MS Schwabenland (1925)
Schwabenland before 1939
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| History | |
|---|---|
  Weimar / Nazi Germany
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| Name: | SS Schwabenland |
| Namesake: | The region of Swabia in Germany |
| Launched: | 1925 |
| Refit: | 1934 |
| Fate: | Loaded with poison gas shells and scuttled, 31 December 1946 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Steamship |
| Tonnage: | 8,500 GRT |
| Propulsion: | Twin diesel screws |
| Speed: | 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Aviation facilities: | Crane and catapult for flying boats |
The MS Schwabenland was a German catapult ship owned by the Deutsche Luft Hansa. It took part in the 1938-1939 Third German Antarctic Expedition.
The Schwabenland was a Hansa liner of 8,500 GRT, built in 1925. It was converted into a catapult ship in 1934; a Heinkel-built K-9 catapult was installed on the ship's stern, along with a crane for lifting aircraft. The K-9 could accelerate a 15-ton aircraft to 94 miles per hour (151 km/h). The Schwabenland's twin diesel screws gave it a speed of 12 knots.
Lufthansa sought to engage in air mail service to the Americas using seaplanes launched off catapult ships, with the Schwabenland being the second of those ships. The craft flew with a payload of 500 kg (1,102 lbs) over 5,000 km (3,166 miles); each flight carried 100,000 air mail letters.
Two Dornier Do 18 Lufthansa seaplanes christened Zephir and Aeolus were used for air mail flights from the Azores to the United States and from Fernando de Noronha to Natal.
The Schwabenland was borrowed from Lufthansa for the 1938-1939 Third German Antarctic Expedition. The ship sailed in secret from Hamburg on 17 December 1938, carrying a complement of 82 men and two Dornier Wal seaplanes. The ship contacted the German whaling fleet off Bouvet Island, then anchored near the edge of the pack ice at 69°14′S, 4°30′W. After the expedition had completed its work, the Schwabenland headed north on 6 February 1938, reaching Germany again on 11 April.
In October 1939 the Schwabenland entered Luftwaffe service and used Blohm & Voss BV 138 seaplanes. After the fall of France it was stationed off the coast of Occupied France, based from the ports of Le Havre and Boulogne.
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