Dithmarschen
| Country | Germany |
| Ship Class | Dithmarschen-class Auxiliary |
| Builder | F. Schichau Danzig |
| Ordered | 11 Feb 1935 |
| Laid Down | 6 Jun 1936 |
| Launched | 12 Jun 1937 |
| Commissioned | 20 Jul 1939 |
| Displacement | 8,962 tons standard |
| Length | 584 feet |
| Beam | 72 feet |
| Draft | 31 feet |
| Machinery | Four MAN 9cyl diesel engines, two shafts |
| Bunkerage | 9,000t fuel oil, 400t lubricating oil |
| Power Output | 22,000 shaft horsepower |
| Speed | 23 knots |
| Range | 12,500nm at 15 knots |
| Crew | 284 |
| Armament | 3x15cm/L48 guns, 2x3.7cm anti-aircraft guns, 4x20mm anti-aircraft guns |
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseDithmarschen was designed as a support ship, providing fuel, supplies, repair capabilities, and medical care capabilities to ocean-going warships and crews. She was commissioned into the German Navy in Jul 1939, and was undergoing an overhaul when the European War broke out two months later. She supported the battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau during the invasion of Norway between Jun and Nov 1940, then supported cruiser Admiral Hipper in the Atlantic Ocean in late 1940, then supported Scharnhorst and Gneisenau in the Atlantic Ocean in early 1941. Between Oct 1941 and Oct 1942, she operated in the Baltic Sea in support of the invasion of the Soviet Union. She returned to Norwegian waters in late 1942 and remained there for the duration of the war. She returned to Bremerhaven, Germany after the end of the war, where she was taken over by the British. In May 1946, she was turned over to the United States. Recommissioned as USS Conecuh, she served with the US Navy as a fleet replenishment tanker from 1953 to 1960.
ww2dbaseSources:
Navsource.org
Wikipedia
Last Major Revision: Jan 2022
Auxiliary Dithmarschen Interactive Map
Photographs
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Dithmarschen Operational Timeline
| 11 Feb 1935 | The order for the construction of Dithmarschen was issued. |
| 6 Jun 1936 | The keel of Dithmarschen was laid down by F. Schichau in Danzig. |
| 12 Jun 1937 | Dithmarschen was launched by F. Schichau in Danzig. |
| 20 Jul 1939 | Dithmarschen was commissioned into service. |
| 15 Jan 1946 | Dithmarschen was allocated to United States by the Inter-Allied Reparations Commission. |
| 2 May 1946 | USS Dithmarschen was commissioned into service with Captain Adolph Wilhelm Maddox in command. |
| 8 May 1946 | USS Dithmarschen arrived at Philadelphia Navy Yard, Pennsylvania, United States. |
| 1 Oct 1946 | USS Dithmarschen was placed out of service, renamed Conecuh, and reclassified as a fleet oiler. |
| 24 Oct 1946 | USS Conecuh was decommissioned from service. |
| 4 Sep 1952 | Conecuh was reclassified as a replenishment tanker. |
| 16 Feb 1953 | USS Conecuh was recommissioned into service with Commander Mason Behr Freeman in command. |
| 3 Jun 1953 | Captain Richard Ross Hay was made the commanding officer of USS Conecuh. |
| 30 Jun 1954 | USS Conecuh began an overhaul at Norfolk Navy Yard, Virginia, United States. |
| 4 Mar 1955 | USS Conecuh completed her overhaul at Norfolk Navy Yard, Virginia, United States. |
| 10 Jan 1956 | Lieutenant Commander John Louis Hostinsky was made the commanding officer of USS Conecuh. |
| 3 Apr 1956 | USS Conecuh was decommissioned from service at Norfolk Navy Yard, Virginia, United States and was transferred to the National Defense Reserve Fleet (James River Group, located at Lee Hall, Virginia near Newport News). |
| 1 Jun 1960 | Conecuh was struck from the US Naval Register. |
| 1 Nov 1960 | Conecuh was sold, for scrapping, to Southeastern Rail & Steel Company in the amount of $136,688.00. |
| 23 Nov 1960 | Conecuh was officially struck from the National Defense Reserve Fleet. |
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Lt. Gen. Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, at Guadalcanal
