KFK HISTORY

Dolphin was built and launched in October of 1943 at Ernst Burmester Schiffswerft KG at Swinemunde on the Baltic Sea in Northern Germany, and is one of 612 Kriegsfischkutters (KFK's) built for the German Navy and Coastal Patrol during WWII.

The 18,000 kilometers of ocean coastline under German control during WWII required a large number of vessels for security and defense. By 1941, most of the fishing vessels in countries under German control had been confiscated for war purposes, but many more were needed.

An ambitious project of research and development to determine the best type of boat for this purpose was initiated under the direction of Eduard Eisenhardt. The traditional "cutter" hull, also known as a Staysail Schooner, which had been used by the British North Sea fishing fleet of deep ocean going trawlers, was selected for testing and modification. Research on improving this "trawler" type of vessel for other uses than fishing started in 1941 at the famous Hamburg Ship Building Experimental Station, at the German Lloyd and the Maierform company in Bremen. Seven basic hull types from 12 to 24 meters in length were identified and tested.

Outlines of the models tested in comparison.
Above: the Reichsfischkutter G/Vienna model 475.(Maierform GmbH, Bremen)
Below: shipyard Eckmann, Finkenwerden/Vienna model 474. (Eckman Werft, Finkenwerder)

Utilizing the latest ship building knowledge, special attention was given to modify and redesign the hulls for best results against underwater drag. This was the first time that sophisticated marine engineering and hydro-dynamic testing experiments had ever been done on fishing trawlers, as the costly towing and propulsion tests with exact scale model hulls at the Hamburg experimental station had previously only been used for the design of larger commercial and naval ships.

Model hulls used for towing and propulsion testing at the experimental shipbuilding station in Vienna. (Maierform GmbH, Bremen)

The experimental shipbuilding station in Vienna, Austria compared all of the test results and decided on a 24 meter long hull similar to the Reichsfischkutter G, the "reich" trawler, which had been designed previously.

The final design selected met the following shipbuilding criteria: (1) simple to build, (2) rapid delivery, and (3) low cost. The specifications which became the standard for all of the 1072 KFK's ordered to be built was for a 24 meter hull of 110 ton displacement, a 137 horsepower low speed diesel engine with a speed of 9 knots and carrying a crew of 15 men.

Based on this modified traditional hull, the KFK's were designed as extremely seaworthy all-weather vessels used for coastal patrol and defense, escort, aircraft defense and surveillance, as minesweepers, for harbor protection, as submarine hunters (some were fitted with depth charges), for dropping off special agents and spies, as search and rescue vessels and for transporting small cargoes. They were also constructed with the intention to use them as fishing trawlers after the war.

The first KFK was built in Hamburg in 1942. From late 1942 through the end of production in 1945, a total of 612 out of the 1072 ordered were constructed at 42 different shipyards in seven countries. Most of the KFK's were built during 1943 and 1944, with a few launched in early 1945 before production was halted at the end of the war. By far the greatest number of KFK's, about 411, were built at the Ernst Burmester Shipyards in Swinemunde, where Dolphin was built as KFK 259.
Steel was selected for the internal frame structure, as it was readily available, easily malleable, and relatively easy to teach unskilled workers how to cut, bend and rivet.

	Steel rib frame of an unfinished KFK. Two workers are fixing the diagonal ribs for the deck. (Archives Fr. Lürssen Werft GmbH & Co, Bremen-Vegesack)
Mounting the numbered rib frames and the first deck plates. (Archives Fr. Lürssen Werft GmbH & Co, Bremen-Vegesack)
	The diagonal deck ribs as well as the plates can be seen here.
The riveting of the deck plates is essential for the stability of the steel frame

Oak planking was used on early KFK's, but as oak quickly became scarce, most were planked with a pine softwood, probably Larch.

	Foreground: a keel-stern unit. Background: Hull of a new KFK almost ready to be slipped. Behind it the fitting-out berth.
Hull planks and Deck planks are being fitted simultaneously.
	Fixing the braces for the bulwarks (top). On the outside: plugging fastening holes on the hull planking (left in the picture).

Supervised by a crew of just 20 experienced professionals at the Burmester shipyards, a labor force of 2500-3000 men built 411 of the boats in a little over two years. The first KFK took 50,000 hour to build, but due to increases in efficiency, later ones were built in as little as 28,000 man-hours.

	Laying the deck planks - here done on KFK 1 at Eckmann shipyard in Hamburg-Finkenwerder.
The slip trailer can be seen clearly here on the slip track.

In addition to the Swinemunde production, 12 boats were built in Greece, 24 in Warna, Bulgaria, 12 in Cherson, Ukraine, 22 at six yards in Belgium, 29 at 12 yards in Holland and 44 boats at 17 yards in Sweden.

	A training boat in the "Kaiserfahrt" channel, where the shipyards used to test their new ships (connecting channel between Swine and the lagoon of Stettin).
A KFK at sea (Eisenhardt on the bridge, Burmester at the helm). Notice the stern bulge used for mine sweeping.

Some KFK's were originally built as sailing yachts to be used for clandestine missions such as landing covert agents in foreign countries. The KFK was less expensive, quicker to build and could be manned by a smaller crew of 11 (instead of 48) than the submarines usually used for landing secret agents. Many war missions of historical significance were carried out by KFK's disguised as sailing yachts.

	Henry Gruber's draft for the two sailboats rigged as ketch, reconversions from KFK 203 and 204.
This former KFK with the number W 45 is now the German Navy training boat NORDWIND.

Because of the scarcity of materials and simplicity of the construction methods used, it was said that these ships were "for immediate consumption" - they were considered to be short lived - but reality has refuted this idea, as many KFK's are still in service 60 years later.

Of the 612 KFK's built between 1942 and 1945, 554 did service at the war front,
11,000 crewmembers served on them, and 135 boats were lost in battle.

With a new wheelhouse, a full size command bridge, the massive front structure for the mount of the 2 cm anti aircraft gun and the amplified mast, the patrol boats were an impressive sight.

After the war, 182 of the surviving KFK's went as bounty of war to the victors: 140 to Russia, 26 to France, 9 to Norway, 5 to Holland, 1 to Sweden and 1 to Greece. The 293 German built KFK's which survived the war were rebuilt and converted for civilian use at 60 different boat yards in more than 30 separate coastal cities in Germany. As of 2001, 24 of these "indestructible" boats were still in use under German registry as fishing boats, sailing yachts and motor yachts. Many others are still in service in a number of countries throughout world as well.

Conversion of KFK 701-704 and 714 by Howaldswerke AG, Kiel

	A former KFK reconverted into a trawler during trawling operation
Photo of POLLUX (ex KFK 144) in the harbour of Hamburg-Harburg, still sailing for a private owner

The conversion of KFKs into Patrolboats of the Federal Border Guard (Sea) was done according to a standard plan. The superstructure and bridge were drastically changed. The front gun mount was replaced by a round structure containing lavatory, toilet and a cabinet for oilskin and naval materials.

For a complete history of the KFK series design, construction, war and post-war service, please see the book "KriegsFischKutter" by Herwig Danner published by Koehler-Mittler, which is the source for most of the historical information contained here. The book, published in 2001, is the result of 13 years of extensive research into KFK history by the author working together with the original KFK project managers to thoroughly and accurately document the heritage of these unique vessels.

	Book Title:	Kriegsfischkutter - KFK
	Author:	Herwig Danner
	The "KFK Kriegsfischkutter" was a war trawler.The German WWII Navy issued 1072 building certificates comprising the largest series in ship building history. 554 of them actually served in action on the war front. A few of them sail the seas as private or charter yachts or as training ships of the German Navy