German minelaying cruiser Bremse
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| Career (Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Class and type: | Cruiser |
| Name: | Bremse |
| Laid down: | 1931 by Marinewerft Wilhlemshaven |
| Launched: | June 14, 1932 |
| Commissioned: | July 7, 1933 |
| Fate: | Sunk on September 6, 1941 by British cruisers. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Bremse |
| Displacement: | 1,870 tons |
| Length: | 345' |
| Beam: | 31' |
| Draft: | 9' |
| Propulsion: | MAN diesel engines, two shafts, 8 boilers, 28,400 shaft horsepower (21.2 MW) |
| Speed: | 29.1 knots (53.9 km/h) |
| Range: | 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km) |
| Complement: | 285 |
| Armament: | 4 × 127mm, 4 x 37mm Flak, 8 x 20mm Flak, 250 EMC mines |
| Armor: | 30mm belt, 25mm deck |
Bremse was a minelaying cruiser of the German Kriegsmarine during World War Two.
Contents |
[edit] History
Bremse was a destroyer sized ship that was planned with a second role besides artillery training: To be used as a testbed for diesel engines which were later installed in the new build Panzerschiff class Deutschland.
On June 14, 1933 Bremse is commissioned, attached to the artillery training school in Kiel. During 1933 she undergoes repairs and a complete refit, the ships mast is reduced in size, and the artillery director is removed.
In 1939, the ship was used in the movie "Der letzte Apell" where it played the British light cruiser Amphion, for this role it was equipped with two additional dummy funnels.
[edit] Wartime career
During the Polish Campaign Bremse escorts the auxiliary minelayers Tannenberg and Hansestadt Danzig. In October of 1939 she is used as an escort for troop transports in the Baltic, then she is transferred back to the artillery school in Kiel where she is used as a training ship until March 1940.
In April 1940, during Operation Weserübung, Bremse was assigned to escort duty for Gruppe 3 attacking Bergen. During the operation she was shelled by Norwegian coastal artillery and hit by two 21cm rounds. From April - June she was repaired in Stavanger. Later, on November 1 Bremse was accidentally rammed by the steamer Donau off Bergen, suffering minor damage.
In June 1940, 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 H.M.S. Victorious but escaped unharmed.
[edit] Sinking
On September 6, 1941, near Mageröy-Fjord, while escorting the transports Trautenfels and Barcelona, Bremse was attacked by the British cruisers Nigeria and Aurora. Bremse was able to pull the cruisers away from the transports, so that they could escape, but Bremse was sunk by naval gunfire. Over half of her crew members died.
