Gneisenau June-July 1939 Atlantic Cruise

[Antonio Bonomi]

Hello everybody,

I have a question to ask here were maybe somebody will be able to give me an answer thru a ship survivor or Gneisenau official documents like the KTB or something similar.

The question is about the 1939  June 12th, until July 26th atlantic ocean cruise were Gneisenau visited Las Palmas and  Madeira.

My question relates to the cruise start, as Gneisenau was into Kiel and just finished the works at Deutsche Werke Kiel were they put the anchor on the deck and changed the funnel cap.

On the attached original map you can see that Gneisenau is supposed to have left Kiel and sailed around Denmark to reach Wilhelmshaven from were she finally sailed thru the English channel to reach the Atlantic ocean.

Well, I suspect Gneisenau did not sail around Denmark but thru the Kaiser Wilhelm kanal on June 12th, 1939.

I think she sailed from Kiel, thru the KW kanal to Brunsbuttel and than Jade and Wilhelmshaven and not around Denmark.

Does anybody have something that can hep me about this doubt I have

Here attached the original map of that summer 1939 cruise with the detail of what I am asking you help with.

          Bye / Gruss Antonio 

[Olaf]

I can't provide any documents, but what's wrong with the map? During my almost twelve years in the German Navy, we barely used Kiel Canal to get to the other side. Most of the time we sailed the long way round. I always wondered that the fees for shipping the Canal were higher than burning all the fuel to get around Denmark ...

Happy discussing ~ Olaf!

[Antonio Bonomi]

Hello everybody,

@ Olaf,

nothing wrong with the map, ... but it just does not match with this Gneisenau survivor photo album comment on some original photos of that cruise.

This is the reason why I am looking for the final answer ... even if .... from those evidences it looks like they passed thru the Kaiser Wilhelm kanal on June 12th, 1939.

   Bye / Gruss