Kaiserliche Marine sailors quarters

From the birth of the Dreadnought to the period immediately after the end of World War I.
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marcelo_malara
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Kaiserliche Marine sailors quarters

Post by marcelo_malara »

Hi guys. I have always believed that the sailors of the SMS slept in barracks when at port. Can anyone confirm this or if they stayed at their ships?

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frontkampfer
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Re: Kaiserliche Marine sailors quarters

Post by frontkampfer »

Marcelo,
I too have believed the KLM crews especially for battleships, batttlecruisers & larger cruisers stayed in barracks when in a home port with rotated detachments being on board. KLM ships we're not spacious when it came to crew accommodations. I think you would need to get some original German texts to confirm it.
"I will not have my ship shot out from under my ass!"
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marcelo_malara
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Re: Kaiserliche Marine sailors quarters

Post by marcelo_malara »

Look at this, from the recent Bismarck book.

Image
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hans zurbriggen
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Re: Kaiserliche Marine sailors quarters

Post by hans zurbriggen »

Hello Marcelo,
I do not have a confirmation for the fact that crew slept ashore during WWI.
I have another 'negative confirmation': for their new battleships, German designers paid great attention to crew acomodation on board. During Bismarck design, it was even imagined to shorten the citadel belt (145 mm KC above main belt at battery deck level between A and D turrets) covering only the central part (between B and C turrets), to allow scuttles to be installed on the battery deck in the areas of A and D turret, allowing more space for crew messes. At the end this was not necessary, due to huge dimensions of hull, but the mere idea that Germans could think to diminish their priority protection 'just' to create larger accomodation is a proof of the great attention to crew needs, in order to stay at see for long periods of time (source: M.J.Whitley).

hans
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marcelo_malara
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Re: Kaiserliche Marine sailors quarters

Post by marcelo_malara »

Hi Hans, seems to be one of those things that go on and nobody knows where it came from!
Byron Angel
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Re: Kaiserliche Marine sailors quarters

Post by Byron Angel »

The following book might be of help -

"War, Mutiny and Revolution in the German Navy: the World War One Diary of Seaman Richard Stumpf", by Richard Stumpf.
https://used.addall.com/SuperRare/submi ... store=ZVAB

I used to have this book, but do no longer. It has been re-printed a few times, is easy to find and not expensive. I'm also pretty sure that the original German language edition remains available.

FWIW.

Byron
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marcelo_malara
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Re: Kaiserliche Marine sailors quarters

Post by marcelo_malara »

Thanks Byron, I was thinking just that, the memories of a sailor must contain some mention, will look for that book.

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