German minelaying cruiser Brummer
Encyclopedia
Brummer was a minelaying cruiser
of the German
Kriegsmarine
during World War II
.
. Although Brummer was primarily designed as an AA gunnery training cruiser, she was also fitted for mine laying, her intended primary duty during wartime.
Brummer was also used as an experimental ship for the high pressure steam turbine systems designed for the German destroyers. The propulsion system of Brummer showed no major design flaws, and the destroyers were fitted with an almost identical system. This design later proved to be unreliable when used in the destroyers.
, and was then attached to the Naval Air Defense and Artillery School (Marineflugabwehr und Küstenartillerieschule) in Swinemünde in the spring of 1937. Between 1937 and 1938 Brummer made two visits to Odde, Göteborg, and Helsingborg
.
invasion of Poland
, laying mines off the Polish coast. In January, 1940 she was used as a commerce raider in the Baltic Sea
.
In April 1940, Brummer took part in "Operation Weserübung
", the invasion of Norway
and was used primarily as a command ship of a transport squadron. On April 14 she was torpedoed by the British
submarine
HMS Sterlet
off Jutland
, losing the complete bow section. The ship was held afloat for nine hours, finally capsizing in the early morning of the next day.
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
of the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Design
In the mid 1930s two artillery training cruisers were built to drill the gunnery personal of the KriegsmarineKriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
. Although Brummer was primarily designed as an AA gunnery training cruiser, she was also fitted for mine laying, her intended primary duty during wartime.
Brummer was also used as an experimental ship for the high pressure steam turbine systems designed for the German destroyers. The propulsion system of Brummer showed no major design flaws, and the destroyers were fitted with an almost identical system. This design later proved to be unreliable when used in the destroyers.
Early history
After being commissioned in 1936 Brummer worked up in the Baltic SeaBaltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
, and was then attached to the Naval Air Defense and Artillery School (Marineflugabwehr und Küstenartillerieschule) in Swinemünde in the spring of 1937. Between 1937 and 1938 Brummer made two visits to Odde, Göteborg, and Helsingborg
Helsingborg
Helsingborg is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 97,122 inhabitants in 2010. Helsingborg is the centre of an area in the Øresund region of about 320,000 inhabitants in north-west Scania, and is Sweden's closest point to Denmark, with the Danish city...
.
Wartime career
In September 1939, Brummer took part in the GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
invasion of Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, laying mines off the Polish coast. In January, 1940 she was used as a commerce raider in the Baltic Sea
Baltic Sea
The Baltic Sea is a brackish mediterranean sea located in Northern Europe, from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from 20°E to 26°E longitude. It is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe, and the Danish islands. It drains into the Kattegat by way of the Øresund, the Great Belt and...
.
In April 1940, Brummer took part in "Operation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung was the code name for Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign...
", the invasion of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and was used primarily as a command ship of a transport squadron. On April 14 she was torpedoed by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
HMS Sterlet
HMS Sterlet (2S)
HMS Sterlet was a Royal Navy S-class submarine which was launched 22 September 1937 and fought in the Second World War. Sterlet is one of 12 boats named in the song Twelve Little S-Boats. So far she has been the only ship of the Royal Navy to be named Sterlet.On 8 April 1940 Sterlet left for a...
off Jutland
Jutland
Jutland , historically also called Cimbria, is the name of the peninsula that juts out in Northern Europe toward the rest of Scandinavia, forming the mainland part of Denmark. It has the North Sea to its west, Kattegat and Skagerrak to its north, the Baltic Sea to its east, and the Danish–German...
, losing the complete bow section. The ship was held afloat for nine hours, finally capsizing in the early morning of the next day.