


Al Griffis
ww2dbaseAl Griffis was a veteran of the United States Navy, serving on a ship patrolling the Vietnamese coast during the Vietnam War. He worked on the history of German shipyards for most of his life, having collected and organized statistics, photographs, and drawings over the course of over 30 years. He joined the WW2DB team in May 2019 and immediately shared all of his research material with the team. He passed away in early 2020 and he is sorely missed by the WW2DB team. His research material will continue to be published on the website for many more months to come.
Latest Contributions
Ship: N | 11 Dec 2023 |
Facility: Kriegsmarinewerft | 20 Nov 2023 |
Facility: Lübecker Schiff- und Maschinenbau AG | 30 Oct 2023 |
Facility: Lübecker Flenderwerke AG | 23 Oct 2023 |
Facility: Lindenau GmbH Schiffswerft und Maschinenfabrik | 16 Oct 2023 |
Ship: M | 11 Sep 2023 |
Ship: L | 21 Aug 2023 |
Ship: K | 17 Jul 2023 |
Facility: F. Schichau Pillau | 3 Oct 2022 |
Facility: F. Schichau Königsburg | 26 Sep 2022 |
Facility: F. Schichau Danzig | 19 Sep 2022 |
Facility: F. Schichau Elbing | 12 Sep 2022 |
Facility: Oderwerke AG | 2 Aug 2021 |
Facility: AG Vulcan Stettin | 22 Mar 2021 |
Facility: Howaldtswerke Kiel | 9 Nov 2020 |
Facility: H. C. Stülcken Sohn | 26 Oct 2020 |
Facility: Reiherstieg-Schiffswerft und Maschinenfabrik | 5 Oct 2020 |
Facility: Howaldtswerke Hamburg | 21 Sep 2020 |
Facility: Deutsche Werft Hamburg | 17 Aug 2020 |
Facility: Joh. C. Tecklenborg Schiffswerft- und Maschinenfabrik AG | 27 Jul 2020 |
Photographs/Maps Contributions
![]() | ![]() |
Timeline Contributions
Al Griffis has also contributed 52 entries in the WW2 Timeline. A small sample of his timeline contributions is shown below.» 1 Jul 1872: Heloglander Rickmer Classen Rickmers acquired the rice distribution company Bremer Rice and changed its name to Ichon & Rickmers.» 20 Jan 1845: Franz and Johann Tecklenborg renamed Abegg & Co of Bremerhaven, Germany to Johann C. Tecklenborg Werft. Joann was made the technical director and Franz the owner.
» 13 Jul 1943: In Bremen, Germany, Atlas Werke AG held its final General Meeting. Shortly after, Krupp would take over Atlas's operations and would rename the company Maschinenbau Kiel GmbH.
» 1 Nov 1911: Hugo Stinnes purchased Nordseewerke Emden Werft und Dock Aktiengesellschaft in Emden, Germany.
» 16 Aug 1916: Hamburger Werft AG was established in Hamburg, Germany. Some documents indicated the founding date to be 25 Aug 1916 instead.
» 28 May 1925: The former Kaiserliche Werft Kiel in Germany became the public limited company Deutsche Werke Kiel AG.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Please help us spread the word: Stay updated with WW2DB: |

- » Wreck of Teruzuki Found (27 Jul 2025)
- » USS Orlean's Bow Found (22 Jul 2025)
- » The Emperor of Japan Planned to Honor WW2-era Japanese POWs in Mongolia (4 Jul 2025)
- » US State Lawmaker John Winter Caught Using Racial Slur "Jap" and Apologized (11 Jun 2025)
- » US Government Plans to Purge WW2 Information (17 Mar 2025)
- » See all news
- » 1,182 biographies
- » 337 events
- » 45,119 timeline entries
- » 1,249 ships
- » 350 aircraft models
- » 207 vehicle models
- » 376 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 261 facilities
- » 470 book reviews
- » 28,415 photos
- » 365 maps
Joachim von Ribbentrop, German Foreign Minister, Aug 1939