Condor II class

High seas anti-mine ship of the Volksmarine project 89.2 - "Condor II-Class"

Overview
Type	Mine sweeper and clearing ship
units	30 + 2 special ships
Shipyard	VEB Peene shipyard
Order	1968
delivery	1971-1973
Decommissioning	1990 (People's Navy)
Technical specifications
displacement	449 t normal / 480 t (89.2 UR)
length	56.52 m
width	7.76 m
Draft	2.22 m / 2.44 m (89.2 UR)
crew	29 (89.2) / 30 (89.2 UR)
drive	2 diesel engines M 40D with 2942 kW, 2 screws
speed	maximum 18  kn
Range	2000/1500 (89.2 UR) sm
Armament	3 × 25 mm FlaK 2M-3 (double barrel ) up to 24 sea ​​mines or up to 24 depth charges

Kondor-II-Klasse was the NATO name for a class of minesweepers and clearing ships (MSR) of the People's Navy of the GDR. In the Volksmarine, the ships had the project number 89.2 and the designation MSR-long to distinguish them from the four meters shorter ships of the project 89.1 . In 1984 the ships were again reclassified as deep-sea anti-mine ships (MAW).

Construction and history

The planning for Project 89.0 was carried out in 1965 by the Institute for Shipbuilding in Wolgast (ISW) and the Peene shipyard . From 1967 the production of the further development project 89.1 began. In 1968, as a result of an "operational-tactical requirement", a new development based on Project 89.1 was carried out, which ultimately resulted in the somewhat larger and better armed Project 89.2. From 1971 onwards, 30 ships were delivered from the Peene shipyard to the Volksmarine.

Drive, sensors and devices

The ships had a welded steel hull. Two Soviet-designed diesel engines of the type M-40D with a total of 2942 kW were used as propulsion , which could accelerate the ships of the class to around 20 knots via two propellers. The ships were equipped with a 3-cm navigation radar of the type TSR 333 and a Soviet sonar of the type "Lan" (camouflage designation "MG-69") for active search for sea ​​mines . All ships were equipped with transmitters and receivers for the Russian friend / foe recognition system of the "nichrome" type to identify friendly ships or aircraft and to confirm their own identity to the allies .

Armament and use

Project 89.2, here the Eisleben with the project number: 89.245

Main armament of the ships of this class consisted of three double carriages of the type 2M-3 , equipped with 25 mm machine guns . While the first, as in the previous project (89.1) , was set up on the forecastle in an open tower, two more mountings were placed amidships, immediately behind the forge on starboard and port side, on the superstructure, so that the weapons could theoretically attack the ship from each Could fend off direction.

Even if it did not correspond to the actual order, could if necessary from the quarterdeck sea mines or depth charges are dropped into the sea.

To clear mines, a clearing device of the type "shear kite device" (SDG R / L) (with floating bodies of the type "shear kite") could be towed on cables behind the ships to remove anchor mines or - with the help of so-called hollow rods - simple types of ground mines to fight. After a modernization measure and the reclassification to "Project 89.2 UR", acoustic mine clearing equipment could also be used. In addition, the converted ships, in conjunction with Mi-14BT helicopters, were also able to clear minefields that were too dangerous for the mine-clearing ship itself. For this purpose, there was an additional control officer on board the ships, who gave the helicopter instructions for clearing the mines by radio based on the information collected by the ship's sensors. From 1985, some ships were equipped with a FASTA-4M launcher for four Strela missiles each on the starboard bridge porch as a defense system against aircraft.

Modifications

• A ship based on the Kondor II, the "Carl Friedrich Gauß" (Project 136), was constructed in 1975 as a survey ship for the marine hydrographic service . It had no armament.
• The state yacht of the GDR , the " Ostseeland " (project 131) was also based on project 89.2.

Current Status

There are no more ships of this type in service with the German Navy . Nine ships, along with other units of the People's Navy, were disarmed and sold to Indonesia , leading to some protests. In 2008, according to Indonesian information, 90% of the former units of the People's Navy were still in operational condition. Two more ships went to Latvia . Uruguay received four ships, of which the Valiente , formerly Eilenburg , was rammed on August 5, 2000 by the Panamanian freighter Skyros and torn in half. Eight Uruguayan sailors from the Valiente died, three more are missing.

See also

• First Flotilla (People's Navy)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} http://www.parow-info.de/Einheiten/MSRKondorlang.html data at parow-info.de
2. ^ Oleg A. Godin, David R. Palmer: History of Russian Underwater Acoustics. ISBN 981-256-825-5 , pp. 702f.
3. ↑ http://www.parow-info.de/Einheiten/Mi-14BT.html MI-14 at parow-info.de, viewed July 5, 2009
4. ↑ http://www.wohnschiffe-vm.de/AWS_MERCATOR.htm CF Gauss at wohnschiffe-vm.de, viewed July 5, 2009
5. ↑ http://dip21.bundestag.de/dip21/btd/12/045/1204591.pdf Bundestag printed matter , PDF, question 43, viewed July 5, 2009
6. ↑ http://www.dmkn.de/1779/technologie.nsf/B36B1420D065A4C8C1256F8F003AF2B8/$File/marineschiffbaumvp_2.pdf  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Development of the Peene shipyard after the fall of the Wall, PDF, at dmkn.de, viewed July 5, 2009  
7. ↑ http://home.snafu.de/watchin/II_Sep_92/taz24.7.92.htm TAZ excerpt, viewed July 5, 2009
8. ↑ http://www.gfbv.de/inhaltsDok.php?id=97  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. sighted July 5, 2009  
9. ↑ http://alutsista.blogspot.com/2008/12/90-kapal-eks-jerman-siap-beroperasi.html Indonesian, press blog, viewed July 5, 2009
10. ^ The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World. 15th edition. Eric Wertheim, US Naval Institute Press, 2007, ISBN 978-1-59114-955-2 .
11. ↑ http://www.hazegray.org/worldnav/americas/uruguay.htm World Navies today, English, viewed on July 9, 2009
12. ↑ http://cargolaw.com/presentations_casualties.0.html Ship accidents in 2000, English, viewed on July 9, 2009

literature

• Hans Mehl, Knut Schäfer: The naval forces of the NVA . Motorbuchverlag, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-613-02406-3 .

Web links

• Auxiliary ships of the 1st flotilla
• homepage to the MSR "Jüterbog"
• Project 89.2 at parow-info.de