Walter Holzapfel - HMS Deepwater

[AlZictorini]

Hi, Would love to know where the photo was taken as I served aboard her in 1947. She came from the German Navy under war reparations. Wonder if anyone knows her original name. Well remember diving trials at Inverary, top of Loch Fyne. Still have an identical copy to the one illustrated which I must have got when I was aboard her. Ron C – Question from the Navy Divers section http://www.battleships-cruisers.co.uk/naval_diving.htm.

With regards to the picture of HMS Deepwater. The picture of the Vessel is taken very early on in her RN career, quite possibly in the late 40's before HMS Reclaim stole all the limelight. She was originally called Walter Holzapfel.

Name: Walter Holzapfel (To become in RN, HMS Deepwater)
Builder: Norderwerft Köser & Meyer, Hamburg
Launched: 1939

Size: 1586t.
Length: 79,3m.
Beam :11,6m.
Draft: 3,5m.
Powerplant: x2 Sulzer 4 cylinder Diesel engines with 7200hp, 19,5kn.
Armament: x4 3,7cm; x2 - 4 2cm; x4 53,3cm torpedo tubes.

History:
Commissioned on 07 Aug 1940 becoming attached to the TVA (Torpedo Versuchs Anstalt) or Institute for Torpedo Experiments. Taken as a war prize in 1946 and given the name HMS Deepwater. Deepwater then acted as a Diving Tender from 1947 onwards (Being stationed at the shore base HMS Vernon - Diver Training School), by the early 50's she was laid up (Deepwater being superseded by HMS Reclaim) being used mainly as a floating diving school. By 1958 she had become a hulk (having been stripped out extensively) and was towed away in 1960 for scrapping.

Thanks to Michael Emmerich for his assistance with this information.


Regards

AlZictorini

[seniorhanseat]

Hi,
I am new member of the forum and German, 75 years old. Sorry, my English is not the best, I learned it 60 years ago at scool, and after that small activities in that.
The reason because I am here is: I am activ in family-research ,- and since a while I try to understand my fathers way trough the last war, special in springtime 1945. He was born in Hamburg 19o1 and became "Seemaschinist", that means Technic Service inside a ship, in duty to the engines. When war began, he became not sailor-soldier, he came in duty as a Civil-Ingenieur at the new "Walter Holtzapfel", belongs to "Torpedoversuchsanstalt Eckernförde and Gotenhafen/Danzig-Bay/Baltic See. So far I know, he was member of the first crew on that vessel also in duty to the engines and so on, I think, to day we would say: Middle-Technic-Management, not in militarydegree.
In springtime 1945 the ship stayed in Gotenhafen-Oxhöft /Submarine War Port (Gdansk), that means not DANZIG, that is a town nearby.
My mother and we children run away from Russian in the end of Jan. 45 from Gotenhafen (overland/more than 2o degree cold )while father was with the ship in duty. We met him first month later in Westgermany, and he came from England. I guess, the crew has to bring the vessel to England and they became prisoner for a time. I would like to know, where the HOLTZAPFEL=DEEPWATER arrived in England with what crew (list of them may exist?), what date and so on. Where was the ship at war-end and what about the circumstances? Where stayed the crew in England?
If someone knows something, I am glad to get answer. Erland ASMUS

[AlZictorini]

Erland

Contact

Postal Address :
Michael Emmerich
Widdersdorfer Strasse 207
50825 Köln
Germany

Herr Emmerick wird die Antwort haben.