Eisvogel (1942 icebreaker)

Eisvogel was an icebreaker in the Kriegsmarine during World War II. After the war, the ship served in the Soviet Union until 1972.

Eisvogel
History
Nazi Germany
NameEisvogel
NamesakeGerman for Kingfisher
OperatorKriegsmarine
BuilderAalborg Shipyard, Aalborg, Denmark
Laid down1941
Launched1942
Commissioned1942
In service1942–1945
FateScuttled in Wismar, 1945. Raised and handed over to the Soviet Union as war reparations in 1946
Soviet Union
NameAlyosha Popovich (Алёша Попович)
NamesakeAlyosha Popovich, Russian folk hero
OperatorSoviet Navy
Acquired1946
In service1946–1972
FateBroken up
General characteristics [1]
TypeIcebreaker
Tonnage2913 tons
Length61.4 m (201 ft)
Beam15 m (49 ft)
Draught6.3 m (21 ft)
Speed12.5 knots (23 km/h)
Crew69

Ship description

The ship was built for the navy in Aalborg Shipyard in Denmark, which has been occupied by Germany since April 1940,[2] as a modified ship of the Eisbär under construction on Eriksbergs Mekaniska Verkstad in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was launched in 1942 and entered service on June 1, 1942. The ship was 61.40 m long and 15.30 m wide, had a draft of 5.90 / 6.30 m and a water displacement of 2090 t (standard) and 2913 t (fully equipped). Two standing triple expansion steam engines with a total of 3200 psi gave a top speed of 12.5 knots over two screws. The armament consisted of two 3.7 cm Flak 37 in single mounts. The crew consisted of 69 men.

Service history

Kriegsmarine

The Eisvogel served in the Baltic Sea as an icebreaker, tugboat, escort boat and most recently in 1945 during the evacuation of German refugees from East Prussia and Pomerania. At the end of the war, the ship was sunk by its crew after its last arrival with refugees in Wismar.

Soviet Union

Shortly after the end of the war it was lifted, repaired and delivered to the Soviet Union as spoils of war. Under the new name Alyosha Popovich (Russian Алёша Попович;[3] named after the Russian Bogatyr Aljoscha Popowitsch) it served in the Far East until 1972. The ship was decommissioned in 1972 and laid up in the Novik Bay ("Buchta Novik") on the Russky Island near Vladivostok. There it rusted along with numerous other decommissioned units until it came to the ship cemetery in Truda Bay. In 2003, only the largely rusted outer skin of its hull could be seen there.[4]

See also

References
  1. "Ilya Muromets (6805000)". Sea-web. Retrieved 2018-12-25.
  2. Foto des Schiffs beim Stapellauf 1942
  3. Manche Webseiten nennen Ilja Muromets (russisch Илья Муромец) als Schiffsnamen (in deutscher Transkription Ilja Muromez), aber dies war der neue Name der ebenfalls an die Sowjetunion ausgelieferten Eisbär.
  4. "Kriegsmarine: Lodołamacz EISVOGEL (Późn. Radziecki ALESHA POPOVICH)".
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