V 202 Franz Westermann (later V 205 Franz Westermann) was a German trawler built in 1937 which was converted into a Vorpostenboot for the
Kriegsmarine during
World War II. She was sunk at
Saint Peter Port,
Guernsey,
Channel Islands in an allied air raid on15 June 1944. Repaired post-war, she was renamed Pommern in 1954 and served until 1960.
Description
Franz Westermann was 50.80 metres (166 ft 8 in) long, with a beam of 8.03 metres (26 ft 4 in) and a depth of 3.96 metres (13 ft 0 in). It was assessed at 481
GRT, 178
NRT. The ship was powered by a
triple expansion steam engine, which had cylinders of 35 centimetres (13+3⁄4 in), 55 centimetres (21+5⁄8 in) and 90.0 centimetres (35+7⁄16 in) diameter by 64.9 centimetres (25+9⁄16 in) stroke. The engine was built by
Deschimag,
Wesermünde and was rated at 96
nominal horsepower. It drove a single screw propeller.[1]
History
Franz Westermann was constructed as
yard number 599 by
Deschimag Seebeck in
Bremerhaven as a
fishing trawler. She was launched in November 1937 and completed on 28 December.[2] She was built for Reederei Siebert & Co, Wesermünde. The
Code Letters DFDI were allocated,[1] as was the
fishing boat registration PG 521.[3] On 6 October 1940, the
Kriegsmarine requisitioned the vessel and commissioned it as a Vorpostenboot in the 2 Vorpostenflotille under the designation V 202 Franz Westermann. It was redesignated V 205 Franz Westermann on 20 October. With the rest of the 2 Vorpostenflotille, Franz Westermann operated in the North Sea from 1939 to 1940 and in the English Channel from 1940 to 1944.[3]
V 202 Franz Westermann was sunk in an Allied air raid on
St. Peter Port,
Guernsey on 15 June 1944.[4][5] She was refloated and repaired in 1948, receiving the fishing boat registration BX 297. Franz Westermann was renamed Pommern on 28 June 1954 and was then homeported at
Cuxhaven. She was then owned by the Cuxhavener Hochseefischerei. She was sold to W. Ritscher, Hamburg for breaking on 30 April 1962.[6]
References
^
ab"Franz Westermann (57903)"(PDF). Lloyd's Register: Chalutiers &c. FRA (in English and French). London:
Lloyd's Register. 1938–1939. Retrieved 4 May 2022 – via Southampton City Council.
Gröner, Erich (1993). Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815-1945 (in German). Vol. 8/I: Flußfahrzeuge, Ujäger, Vorpostenboote, Hilfsminensucher, Küstenschutzverbände (Teil 1). Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe.
ISBN3-7637-4807-5.