RFA Northmark

Nordmark (later Northmark) was a former Kriegsmarine (German navy) combination oiler and supply vessel which was allocated to the Royal Navy by the Inter-Allied Repatriations Commission when British forces entered Copenhagen on 9 May 1945.

History
Germany
Class and type: Dithmarschen
Name: Nordmark
Builder: Schichau-Werke, Danzig
Laid down: 14 November 1936
Launched: 5 October 1937 as Westerwald
Commissioned: 6 January 1939 as Nordmark
Fate: Captured, May 1945
United Kingdom
Name: Northmark
Acquired: May 1945
Commissioned: July 1947, as HMS Bulawayo
Decommissioned: October 1950
Fate: Scrapped, 4 October 1955
General characteristics
Displacement: 22,500 long tons (22,861 t) full load
Length: 584 ft (178 m)
Beam: 72 ft 6 in (22 m)
Draught: 30 ft 3 in (9 m)
Propulsion:
  • Steam turbine with double reduction gearing, 21,590 shp (16,100 kW)
  • 2 shafts
Speed: 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Complement:
  • 133 (German)
  • 292 (British)

Design

To support naval operations in the Atlantic Ocean, the German Navy ran trials with various vessels in the 1920s and early 1930s. After testing two vessels of an intermediate type, the design evolved into the Dithmarschen-class. Six were built altogether, one of which was never completed. As Germany did not possess any ports on the Atlantic Ocean or any overseas bases, the Dithmarschen-class combined the roles fulfilled by tanker, repair ship, ammunition ship and dry cargo ship. The ships were even equipped with a small hospital. The main cargo were almost 9,000 tons of fuel oil and 400 tons of lubricating oil. As it was probable that the ships were underway for an extended time, the range was 12,500 nm at 15 knots. The maximum speed was 23 knots. A heavy armament was fitted, consisting of three 15 cm/L48 guns, two 3,7 cm and four 20 mm anti-aircraft guns and eight machine guns.[1]

Construction

The ship was laid down at the Schichau-Werke shipyard in Elning East Prussia (now Elbląg, Poland) on 14 November 1936,[2] and was launched on 5 October 1937 with the name Westerwald.[2][3] and was completed on 6 January 1939.[2]

She arrived at Rosyth on 8 August 1945 and the following month went to Hebburn-on-Tyne for survey and repairs and conversion for service with the British Pacific Fleet, but the war ended and she was placed in reserve instead. She was renamed Northmark in January 1946 and was considered as a Royal Fleet Auxiliary-manned oiler, but the cost of modifications was considered to be unjustifiable and a follow-up proposal was taken up after approval was given to operate her as a naval ship. She therefore never served as an RFA, but was refitted for service in 1947 and on completion was renamed HMS Bulawayo in July 1947. She served as such until she was scrapped in 1955.

See also

References
  1. "KMS Dithmarschen". GlobalSecurity.org.
  2. Blackman 1953, p. 73
  3. Gröner, Mikel & Mrva 1986, p. 164
  • Blackman, Raymond V. B., ed. (1953). Jane's Fighting Ships 1953–54. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company Inc.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Gröner, Erich; Mikel, Peter; Mrva, Franz (1986). Der deutschen Kriegschiffe 1815–1945: Band 4: Hilfsschiffe I: Werkstattschiffe, Tender und Begleitschiffe, Tanker und Versorger (in German). Koblenz, Germany: Bernard & Graefe Verlag. ISBN 3-7637-4803-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • "Nordmark". German Naval History. Retrieved 13 July 2014.


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