FRANKEN oil tanker

[Piotr Kitta]

Hello Everyone

My name is Piotr Kitta.
I'm a wreck diver. thogether with my couleges we are planing to make a safety divies in to Franken wreck.
For this we are looking for a ship yard plans of FRANKEN.

I was asking in ship yard in Kiel and also in German Maritime Museum (DSM).
Unfortunately without any results.

May be someone from You can tell me where I shall tray to find that documentation or someone can
borrow those plans.

I will be very grateful for any help from Your side.


Links bellow giving some informations about the wreck.

Tanker oiler FRANKEN built in shipyard Deutche Wrek Kiel in 1937 year.


http://www.balticwrecks.com/en/wrecks/franken/

http://wrakibaltyku.pl/de/wraki/19,franken-19.html

Regards
Piotr Kitta

[Urs Heßling]

hello, Piotr,

I can see two ways to find the plans to look for.

1. Two of the "Trossschiffe 1936", Dithmarschen and Westerwald, were built at the Schichau shipyard in Danzig. It may be possible that you will find plans of the (similar) sister ships there.

2. There may be plans at the Federal Archives/Military Archives (Bundesarchiv-Militärarchiv) in Freiburg.
They would be registered under RM 102 "Hilfsschiffe, Trossschiffe und Spezialschiffe der Reichs- und Kriegsmarine".

greetings, Urs

[Piotr Kitta]

Hi Urs

We have also start looking for sister ships in acordance to this list

http://www.german-navy.de/kriegsmarine/ships/auxships/index.html

Thanks for new clue with Military Archives. We will try find there.

Regards
Piotr Kitta

[Hägar]

As far as I know, the plans and drawings of the BA/MA are held within the section of RM 25/.....
See example below.
In the online finding aid (see here) FRANKEN does not shine up, but there are many files that have numbers without caption - maybe, FRANKEN is among them.

Good luck and regards - Hägar

[Hägar]

Amendment:

The technical Schichau archives are held in Malbork, see address below.
It well may be that there are also drawings of the FRANKEN sisterships in between.

Regards - Hägar

[Piotr Kitta]

Hi Hagar

I send some questions to archive and museums.
Now I'm waiting for a response.

I also has registered at on line archive and find informations which You show me.
But I don't know how to review this documentation. It is possible to see documentation on line?
Unfortunately my German is poor

Thanks and Regards
Piotr Kitta

[Rheinmetall]

Good Morning !

I have two pictures of the end of the "Troßschiff Franken".
The ship sunk on 8th April 1945 on 12.40 am during an airraid of sovjet IL-2 Stumoviks southeast of Hel.

http://i66.tinypic.com/2dmdtsp.jpg

http://i64.tinypic.com/28b8u3k.jpg

Regards,

Matze

[Piotr Kitta]

Big thanks for pictures

[Piotr Kitta]

Amendment:

The technical Schichau archives are held in Malbork, see address below.
It well may be that there are also drawings of the FRANKEN sisterships in between.

Regards - Hägar

Hi Hagar

This ship yard in Gdańsk was by one year under Russian occupation. After this yard was given to Polish government. All technical documentation was stolen.
In Malbork they confirm that only personal documentation is there. No technical documentation in Malbork.
I spoked today with them.

Now I will try in Gdańsk Sea Musem and also will check Copenhagen Yard or archive.

Still waiting for confirmation about Altmark in DSM and German Archiv.

In US archiv You can find plans for Dithmarschen done by American after rebuild.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Conecuh_(AOR-110)

Maybe the plans for Franken are not existing. Maybe only for type of ships or only for first ship build in the yard Kiel and Gdansk.

We are still checking. I we find something I will let You know.

Regards Piotr

[Piotr Kitta]

Hi

Still waiting for a few feed back from archives and museums.

I received information that plans of FRANKEN probably has son of captain
Krapohl   Franz   Kkapt.d.R.   "ERMLAND".und "FRANKEN".Cdr.         12.03.1878

Now I need find son, if he still lives. ( no info yet about son).

Regards
Piotr Kitta

[kgvm]

There is a plan of "Altmark" in Jung/Maass/Wenzel, Tanker und Versorger der deutschen Flotte 1900-1980.

[Piotr Kitta]

Thanks KGVM

It is possible that someone will scan this for me ?

Regards
Piotr

[MarkusL]

Hi Piotr,
if you didn't got it already send me PN with your e-mail and I can mail scan of corresponding page over.
Regards
Markus

[SchlPr11]

Hallo,
from the Gröner-collection I can here offer the plan of UCKERMARK with her last alternations.
FRANKEN ist very similar in detail.  Especially the two 10.000 l Benzin-tanks in front of the bridge - the X in the drawings. This is important, because the Soviet bombs hit the portside tank (fly fuel??) and he exploded together the other tanks behind..
In the 1950th years there were some discussions between West-German and G.D.R. salvage companies to work on the wreck. Salvage it or for breaking up. But with not results!
REINHARD

[Piotr Kitta]

Dear Reinhard

Thanks for drawing. They will help us.
I will still tray find some drawing cutts of decks which showing rooms, entrances etc.

on this link You can find nice presentation about Franken wreck:

https://portal.helcom.fi/meetings/SUBMERGED%204-2016-303/Related%20Information/Presentation%204%20Hac.pdf

Regards