mine-sweeping forces. Since 1969, the construction of basic minesweepers (BTShch) of the Greiz (Kondor II) type has been underway. The East German fleet received 26 ships of this type, another 18 units were completed in the border TFR version (Kondor I type) for the Coast Guard (Grenzebrigade Kuste). Five BTShch were converted into rescue and training ships.

The auxiliary fleet included 69 ships of various purposes. Basically, these were modern ships of relatively small displacement, built at national shipyards, also in the USSR and Poland.

On October 3, 1990, the “state of workers and peasants on German soil” (as the GDR was proudly called by its first leader, Wilhelm Pieck) ceased to exist, and the leadership of a united Germany was faced with the most acute question of what to do with the personnel and weapons inherited from inheritance from the NNA of the GDR. On the territory of the former GDR, a temporary joint command of the Bundeswehr "Ost" (East) was formed, which assumed the role of the liquidation commission. Personnel military service gradually fired, a number of officers after the appropriate "check" was accepted into service in the Bundeswehr. Weapons and equipment, with rare exceptions (MiG-29 fighters), were supposed to be sold to other countries or disposed of. The entire fleet of the former GDR was concentrated in Rostock and was waiting for its fate. The oldest and most in need of repair ships immediately went for scrapping. The German government was intensively looking for buyers, hoping to profitably sell the most modern combat units.

All 16 IPCs of the Parchim type were bought by Indonesia in 1992, the ships, after refitting and crew training, gradually moved to Surabaya. It is interesting to note that in 1996 the Zelenodolsk Design Bureau proposed to the command of the Indonesian Navy a project to upgrade these ships to the level of the IPC pr.133.1-M. In addition, Indonesia has acquired 9 Kondor II-class amphibious assault ships and all 12 Hoyerswerda-class DPs, as well as two supply vehicles converted from DPs.

Of all the inheritance inherited by the FRG, the RCA pr.1241-RE aroused the greatest interest. Given that among the buyers of the Russian there are, to put it mildly, states unfriendly to the United States, the command of the US Navy decided to thoroughly study the boat. The choice fell on the RCA "Hiddensee" (formerly "Rudolf Egelhofter"). In December 1991, on the deck of a transport ship, he arrived in the United States and was assigned to the US Navy Research Center in Solomon (Maryland). The boat has been extensively tested special program. American experts highly appreciated the design of the ship's hull, its running and maneuvering qualities, however, there was an insufficient (by American standards) resource for marching and afterburner gas turbines, electronic weapons have traditionally been criticized. Also, the low combat effectiveness of the P-20 missiles (export modification of the P-15M Termit anti-ship missiles) was noted, the six-barrel gun AK-630 received a good assessment. In general, it was concluded that RKA of this type, armed with more modern anti-ship missiles "Mosquito" (project 12411, 12421) or "Uranus" (project 12418) pose a rather serious danger to ships of the US Navy and their allies.

The remaining four RCAs remained in Rostock. From time to time there were reports about the desire of Poland, which has four similar boats, to purchase two more from the FRG. Having profitably sold most of the modern ships to Indonesia, the German government began to actually give away the rest. So, in 1993-1994. it was decided to transfer three to Latvia, and Estonia - nine converted boats pr.205 (the launchers of the P-15 anti-ship missiles were removed from them). Some of the boats have already been transferred. Latvia also got two BTSCs of the Kondor II type. Germany also generously distributed border TFRs of the Kondor I type: four units to Tunisia, two to Malta, one to Guinea-Bissau, two (in 1994) to Estonia.

The least fortunate were three SKR pr.1159 - having not found a buyer, the Bundesmarine command sold them for scrap.

Not a single warship of the East German Navy became part of the Bundesmarine. Three of the newest boats, pr.151 (one was already completed in the FRG, three in an unfinished state were sold to Poland) were re-equipped and included in the Coast Guard (Bundesgrenzschutz-See) of the FRG, along with three border TFRs of the Kondor I type.

This is how the fleet of the GDR ended its existence, the ships of which passed under the flags of eight states.

Flag of the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy of the GDR

Flag of the Navy of the GDR

Volksmarine(German, Volksmarine) - naval armed forces of the German Democratic Republic.
Marine (German: Marine, literal translation from German: “marine fleet”), respectively, the Volksmarine (Volksmarine (People's Navy)) is the name of the naval forces (Navy) of the German Democratic Republic, abbreviated as the GDR.

Fleet history

After the end of World War II and the start of cold war The Soviet Union initiated the rearmament of the GDR.
Rearmament included the gradual formation of the navy.
In the early 1950s, Soviet naval officers helped establish the Main Directorate Seepolizei (Main Directorate of the GDR Naval Police), which was renamed the Volkspolizei (VP) (People's Police) on 1 July 1952. At the same time, parts of the maritime police were reorganized into the new Grenzpolizei (border police), to guard the maritime borders, and included in the Deutsche Grenzpolizei (German border police), which was created in 1946. By 1952, the VP was estimated to have around 8,000 employees.

On March 1, 1956, the GDR formally created the Nationale Volksarmee (NVA) (National People's Army) and the VP became the Verwaltung Seestreitkräfte der NVA (NVA administration maritime force) with about 10,000 men. In November 1960, the Naval Forces of the National People's Army were officially named Volksmarine (People's Navy). Over the following years, the fleet gradually received a number of new ships, mostly built in the GDR. Coast Guard ships and part of the torpedo boats were provided Soviet Union, also a part was purchased in Poland.

After the construction of the Berlin Wall on 13 August 1961, the Grenzbrigade der Küste Grenzpolizei (GBK) (Coastal Border Police Brigade) was incorporated into the Volksmarine. In the reorganization of 1965, all attacking forces, that is, torpedo boats and light fast ships, were combined into a single flotilla (6th flotilla), and were stationed at the naval base of the Rügen peninsula. In the 1970s, the strength of the People's Navy increased to about 18,000 men. In the 1980s, some of the ships were replaced by Soviet-built ships, and 20 Su-17 fighter-bombers were also acquired.

The Volksmarine People's Navy was disbanded, like all other branches of the former National People's Army, on October 2, 1990 - the day before the official German reunification. Some of his employees were accepted into the Bundesmarine (which is called the Deutsche Marine), some into the German border police. Most of the ships and other equipment were decommissioned or sold, and few of the former Volksmarine ships remained in service with the modern German fleet.

Two interesting cases:

On the night of September 4-5, 1979, the foreman of the Graal Muritz patrol ship, who decided to escape to the west, closed the sleeping crew in the hold at night and headed for Germany. The sailors blew up the hold door with a grenade and were able to detain the traitor. He was convicted, but after the fall of the Berlin Wall he was released.
And sad: After the liquidation of the GDR as a state, the vast majority of ships in 1991-1996. was sold either to the armed forces of other countries, or simply for scrapping, since the fleet was exclusively defensive, and NATO needed ships of a different class ...

Fleet actions

Scout ship Jasmund

The Volksmarine was included in the Union of the Baltic Fleets of the Warsaw Pact states. The operating area of the Volksmarine was the Baltic Sea and the entrance to the Baltic Sea. His task was to keep the sea routes open to Soviet units and to participate in offensive operations against enemies in the Baltic Sea. For these purposes, a fleet of light forces was equipped, such as anti-submarine ships, fast torpedo boats, minesweepers, as well as landing craft. Routine duty was focused on extensive reconnaissance activities, which were carried out mainly with the help of minesweepers and specialized electronic surveillance ships.

Conflict over the Pomeranian Bay

A little-known page in the history of the socialist camp is the conflict between the Polish People's Republic and the German Democratic Republic in 1985-89. for control of the Pomeranian Bay. During the delimitation of the Polish-German border in September 1945, the Polish-Soviet commission did not take care of conducting its marine part (in fact, there were no such specialists), leaving the question for “later”.

Socialist Germany adopted its law on thermore in 1982, and a clear conflict over the Pomeranian Bay began with the fact that on December 25, 1984, the government of the GDR issued an order according to which, from January 1, next year the width of the German port expanded to 12 nautical miles. As a result, about 180 incidents occurred in four years. At first, German ships simply did not respond to Polish greetings, ignoring maritime traditions. Then the Volksmarine ships (with lowered flags and painted over numbers) got into the habit of hitting the sides of the Polish ships. Volksmarine gunboats did not allow Polish fishing ships and yachts into the disputed area. There were even cases of shelling and internment of sailboats sailing in Svinouste (true, merchant ships were not touched). Well, the Poles were not allowed to work on deepening the fairways. In 1986, the Germans no longer burdened themselves with the norms of decency and even began to ram Polish merchant and sports ships.

Volksmarine forces cruised around the bay, making it difficult for merchant ships to approach the Polish moorings. And at the same time they demanded that the captains leave the territorial waters of the GDR, bringing confusion and nervousness both among the Poles and their guests. In 1988, the Volksmarine had a series of brief skirmishes with the Polish Navy during the Pomeranian Bay conflict; in subsequent negotiations, approximately two-thirds of the disputed maritime area was annexed to the GDR.
Even the signing of the 1989 agreement did not completely resolve the conflict. The issue of the maritime boundary between two neighbors bounces bright red buoy to the surface literally every few years. November 25, 1994 The FRG declares its exclusive economic zone in the North and Baltic Seas. Thus, the Germans again declared that they were the owners of the northern fairway to the ports of Szczecin and Svinouste and berth No. 3.

There were no preliminary consultations with Warsaw on this matter. This put Poland in an uncomfortable position, because she had to ask her neighbors every time for permission to work in the water area. The Poles responded with two diplomatic notes, to which the Germans replied that the 1989 agreement was about borders, but not about the economic zone. In response, the Polish government issued an order on February 22, 1995, according to which the raids on the ports of Szczecin and Swinoustia became part of the already Polish territorial sea.

In November 1995, the German side announced its intention to conduct exercises of its naval forces in the disputed area. The Poles protested. Officially, the exercises were not canceled, but according to the Polish authorities, they actually did not take place.

But the story goes on. In December 2004, a ship of the German border guard forced Polish workers to leave the water area, who were supposed to deepen one of the fairways (by the way, the ship was under the Dutch flag). On September 15, 2005, the Germans decided once again to spoil the mood of their eastern neighbors: the Federal Ministry environment, Nature Protection and Reactor Safety issued a decree on the Pomorskaya Bukhta Nature Reserve. Who would doubt that the same ill-fated northern fairway and berth No. 3 were also included in it. Accordingly, the Germans banned in this area, in particular, research or the use of natural means, deepening work, etc.

A year later, on August 16, 2006, the German Navy carried out their fireworks in the disputed waters and forced three Polish ferries - "Vulture", "Nicholas Copernicus" and "Wavel", going to Svinouste, to seriously change course. It is clear that no one warned the Polish side about the exercises.

In 2006, the German entertainment ship "Adler Dana", which was boarded by Polish customs officers in civilian clothes, arbitrarily, despite being pursued by Polish border guards, sailed to the German port of Heringsdorf, where the Poles were arrested by German border guards ... for illegal actions in German territorial waters. True, the German court recognized the actions of customs officers as lawful, and fined the German captain 4,000 euros.

Long-standing grievances resurfaced in connection with the painful issue for Warsaw of building the German-Russian Nord Stream gas pipeline along the bottom of the Baltic Sea. The Poles feared that after the construction of the gas pipeline, large-tonnage ships, at least ships, would not be able to enter the ports of Szczecin and Svinoustya. In addition, the Poles had plans to build their own gas port in Szczecin to transport gas from the Middle East to Scandinavia.

Volksmarine command structure

Commander of the Volksmarine
- Volksmarine Command
  - Separate parts
  - Connections
    - Separate squads
    - Brigades
      - Divisions
      - ships
    - Rear services
  - Educational establishments

Composition of the Volksmarine

The fleet consisted of both ships manufactured at the shipyards of the GDR, and ships and aircraft manufactured in the USSR.
The main composition of the fleet is small-tonnage vessels - torpedo boats, anti-submarine boats, missile boats, small missile ships, coastal anti-mine ships, anti-submarine ships, landing ships, aircraft and helicopters of naval aviation. The largest in the Volksmarine were patrol ships of the Dolphin type with a displacement of 1670 tons.
The FM also included training ships, including the Wilhelm Pick sailboat.

Sailboat "Wilhelm Pick"

The Volksmarine was not armed with nuclear weapons or nuclear-powered ships.

Volksmarine ship list

Patrol ships (Küstenschutzschiffe)

Ermine type (Project 50, Riga class)
68 ships of this type were built in the USSR at factories No. 445 (named after 61 Communards) in Nikolaev, shipyard No. 820 ("Yantar") in Kaliningrad, at shipyard No. 199 (named after Lenkom) in Komsomolsk-on-Amur in 1954- 1958. 4 ships were transferred to the GDR Navy in 1956-1959, where they became part of the 4th Volksmarine flotilla.

Displacement: 1054/1186 tons. Dimensions: length: 96.6 meters; width: 10.2 meters; draft: 2.9 meters. Power: 20,030 hp Max speed: 29.5 knots; Range: approx. 2000 miles Armament: 3 X 1 100-mm AU B-34USMA; 4 X 37 mm AU V-11 or V-11M, 2 or 3 533 mm TA DTA-53-50 or TTA-53-50, 24 X MBU-200, 4KhBMB-2, 26 naval anchor mines on deck. Crew: 168 people

Type DOLPHIN (Project 1159, Koni class)

In total, 12 ships of this type were built at the Krasny Metallist Shipyard in Zelenodolsk in 1975-1987. Three of them in 1978,1979 and 1986 were transferred to the GDR

Displacement: 1515/1670 tons. Dimensions: length: 96.51 meters; width: 12.56 meters; draft: 4.06 meters. Power: 18,000 HP Max. travel speed: 29.5 knots; Range: approx. 2000 knots. Armament: 4 x 30 mm. ZAU AK-230; 4 x 76.2mm. AU AK-726; 4 x SCRC P-20 launchers; 4 x anti-ship missiles P-20 (SS-N-2C "Styx"); 2 x launchers ZiF-122 ZRK 8E10; 20 x SAM 9M33 (SA-N-4 "Gecko"); 8 x launchers MT-4US SAM "Strela-3"; 16 x SAM 9M32M (SA-N-5 "Grail"); 24 x RBU-6000 "Smerch-2"; 120 x RGB-60; 12 x BB-1; up to 14 minutes in load. Crew: 110 people.

missile boats

Missile boat Type Osa-1 (Project 205)
Bundesarchiv Bild 183-U1004-0014, Rostock, Flottenparade.

Displacement: 173/216 tons. Dimensions: length: 38.6 m; length: 7.6m.; draft: 1.73 m. Power: 12,000 hp Max. travel speed: 39 knots; Range: 2000 miles. Armament: 4 x 30 mm. ZAU AK-230; 4 x PU KT-97 SCRC P-15 Crew: 26 people

Small missile ships (Kleine Raketenschiffe) Type Lightning (Project 1241RE, Tarantul class)
In the early 1980s, the Volksmarine command faced the question of replacing obsolete Osa-class missile boats with more modern ships of this class. From October 1984 to October 1986, five large Soviet-made Project 1241 missile boats appeared in the GDR Navy. They served with the 6th Flotilla.

Displacement: 392/469 tons; Dimensions: length: 56.1m.; width: 10.2 m; draft: 2.5 m. Maximum speed: 42 knots; Range: 1400 miles Armament: 4 P-15 Termit anti-ship missile launchers, 1 - 76-mm AK-176, 2 x 6 30-mm AK-630, 1 Strela-3 MANPADS (ammunition load of 16 MANPADS), 2 jamming launchers PK-16 Crew: 41 people.

Small rocket ships (Kleine Raketenschiffe)Project 151 (Sassnitz-Klasse)
The ships were built at the Peenewerft shipyard in Wolgast. It was assumed that this RCA would go into service with the fleets of the countries participating in the Warsaw Pact. Before the reunification of Germany, only one ship was built, two ships were completed already in Germany, three were transferred to Poland in an unfinished state, four more were removed from construction in October 1990. In addition, five more ships of this class were planned for construction, but things did not go any further.

Displacement: 348 tons. Dimensions: length: 48.9 meters; width: 8.45 meters; Draft: 2.15 meters. Max. travel speed: 37 knots; Range: 2200 miles. Armament: 1 - 76 mm. AU AK-176, 1 x 6 - 30 mm. AK-630 AU, 8 anti-ship missiles.

torpedo boats

Hydrofoil torpedo boats of the "Forelle" project

3 boats were built at the VEB Roßlauer Schiffswerft shipyard in Rosslau (one of them is experimental) and entered the GDR Navy in 1958-1963. They served a little more than two years and were dismantled for metal.

Popular in category: