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Deutsche Werke Kiel file photo [29057]

Deutsche Werke Kiel

Type   207 Shipyard
Historical Name of Location   Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Coordinates   54.319523000, 10.158281000

Contributor:

ww2dbaseIn 1867, Königliche Werft Kiel was founded in Kiel, Germany. Slip I was built between 1868 and 1875, and slip II between 1870 and 1875. In 1871, the shipyard was renamed Kaiserliche Werft Kiel as the German Empire was proclaimed, and a naval arsenal at the same location was planned. Between 1871 and 1879, dry docks I through IV were built. In 1906, slip I was widened. In Aug 1918, it was assigned to the Ministry of Finance. After WW1, the Weimar Republic became its owner. Between 1919 and 1924, Deutsche Werke Kiel produced the Ortgies semi-automatic pistol. In May 1925, it became the public limited company Deutsche Werke Kiel AG. Between 1925 and 1933, it constructed ships for the civilian sector; with the Nazi rise to power in 1933, it slowly turned to the construction of warships. In 1935, it was decided that a third slip was necessary; the construction for this began in 1937 and was completed shortly after the start of the European War. In Feb 1940, a 500-ton floating drydock which was sunk during recent operations was raised and repaired. At the peak of operations, Deutsche Werke Kiel employed over 2,000 workers. As the European War went on, however, it suffered serious damage from Allied bombings. In Mar 1945, an order was given to destroy the shipyard facilities before Allied capture, but the orders were not obeyed. After the war, it was reorgnized as Maschinenbau Kiel, and in 1955 the shipyard facilities were purchased by Howaldtswerke.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia

Last Major Update: Oct 2019

Ships Constructed at Deutsche Werke Kiel

Ship NameYard NoSlip/Drydock NoOrderedLaid DownLaunchedCommissioned
U-1235
U-452III
U-453III
U-454III
U-459III
U-460III
U-461III
U-462III
U-463III
U-464III
FrankenII18 Feb 19378 Jun 193917 Mar 1943
Karlsruhe207II8 Apr 192527 Jul 192620 Aug 19276 Nov 1929
Deutschland219I10 Aug 19285 Feb 192919 May 19311 Apr 1933
Nürnberg234II16 Jun 19334 Nov 19336 Dec 19342 Nov 1935
Gneisenau235I25 Jan 193414 Feb 19348 Dec 193621 May 1938
Z1 Leberecht Maass242Drydock I7 Apr 193410 Oct 193418 Aug 193514 Jan 1937
Z2 Georg Thiele243Drydock II7 Apr 193425 Oct 193418 Aug 193527 Feb 1937
Z3 Max Schultz244Drydock III7 Apr 19342 Jan 193530 Nov 19358 Apr 1937
Z4 Richard Beitzen245Drydock IV7 Apr 19347 Jan 193530 Nov 193513 May 1937
U-1236117a r8 Feb 193511 Feb 193515 Jun 193529 Jun 1935
U-2238117b r8 Feb 193511 Feb 19351 Jul 193525 Jul 1935
U-3239117b l8 Feb 193511 Feb 193519 Jul 19356 Aug 1935
U-4237117a l8 Feb 193511 Feb 193531 Jul 193517 Aug 1935
U-5241117c l8 Feb 193511 Feb 193514 Aug 193531 Aug 1935
U-6240117c r8 Feb 193511 Feb 193521 Aug 19357 Sep 1935
U-13248117a r2 Feb 193520 Jun 19359 Nov 193530 Nov 1935
U-14249117b r2 Feb 19356 Jul 193528 Dec 193518 Jan 1936
U-16251117a l2 Feb 19355 Aug 193528 Apr 193616 May 1936
Blücher246II30 Oct 193415 Aug 19358 Jun 193720 Sep 1939
U-15250117b l2 Feb 193524 Sep 193515 Feb 19367 Mar 1936
Graf Zeppelin252I16 Nov 193528 Dec 19368 Dec 1938
U-57255I17 Jun 193714 Sep 19373 Sep 193829 Dec 1938
U-5625517 Jun 193721 Sep 19373 Sep 193826 Nov 1938
U-5825617 Jun 193728 Sep 193712 Oct 19384 Feb 1939
U-5925717 Jun 19375 Oct 193712 Oct 19384 Mar 1939
U-6025921 Jul 19371 Oct 19381 Jun 193922 Jul 1939
U-6126021 Jul 19371 Oct 193815 Jun 193912 Aug 1939
U-6226121 Jul 19372 Jan 193916 Nov 193921 Dec 1939
U-6326221 Jul 19372 Jan 19396 Dec 193918 Jan 1940
O (Planned)265I8 Aug 19395 Jan 1939 *1 Jan 1941 *1 Jan 1943 *
M (Planned)263II24 May 19381 Sep 1939 *1 Sep 1941 *1 Oct 1942 *
U-137266I25 Sep 193916 Nov 193918 May 194015 Jun 1940
U-138267I25 Sep 193916 Nov 193918 May 194027 Jun 1940
U-140269I25 Sep 193916 Nov 193928 Jun 19407 Aug 1940
U-139268I25 Sep 193920 Nov 193928 Jun 19407 Aug 1940
U-141270I25 Sep 193912 Dec 193927 Jul 194021 Aug 1940
U-142271I25 Sep 193912 Dec 193927 Jul 19404 Sep 1940
U-143272III25 Sep 19393 Jan 194010 Aug 194018 Sep 1940
U-144273III25 Sep 193910 Jan 194024 Aug 19402 Oct 1940
U-145274III25 Sep 193929 Mar 194021 Sep 194016 Oct 1940
U-146275III25 Sep 193930 Mar 194021 Sep 194030 Oct 1940
U-147276III25 Sep 193910 Apr 194016 Nov 194011 Dec 1940
U-148277III25 Sep 193910 Apr 194016 Nov 194028 Dec 1940
U-149278I25 Sep 193925 May 194019 Oct 194013 Nov 1940
U-150279I25 Sep 193925 May 194019 Oct 194027 Nov 1940
U-151280I25 Sep 19396 Jul 194014 Dec 194015 Jan 1941
U-152281I25 Sep 19396 Jul 194014 Dec 194029 Jan 1941
K (Planned)264III25 May 19391 Oct 1940 *1 Oct 1942 *1 Apr 1944 *
P1 (Planned)I1 May 1941 *1 May 1943 *1 Oct 1944 *
O (Planned)264II24 May 19381 Oct 1941 *1 Oct 1943 *1 Nov 1944 *
P7 (Planned)III1 May 1943 *1 May 1945 *1 Oct 1946 *
U-491III22 Sep 194231 Jul 1943
U-492III22 Sep 194221 Aug 1943
U-493III22 Sep 194225 Sep 1943
U-494III14 Dec 19431 Nov 1943
M (Planned)263I1 Oct 19411 Jan 1944 *1 Jul 1945 *1 Jul 1946 *
R (Planned)II1 Dec 19411 Jun 1944 *1 Dec 1945 *1 Dec 1946 *
SP16 (Planned)III1 Jun 1945 *1 Sep 1946 *1 Apr 1948 *
SP20 (Planned)I1 Sep 1945 *1 Dec 1946 *1 Jun 1948 *
Q2 (Planned)II1 Jun 19431 Feb 1946 *1 Sep 1947 *1 Sep 1948 *

* Projected dates; not actual

Slip/Drydock Utilization

[Con]: Construction; [FO]: Fitting Out



Deutsche Werke Kiel Interactive Map

Photographs

Construction of dry dock V or VI, Kaiserliche Werft Kiel, Germany, circa 1902Construction of dry docks V and VI, Kaiserliche Werke Kiel, Germany, circa 1902
See all 19 photographs of Deutsche Werke Kiel

Maps

Plan of Kaiserliche Werft Kiel, Germany, circa 1900Map of Deutsche Werke Kiel, Germany, 1928
See all 3 maps of Deutsche Werke Kiel

Deutsche Werke Kiel Timeline

28 May 1925 The former Kaiserliche Werft Kiel in Germany became the public limited company Deutsche Werke Kiel AG.
19 May 1931 The German pocket battleship Deutschland was launched by Deutsche Werke Kiel, Germany.
3 Mar 1935 The keel of the German battlecruiser Gneisenau was laid down in Dry Dock I of Deutsche Werke Kiel, Germany.
25 May 1935 Deutsche Werke Kiel AG in Germany began planning the construction of a third slip.
13 Dec 1935 Representatives of Deutsche Werke Kiel AG in Germany met with Erich Raeder on the construction of a third slip.
28 Dec 1936 The keel of Graf Zeppelin was laid down in Dry Dock I of Deutsche Werke Kiel, Germany.
1 Feb 1937 The construction work for slip III at Deutsche Werke Kiel AG in Germany began.
21 Sep 1937 The keel of U-56 was laid down at Deutsche Werke, Kiel, Germany.
3 Sep 1938 U-56 was launched at Deutsche Werke, Kiel, Germany.
8 Dec 1938 Graf Zeppelin was launched by Deutsche Werke Kiel in Kiel, Germany.
8 Jun 1939 Franken was launched at the Deutsche Werke Kiel shipyard in Kiel, Germany.
19 Sep 1939 The work on light cruiser M ceased at Deutsche Werke Kiel, Germany.
19 Sep 1939 The construction of Graf Zeppelin was halted temporarily as Erich Raeder and Hermann Göring competed for resources.
23 Sep 1939 The construction work for slip III at Deutsche Werke Kiel AG in Germany completed.
29 Apr 1940 The work on carrier Graf Zeppelin was stopped.
8 Jul 1940 British bombers attacked German heavy cruiser Lützow in dock at Kiel, Germany. Lützow, under repair for extensive torpedo damage to her stern caused by HMS Spearfish on 11 Apr 1940, was hit by a bomb that failed to detonate.
8 Mar 1941 Battleship Bismarck exited the Kiel Canal and entered Dock C of Deutsche Werke Kiel, Germany.
25 Jul 1941 British bombers took off at 2230 hours on the previous day, reaching Kiel, Germany at about 0145 hours on this date; bombs were dropped on the Deutsche Werke shipyard facilities; surviving attacks landed at their bases in Britain at about 0600 hours. On the same day, Bombers of British No. 102 Squadron RAF attacked Hanover, Germany after sundown.
7 Aug 1941 After dark, 84 British aircraft were launched to attack Essen, Germany (108 tons of high explosive bombs and 5,720 incendiary bombs were dropped, damaging the Krupp coke oven batteries), 31 launched against Hamm (damaging rail marshalling yard), 32 launched against Dortmund, 88 launched against Kiel (104 tons of high explosive bombs and 4,836 incendiary bombs were dropped, damaging Deutsche Werke Shipyards), and a number of bombers were launched against Hamburg (poor visibility and results were not observed).
26 Feb 1942 49 British RAF bombers attacked Gneisenau in the drydock at Kiel, Germany. A bomb penetrated the armored deck, triggering a detonation in the forward turret which caused great damage to entire bow section of the ship; 112 were killed, 21 were wounded.
5 Dec 1942 Graf Zeppelin was towed to Kiel, Germany.
11 Mar 1945 While under repair at Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, Emden suffered damage on the forward deck and port torpedo launchers from Allied aerial incendiary bombs.
25 Mar 1945 An order was given to destroy the facilities of Deutsche Werke Kiel in Germany before Allied capture, but it would not be obeyed.
3 Apr 1945 While under repair at Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, Emden had her forward funnel destroyed by a direct hit of an Allied aerial bomb.
9 Apr 1945 While under repair at Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, Emden was damaged by a near miss of a bomb from an Allied aircraft.
13 Apr 1945 While under repair at Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, Emden was damaged by Allied aircraft.
14 Apr 1945 In the morning, damaged Emden was towed from Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany to the nearby Heikendorfer Bucht. After observing a 15-degree list to port due to flooding, her crew sealed the hull and beached her to prevent sinking.




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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Cees says:
6 Apr 2023 09:11:19 AM

I am missing information about forced labourers at DWK during WOII.
Also, this area must have been heavily bombarded during the war.
That information is also not clear

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Modern Day Location
WW2-Era Place Name Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
Lat/Long 54.3195, 10.1583
Deutsche Werke Kiel Photo Gallery
Construction of dry dock V or VI, Kaiserliche Werft Kiel, Germany, circa 1902Construction of dry docks V and VI, Kaiserliche Werke Kiel, Germany, circa 1902
See all 19 photographs of Deutsche Werke Kiel


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