Seaplane Tender Richthofen (K62)

Richthofen

Country	Germany
Ship Class	Hans Albrecht Wedel-class Seaplane Tender
Hull Number	K62
Builder	F. Schichau Königsburg
Yard Number	1526
Launched	26 Sep 1942
Commissioned	1 May 1943
Displacement	1,215 tons standard; 1,375 tons full
Length	275 feet
Beam	35 feet
Draft	12 feet
Machinery	Four 12-cyl MAN diesel engines, two shafts
Bunkerage	120t fuel oil, 20t aviation fuel
Power Output	8,800 SHP
Speed	22 knots
Range	4,100nm at 16 knots
Crew	66
Armament	1x10.5cm SK C/32 gun, 2x2x2cm Flak 38 anti-aircraft guns
Aircraft	3
Aircraft Crane	1

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseRichthofen was the second of the Hans Albrecht Wedel-class seaplane tenders produced for the Germany Navy. She was originally planned under the name of Mölders, but the name was changed to Richthofen during her construction. She was launched in 1942 and was commissioned into service in 1943. She was initially deployed to the mouth of the Trave River in the Baltic Sea, but was shortly after deployed to French waters. In Apr 1944, she was interned by Spain. After the war, she was turned over to the United Kingdom in Dec 1945, which gave her to the Soviets in Mar 1946 as reparations. The Soviet Navy recommissioned Richthofen with the new name Chibiny.

Last Major Revision: Feb 2021

Seaplane Tender Richthofen (K62) Interactive Map

Richthofen Operational Timeline

26 Sep 1942	Seaplane tender Richthofen was launched at the F. Schichau yard in Königsburg, Germany.
1 May 1943	Seaplane tender Richthofen was commissioned into service.
15 Aug 1943	Before dawn, German seaplane tender Richthofen, torpedo boat T24, minesweeper M275, minesweeper M385, and Sperrbrecher 157 were caught by British cruiser Mauritius, destroyer HMS Ursa, and destroyer Iroquois in the Bay of Biscay off Les Sables d'Olonne, France. T24 laid a smoke screen and fired torpedoes at Iroquois, but all of them missed. British ships fired, sinking Sperrbrecher 157, and damaging all other ships; M385 was forced to beach to prevent sinking. HMS Iroquois suffered light damage in the engagement.
20 Apr 1944	Seaplane tender Richthofen was interned at Pasaia (Spanish: Pasajes), Basque Country, Spain.
16 Mar 1946	Seaplane tender Richthofen was given to the Soviet Union, which renamed her Chibiny.

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