Schleswig-Holstein visits Dublin 1937

[SchnellMeyer]

In April 1937 the German battleship Schleswig-Holstein sailed into Dun Laoghaire Harbour , Dublin. It stopped in Dublin for five days on its way back to Wilhelmshaven after visiting ports in Central and South America .Thousands of people lined the shore in Dun Laoghaire to see the battleship. The "Irish Press" newspaper reported , " As soon as the warship anchored , she hoisted the Tricolour ( Irish National Flag) and boomed a salute of twenty-one guns.This was replied to by a battery of artillery from the Irish Army at the East Pier ,and,the return salute completed , the battleship hoisted the German flag with the Swastika insignia in the centre " .
Over the next four days ten thousand people were brought aboard by motorboat to inspect the ship .
The commander of the ship Captain Krause called at the HQ of the Irish Army at Parkgate Street where he met the Minister of Defence Frank Aiken and Major General Michael J.Brennan ,Chief of Staff .
The following day the Germans met Mr.Eamon de Valera at the offices of the President .
On the third day of the ship's visit , 300 of the ship's officers , cadets and crew were taken to see a ancient Irish monastery in Co.Wicklow .
Two thousand people lined the front at Dun Laoghaire to watch the ship's depature .Just before the ship sailed , the Irish flag was lowered and the Swastika raised again as the band played "Deutschland uber Alles " and "The Soldier's Song" ( The Irish National Anthem)
For more information on the Schleswig-Holstein see "After The Battle " Number 65 .
Here are some photos of her visit to Ireland, enjoy.

[Tychsen]

Good example of how the great and rising powers projected themselves.
(As a teenager my late father saw HMS Hood anchored off Bangor in the approaches to Belfast Lough -the impression she made on him made him want to go to sea at sometime in his life.)
Schleswig-Holstein at the time of her visit was run on a combination of coal and oil fired boilers , taking her across the Atlantic would have been a potentially back breaking job.

[Shergar]

the hood was some ship , what ever happened to the german ship do you have any information about this james ? did it survive the war ?

[Tychsen]

Yes she survived the war , she had a complete refit in 38/39 and the trips such as Justin has mentioned allowed an opportunity to both "fly the flag" and to train crews in various aspects of seamanship and their "trades" etc.
Schleswig -Holstein she was upgraded in terms of AA, radar , fire control systems and moved from what was effectively a training hulk to that of a coal fired unit which could potentially preform ice breaking duties ( the Baltic freezes in Winter) and to provide seaborne guns to engage the advancing Soviets in the coastal regions of the Baltic and so support the German troops which enaged the Red Army in a desperate and losing battle.
She was severely damaged by the RAF in raid on Gotenhafen ( December 44) and after a week salvage work was broken off and the ship paid off.
She settled to the harbour floor and remained there , as she was at the end of the war.


(Photo from M.J. Whitley's "German capital Ships of WW2".

Whilst answering a post from CAm , I found this photo taken on Schleswig-Holstein as she openned fire on the Polish defences in Danzig.
Werner Henke is the officer directing the guncrew. ( From T.Mulligan's "Lone Wolf" - see viewtopic.php?f=88&t=8510&p=81768#p81768 ).

[mario33]

Schleswig-Holstein was a ship that 'started the war' as her shots against Polish Military Transit Depot in Westerplatte/Danzig at 4.45 on Sept 1 were long assumed to be the very first shots of 2 world war. Its not that simple now - there were attacks of Luftwaffe on Polish towns just before 4.40 - like in case of Town of Wielun. And attacks of German 'fifth column' of course...

Schleswig-Holstein is not lying on the floor at the Polish shores as you presume Tychsen I know most of the wrecks that are lying around here, including 'Graf Zepelin' and 'Stuttgart' (American war crime for many) and others...

I would find some info for you soon

[mario33]

'Ship that died three times'

She was hit by 3 bombs by RAF on 18 Dec 1944 and went to the floor of the port facility in Gdynia. On 21 march 1945 the withdrawing Germans decided to make the job done and blew the wreck up, somehow with little efeect. The Russians however decided to salvage the ship. She was brought up to te surface and towed to Tallin (today Estonia). There she was used as training ship. In 1956 she was towed near the Osmussar island near the shore and placed on the shallows. There she was used as target-ship for naval and air attacks. She was still visible on the surface in the 70s.

As she was a part of war history on the Polish shores, she was always of special interest to Polish historians and divers. What a coincidence - she was just visited by one divers expedition form Poland and will be visited again later this month First photos show she is no longer a cohesive ship wreck. ITS just a pile of corroded rubble now. The divers are looking for any detail that might be transferred to Poland for Westerplatte museum that is being refurbished just now. (Mind you, its 70th anniversary next year...)

[mario33]

the Baltic freezes in Winter

Well, Tychsen, dont spread propaganda Baltic freezes only far north near the Finland shores, sometimes near Estonia. Last mention of the Baltic totally frozen are from 14th century I guess

[Tychsen]

Mario it was the North end I was thinking of ( Should have been more specific in my post) , as you rightly say Gulf stream does its work on the lower region.
I am tempted to use the line from "Conspiracy -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWLvq0jC ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9iI0r4H ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXeW0Pwa ... re=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksp35yVE ... re=related

"How cold is it in Cracow ?"
"Sooner Cracow than Moscow"
"Now that it is German we should be spared those Polish Winters !"
" Not so ! "

( Love that movie ).


Is it true that the Baltic is a strange mixture of varying degrees of water and fresh water ?
( Or is a relatively salt free sea ?)
I hear that there are some monster Pike to be caught in Swedish wasters - they feed on coddling !!

Yes - "S.H." settled at her berth - as per the photo.

Thanks Mario for the update on her post war history ,I had thought that she was probably scrapped in situ , she had quite a bit of life in her soldiering on into the 1950's .
Would love to see what remains of her, as you say she played a significant part in history.