World War II Database

Contributor: Al Griffis

ww2dbaseBlohm und Voss was founded by Hermann Blohm and Ernst Voss in Hamburg, Germany as a shipyard and machinery factory. The shipyard was established on the island of Kuhwarder. Most of this land was swamp and cow pastures and would need months of work to build a firm foundation under the shipyard. The area measured 15,000 square meters with 250 meters of water frontage. There would be four slips initially with the ability to handle ships of 300 feet and they would launch into the North Elbe. The shipyard launched its first ship, freighter Castle, in 1879. In 1880, with business being slow, the company decided to build dry docks to attract repair and maintenance businesses. Drydock 1 was completed in early 1882. Between 1885 and 1887, two additional slips, measuring 120 meters each, were added. In 1885, a second drydock was put into operation. In May 1887, additional land was purchased, increasing the size of the facility to 77,546 square meters. Between 1887 and 1889, one additional slip was added, which brought the total to seven. In 1889, the seven slips were widened; during this process, four of the slips merged into two larger ones, thus making the total number of slips to five. In 1891, the facility area increased to 94,000 square meters. In 1905, Blohm und Voss worked out a new lease with the Hamburg Senate for additional land which totaled 560,000 square meters, including 3 kilometers of shoreline. In 1906, it signed an agreement with Parsons for turbines. The light cruiser SMS Dresden was the first ship to use the new turbines. In Nov 1907, slips 6, 7 and 8 were completed. In about 1908, dock 5, with 46,000-ton lifting capability, joined the shipyard. Between 1909 and Dec 1910, slip 9 and 10 were built; the scaffolding stood 68 meters tall and was watched over by the watch tower which was 78 meters tall. During WW1, Blohm und Voss saw several overs from the German Navy, including 98 submarines; other orders included merchant ships, large torpedo boats, and a light cruiser. Two battle cruisers were laid down but not completed prior to the end of WW1. In the 1920s, much like other German shipyards, Blohm und Voss saw very few orders. In 1942, Elbe 17, a large drydock, was completed; it measured 351 meters in length and 59 meters in width, and it was built for the construction of the planned H-class battleships. In Jul 1943, it suffered considerable damage due to Allied bombing. In 1944 a subcamp of Neuengamme concentration camp was established to provide forced laborers for the shipyard's use. During the war, the average number of employees at the Blohm und Voss was about 9,000. After the war, Blohm und Voss ceased production until 1950. At the time of this writing, the Blohm und Voss facilities are operated by the firm Lürssen.

Ships Constructed at Blohm und Voss

* Projected dates; not actual

Slip/Drydock Utilization

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

Blohm und Voss Interactive Map

Blohm und Voss Timeline

Photographs