I got hold of a group yesterday which includes a bunch of photos, some badges and some urkunden. What ship do you think this might be? I think its the Scharnhorst, but am not sure by any stretch:
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Don't know a thing about ships so no idea if this helps...this is supposed to be the Scharnhorst -
Seems like the aft end of Scharnhorst to me too.Collecting German award documents, other paperwork and photos relating to Norway and Finland.Comment
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It appears to be a view from the stern of a ship. The rear mast appears to be located furthur aft than would appear on the Gneisenau. This photo would then be consistent with the Turret C of the Scharnhorst. Nice photo. I have been looking for a nice photo of the Scharnhorst complete view or view of turrets A and B from the bow (like the second picture). Been looking for months. Still searching.
Best regards,
Terrence
Originally posted by McCullohComment
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This is the guy's Urkunde. Can anybody tell which Admiral this is?Comment
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another snap of the deck-off Norway @ May
Norway @Mai
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Here is his "Polar Bear Club" certificate-a version of the Neptune award still done today.
Ooops stoll too large. here's the owner:Comment
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Hilfe!!
Can anybody help with the signature of the Admiral? Pleeeease??
Thanks,Comment
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The signature is that of Vizeadmiral Leopold Siemens who left this job just 4 days after signing this doc and 6 days before he was awarded the DKiG.
If your man was onboard Scharnhorst originally then he was very lucky indeed to get transferred off.
Let's see your 'crossing the arctic circle' doc, i love these things. They were drawn by a member of the ships crew and are pretty unique to each ship. They are also useful in that they're dated so we know exactly when this or that ship passed the line of the arctic circle whilst moving up the Norwegian coast.
BTW, not all Norway looks like that in May but it's not unusual to have snow still lying at sea level well into the month.Collecting German award documents, other paperwork and photos relating to Norway and Finland.Comment
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The first photo of this extremely old thread is indeed the Scharnhorst, as seen during arrival in Brest, France 4 April 1941, after the conclusion of Operation Berlin. (See the merits flown from the spreader staffs of her mast..!)
The other photo of a dark-shadowed battleship deck with a snow-covered shore and housing in the background is not from May. It is captured aboard the Gneisenau four months before the Scharnhorst-photo, more spesifically 31 December 1940 in the Byfjord outside Bergen. The shore and housing in the background is from Askoy, an island just off Bergen.
During the first attempt to break out into the Atlantic for Operation Berlin Gneisenau had sustained severe structural damage in her bow compartments during transit to Norway. It later turned out that during repair work in Kiel (after the British submarine HMS Clyde pierced her bow with a torpedo 20 July 1940) a set of vertical supporters had been neglected in her officer's mess forward and this resulted in the horizontal deck beams being severely pounded and distorted under the heavy seas. With prospects of far heavier seas once they reached the Atlantic Admiral Lütjens opted to return to Kiel first to get her bow in shape before making a new and successful attempt to break out in February 1941.Comment
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The merits (flags) represented the merchants sunk by the Scharnhorst during Operation Berlin. The Scharnhorst single-handed sunk eight merchants at a total of 49 300 tons. The ships sunk were:
* Lustrous (British tanker - sunk 22.02.1941)
* Marathon (Greek steam freighter - sunk 09.03.1941)
* Athelfoam (British tanker - sunk 15.03.1941)
* British Strenght (British tanker - sunk 15.03.1941)
* Mangkai (Dutch freighter - sunk 16.03.1941)
* Silverfir (British freighter - sunk 16.03.1941)
* Sardinian Prince (British passenger-cargo ship - sunk 16.03.1941)
* Demerton (British freighter - sunk 16.03.1941)Comment
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Hi guys,
About the photos one and two of this post I think it's the Scharnhorst because if it was the Gneisenau, the bridge deck should be larger and over the typical cylindric turrets by each board.
Another typical specificity of these two sister ships is the twin 37 mm Flak gun just behind the C turret, no other german ships had that.
I'm not sure the second photo is the Gneisenau due to the bridge deck width.
But the two photos are really nice.Comment
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