Photos of Volksmarine Boat

[jon m.]

I found these photos in my sock drawer....they were taken in the late 1990s. This Tarantul class missile corvette was known as the "Rudolf Engelhofer" when it served the 6th Flottilla in Dranske.

After reunification she was christened Hiddensee by the West German....err I mean German Navy....but I will always call her the "Rudolf Engelhofer."

[jon m.]

Sleeping Quarters:

[jon m.]

Sleeping Quarters 2:

[jon m.]

Display:

[jon m.]

Cannon:

[jon m.]

Missiles:
NATO: "Styx" (SS-N-2)
Russian: "Termit"

[jon m.]

Instrument Panel:

[jon m.]

Rear of Boat:

[jon m.]

Ship's Bell: There was a plaque beneath the bell, but the picture was too blurry to even recognize the language as being Russian. I only know that it is Russian because I read it when I took the picture......No I don't remember what it said .

[MikeW]

As I recall there was one boat given to the US Navy as it had some sort of unconventional propulsion.

As I recall there was an article about one such ship transferring from Germany to the US.

[jon m.]

Postcard of the former "Rudolf Engelhofer" (Volksmarine # 572) which served valiantly in the defense of the the People of the German Democratic Republic, as part of the 6th Flottille Dranske, 7th LTSB "Fritz Globig".

[jon m.]

As I recall there was one boat given to the US Navy as it had some sort of unconventional propulsion.

Hi MikeW,
I don't think that this boat had any unusual propulsion system...but I could be wrong

Jon.

[jon m.]

Link to information about the 6th Flottille Dranske.

http://www.samberg.de/strukturen/6flot.html

[jon m.]

Hello again Mike. Here is what is printed on the back of the postcard:

Hiddensee
Built in the U.S.S.R., Hiddensee was originally commissioned in the East German Navy as the Rudolf Engelhofer. Following German unification she was renamed Hiddensee. Decommissioned in April 1991, she was transferred to the U.S. Navy in November 1991 for technical review, testing and evaluation.

Battleship Cove
Exit 5 off I-195
Fall River, Massachusetts

Jon.

[MikeW]

Hi MikeW,
I don't think that this boat had any unusual propulsion system...but I could be wrong

Jon.

I heard of it back around 1994 in a issue of Popular Mechanics, but it could have been Popular Science.