Name Lichtenfels Operator DDG Hansa, Bremen Yard number 878 Launched 12 June 1929 Draft 8.49 m | Owner DDG Hansa Port of registry Bremen (1931-33) In service 1929–1941 Length 160 m | |
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Builders Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau, AG Weser | ||
SS Lichtenfels was one of the world's first modern heavy lift ship, built for DDG Hansa in 1929. She was equipped with a 120 t (118 long tons; 132 short tons) boom crane capable of lifting fully assembled locomotives, which were shipped to India.
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History
In the 1920s DDG Hansa recognised a demand for the delivery of fully assembled locomotives to India and as a result commissioned SS Lichtenfels from Deschimag Werk A.G. On 25 October 1939, while off the Port Sudan Lichtenfels was ordered to Massawa in Italian Eritrea. She remained here for 18 months, along with nine other German merchant ships: Bertram Rickmers, Coburg, Crefeld, Liebenfels, Oder, Oliva, Wartenfels, Frauenfels and Gera during the East African campaign. She was scuttled on 4 April 1941 along with other German and Italian merchant ships in an effort to block the use of the harbour. She was finally raised for scrap in 1950.
Code letters
Lichtenfels used the code letters QMKB from 1929 to 1933 and DOFY from 1934 to 1941.
Sister ships
As demand for locomotives from India increased, DDG Hansa also commissioned three sister ships: Freienfels (1929), Geierfels (1931) and Uhenfels (1931).