View source for MV Esso Hamburg

{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = Esso_Hamburg.jpg
| Ship caption = MV ''Esso Hamburg'' at dock, just after being renamed in December 1939
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = 
| Ship country = 
| Ship flag = 
| Ship name = *''Esso Colon''
*''Esso Hamburg''
| Ship namesake = 
| Ship owner = 1939 [[Panama Transport Company]]
1939–1941 [[German-American Petroleum Society|Deutsch-Amerikanische Petroleum Gesellschaft]]
| Ship operator = [[Esso]]
| Ship registry = {{Flagicon|Panama}} [[Panama]]
| Ship route = 
| Ship ordered = 
| Ship builder = [[Deutsche Werft]] [[Finkenwerder]]
| Ship original cost = 
| Ship yard number = 225
| Ship way number = 
| Ship laid down = 
| Ship launched = 9 October 1939
| Ship completed = 28 December 1939
| Ship christened = 
| Ship acquired = 1939
| Ship maiden voyage = 
| Ship in service = 
| Ship out of service = 4 June 1941
| Ship identification = [[Official number]]: 5613924
| Ship fate = [[Scuttling|Scuttled]] 4 June 1941
| Ship notes = 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = 
| Ship type = [[Tanker (ship)|Tanker]]
| Ship tonnage = {{GRT|9848}}
| Ship displacement = 
| Ship length = {{cvt|155.6|m|ftin}}
| Ship beam = {{cvt|20.1|m|ftin}}
| Ship height = 
| Ship draught = 
| Ship depth = 
| Ship decks = 
| Ship deck clearance = 
| Ship power = 1 × diesel engine
| Ship propulsion = screw
| Ship speed = {{convert|12|kn|lk=in}}
| Ship capacity = 
| Ship crew = 
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2019}}
'''MV ''Esso Hamburg''''' was a [[Tanker (ship)|supply tanker]] ordered from [[Deutsche Werft]] [[Finkenwerder]] in 1939 for the Panama Transport Company as '''MV ''Esso Colon'''''. Later in 1939 ownership was transferred to the Deutsch-Amerikanische Petroleum company and she was launched as ''Esso Hamburg'' on 9 October 1939.<ref>{{cite web |title=MV Esso Hamburg |url=https://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?139530 |website=WreckSite |publisher=The Wrecksite Read |accessdate=2 January 2019}}</ref> She was subsequently used as an oiler for {{ship|German battleship|Bismarck||2}} and other German warships.<ref name="Showell1999">{{cite book|author=Jak P. Mallmann Showell|title=German Navy Handbook, 1939-1945|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pOhmAAAAMAAJ |date=1999|publisher=Sutton|isbn=978-0-7509-1556-4|page=119}}</ref>

==Crew==
The crew of the ''Esso Hamburg'' has a complement of 85 men, formed from: 
* 1 [[Kriegsmarine]] officer and 10 Merchant Marine officers
* 7 Kriegsmarine [[petty officer]]s
* 48 men of the Kriegsmarine and 21 Merchant Marine.<ref name="nid"/>

This was a relatively large complement of men in order to expedite the refueling of [[U-boat]]s and surface ships.<ref name="nid"/>

==Early history==
[[File:Esso_Hamburg_Refueling.jpg|left|thumb|MV ''Esso Hamburg'' refueling a German Cruiser during 1940]]
In March 1940, Captain Braunwarth took command of the vessel.<ref name="nid">{{cite book |title=C.B. 4051(28) Report of Interrogation of Prisoners of War from German Supply Ships |date=September 1941 |publisher=NAVAL INTELLIGENCE DIVISION |location=N.I.D. 2 114/41, ADMIRALTY, S.W.1}}{{PD-notice}}</ref> In June 1940, she sailed with a cargo of fuel via the [[Kiel Canal]] to [[Bergen]]. After transferring oil to a submarine close to the Bergen shore, she ripped her hull on a reef.<ref name="nid"/> After trying to find a berth, she spent two months being repaired at [[Akers mekaniske Verksted|Akers' yard]] in [[Oslo]].<ref name="nid"/> In November 1940 she sailed back to Kiel, then to [[Rotterdam]] to get armaments fitted. These consisted of three French 75 mm guns and three German 20 mm guns. The ''Esso Hamburg'' was also fitted with a [[direction finding]] (DF) device.<ref name="nid"/> In late December 1940, she sailed for [[Cherbourg]] where her gun platforms were strengthened and additional fresh water tanks were added.<ref name="nid"/>

==Atlantic sailing==
Around 10 January 1941, ''Esso Hamburg'' left Cherbourg for the [[North Atlantic]], taking a position south of [[Cape Farewell, Greenland|Cape Farewell]] in Greenland.<ref name="nid"/> ''Esso Hamburg'' was part of [[Operation Berlin (Atlantic)|Operation Berlin]], which sailed on 22 January 1941, along with the naval oilers {{ship|German tanker|Uckermark||2}} and {{ship||Ermland|ship|2}} plus the tankers {{ship||Schlettstadt|ship|2}}, {{ship||Adria|ship|2}} and {{ship||Friedrich Breme|ship|2}}.<ref name="KoopSchmolke2014">{{cite book|author1=Gerard Koop|author2=Klaus-Peter Schmolke|title=Battleships of the Scharnhorst Class: Warships of the Kriegsmarine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8BdqBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA51|access-date=1 January 2019|date=1991|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|isbn=978-1-84832-192-2|page=51}}</ref> ''Esso Hamburg'' sailed north for approximately four weeks before encountering two cruisers. Following standard procedure, the ship tried to flee before the cruisers overtook ''Esso Hamburg'' and identified themselves as the {{ship|German battleship|Scharnhorst||2}} and {{ship|German battleship|Gneisenau||2}}.<ref name="nid"/> On 14 February 1941, as part of [[Operation Berlin (Atlantic)|Operation Berlin]], ''Esso Hamburg'' shipped about {{cvt|2582|m3|impgal}} of oil to the [[capital ship]] {{ship|German battleship|Scharnhorst||2}}.<ref name="nid"/><ref>{{cite book|author1=Gerard Koop|author2=Klaus-Peter Schmolke|title=Battleships of the Scharnhorst Class: Warships of the Kriegsmarine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8BdqBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA110 |date=1991|publisher=Seaforth Publishing|isbn=978-1-84832-192-2|page=110}}</ref> According to later prisoner statements, the ship remained in the area north of the [[Grand Banks of Newfoundland]] for over two months, where the cold was considered intense (as the crew lacked warm clothing).<ref name="nid"/> These prisoners stated that American patrol vessels capable of 20 knots were sighted and ''Esso Hamburg'' was fired on, leading Captain Braunwarth to think his ship was being followed.<ref name="nid"/> According to Captain Braunwarth (whose interrogation statements have been proven to be false or unreliable), he decided to return to port in St. Nazaire after the rudder was damaged in a storm.<ref name="nid"/> On 12 April, the ship returned to port, completing its first Atlantic voyage.<ref name="nid"/>

==Supplies==
The following supplies were taken on in [[St. Nazaire]].<ref name="nid"/>

* 7,400 tons of fuel oil – this was much less than the ship could hold but was sufficient for the ship to maintain the correct speed to complete the mission.
* 1,200 tons of Diesel oil for own consumption
* 20 torpedoes in their crates
* 2,000–3,000 tons of fresh water
* 300 tons of special boiler water
* 2,500 20.5&nbsp;cm shells
* Provisions for 2,000 men

==Last cruise==
On 20 May 1941 ''Esso Hamburg'' sailed from St. Nazaire with a mission to supply both ''Bismarck'' and {{ship|German cruiser|Prinz Eugen||2}}.<ref name="nid"/> ''Esso Hamburg'' monitored the same frequencies that both ships used, so was able to keep track of their position, using the DF device.<ref name="nid"/> On the 24 May 1941 the [[Oberkommando der Marine]] ordered the ship to refuel ''Bismarck''. Admiral [[Günther Lütjens]] disagreed with the order as the ship was being shadowed by two heavy cruisers.<ref name="nid"/> On 25 or 26 May, the captain was ordered to refuel ''Prinz Eugen'' on the 27 May.<ref name="nid"/> Prisoner statements confirm that the time of the rendezvous was 0545hours.<ref name="nid"/> On the 27th, ''Prinz Eugen'' was sighted at the location {{coord|48|N|33|W|display=inline}}. Again as per standard operating procedure, ''Esso Hamburg'' tried to flee before ''Prinz Eugen'' overtook her and identified herself.<ref name="nid"/> According to the prisoners' statements, ''Prinz Eugen'' appeared undamaged.

Oiling started at 0700 hours, with around 700 tons transferred and the operation completed at 1130hours, after which the ''Prinz Eugen'' sailed eastward.<ref name="nid"/> The ''Esso Hamburg'' remained in the area for 2 further days waiting for orders to refuel other warships, but none came. After the two days passed and having received no orders, the ship sailed south between the [[30th meridian west|30th]] and [[32nd meridian west|32nd meridian]] to what the captain stated was a safer area.<ref name="nid"/> On the 29 May 1941, the captain of the [[SS Egerland|''Egerland'']] received orders from the OKH to rendezvous with the ''Esso Hamburg'' on the 4 June 1941 at {{coord|7|N|31|W|display=inline}}, to transfer oil.<ref name="nid"/>

On 4 June 1941, while on the move to meet the tanker ''Egerland'', ''Esso Hamburg'' took fire from the [[heavy cruiser]] {{HMS|London|69|6}} and the [[destroyer]] {{HMS|Brilliant|H84|6}} at location {{coord|7|35|N|31|25|W|display=inline}}. At 1400 hours, the ship was [[scuttling|scuttled]] by her crew. Eighty-seven crew members were captured and transported to HMS ''London''.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Supply ships of the Kriegsmarine, Western Section}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Esso Hamburg, MV}}
[[Category:1939 ships]]