Alcyon was a French fishing trawler that was seized in World War II by the Kriegsmarine for use as a harbour defence boat and later a vorpostenboot, serving as Boot 10 Alcyon and V 420 Alcyon. She was bombed and sunk in the Gironde on 3 August 1943.
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | Alcyon |
| Owner |
|
| Port of registry |
|
| Builder | Bonn & Mees |
| Yard number | 163 |
| Completed | 1904 |
| Identification |
|
| Fate | Sunk 2 August 1943 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type |
|
| Tonnage | 247 GRT, 100 NRT |
| Length | 40.2 m (132.0 ft) (1925–35) |
| Beam | 6.6 m (21.6 ft) |
| Draught | 3.56 metres (11 ft 8 in) |
| Depth | 3.8 m (12.6 ft) |
| Installed power | Triple expansion steam engine, 60 nhp |
| Propulsion | Single screw propeller |
| Speed | 10 knots (19 km/h) |
Description
editAlcyon was 40.2 m (132.0 ft) long, her beam was 6.6 m (21.6 ft), and her depth was 3.8 m (12.6 ft).[1] Her draught was 3.56 metres (11 ft 8 in).[2] Her tonnages were 266 GRT and 103 NRT. She had a single screw propeller. She had a three-cylinder triple expansion steam engine, made by Alblasserdamsche Machienfabriek, Alblasserdam, South Holland, Netherlands. It had cylinders of 33 centimetres (13 in), 55 centimetres (21+1⁄2 in) and 89 centimetres (35 in) diameter by 61 centimetres (24 in) stroke; was rated at 60 nhp;[1] and gave her a speed of 10 knots (19 km/h).[2]
History
editBonn & Mees of Rotterdam, South Holland built Alcyon as yard number 163 by in 1904 for French owners.[2] Her code letters were OBNH,[1] and her port letter and number were B 2892.[2] By 1930, she was owned by Bourgain-Vincent, Boulogne-sur-Mer.[1] In 1934, the call sign FNOH superseded her code letters. She was sold to E. Malfoy & Fils in that year.[3]
On 26 June 1940, Alcyon was seized by the Germans at La Rochelle, Charente-Inférieure. She was allocated to the Hafenschutz-Flotille Lorient on 2 November, serving as Boot 10 Alcyon. On 4 May 1942, Alcyon was redesignated as a vorpostenboot. She was allocated to 4 Vorpostenflotille as V 420 Alcyon. On 2 August 1943, she was sunk in the Gironde in an attack by British aircraft with the loss of five of her crew.[4][5]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Alcyon (56480)" (PDF). Lloyd's Register: Chalutiers &c. ALB-ALE (in English and French). London: Lloyd's Register. 1930–1931. Retrieved 19 December 2022 – via Southampton City Council.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1993, p. 329.
- ^ "Alcyon (56748)" (PDF). Lloyd's Register: Chalutiers &c. ALB-ALE (in English and French). London: Lloyd's Register. 1934–1935. Retrieved 19 December 2022 – via Southampton City Council.
- ^ Gröner 1993, p. 330.
- ^ Rohwer, Jürgen; Gerhard Hümmelchen. "Seekrieg 1943, August". Württembergische Landesbibliothek Stuttgart (in German). Retrieved 19 December 2022.
Sources
edit- Gröner, Erich (1993). Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815-1945 (in German). Vol. 8/I: Flußfahrzeuge, Ujäger, Vorpostenboote, Hilfsminensucher, Küstenschutzverbände (Teil 1). Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 3-7637-4807-5.