Scuttling the Navy August 29, 1943:

Patrol Vessel HVIDBJØRNEN

By Søren Nørby, arts student

The patrol vessel HVIDBJØRNEN was serving as a training ship in August, 1943, and was scuttled by its crew in the Great Belt in the afternoon of August 29th.

HVIDBJØRNEN was raised on November 23rd.

The ship was repaired and served in the German navy as gunboat and guard ship.

It was found in 1945 near Rostock-Warnemünde, but since the ship was heavily damaged, the Danish navy did not want to recover it.

HVIDBJØRNEN was subsequently refitted and later served in the East German Volksmarine under the name of ERNST THÄLMANN.

The Patrol Vessel HVIDBJØRNEN
(Photo: Archives of the Royal Danish Naval Museum)

Picture showing the sinking of the HVIDBJØRNEN
(Photo: Archives of the Royal Danish Naval Museum)

The Patrol Vessel HVIDBJØRNEN id here seen as a training vessel in the East German Volksmarine, under the name of ERNST THÄLMANN.
(Drawing from the Naval Museum in Sassnitz,
courtesy by Captain Per Wessel-Tolvig)

44Get more details of the Offshore Patrol Vessel HVIDBJØRNEN

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This page was last updated: February 19, 2003

This page was first published: October 20, 2002

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