German
Aircraft Carrier/ Russian Floating Base
1938-47
Graf
Zeppelin / PO-101
The Flugzeugträger A (Carrier A) was laid
down on 28th December 1936 at the Deutsche Werke shipyard,
Kiel. On the 08th December 1938, Flugzeugträger A was
launched as the Graf Zeppelin with a projected completion date of
late 1940.
Having had little experience with carrier
construction, German designers and engineers were slowed by construction
and design problems. This,
added with Görings reluctance to allow a separate air arm other than
the Luftwaffe, eventually halted construction of the aircraft carrier in
April 1940. Graf
Zeppelin, now laid up, had her artillery removed for use in coastal
defences before she was towed to Gotenhafen.
In 1942 work was restarted on the carrier (having
being moved back to Kiel in December 1942), as it was obvious at this
time that the kriegsmarine needed a ship of this type to support its
major surface units. Graf
Zeppelin was approximately 85% complete when work was once again
halted in early1943 (work being stopped on Hitler’s orders after the
Kriegsmarines poor performance during the Battle of the Barents Sea, 31st
December 1942). In April 1943 she was moved to Stettin where she remained
until she was scuttled in shallow water on 25th April 1945.
After the German surrender, Russian forces raised
the Graf Zeppelin (at this stage the carriers fate becomes
clouded, but what follows is believed to be the most accurate), renaming
her the PO-101 (floating base 101) on the 03rd
February 1947. On the 14th August 1947 she was towed to Swinemünde
and loaded with aerial
bombs. She was then used as
a target and destroyed by shells, bombs and finally tordedoes on the 16th
August 1947.
Contributed by Carl
Proctor
Graf Zeppelin, Deutsche Werke shipyard, Kiel, 1940.
Graf Zeppelin.
Courtesy of David Walker.
