German Flakschiff

As the Second World War progressed and the Allied bombing offensive intensified, the Kriegsmarine – who were responsible for coastal defence and the protection of naval dockyards – began to look as ways in which they could enhance the anti-aircraft defences available to them.

One option was to mount anti-aircraft guns around the vulnerable targets they had to protect; another was to mount the guns on ships that could be moved as and when required. A quick survey of the suitable ships that were available (i.e. ones that were large enough to mount the necessary guns and fire control equipment but that were not needed for front-line service) identified the following ships:

• Arcona (a former German light cruiser of the Gazelle-class)
• Medusa (a former German light cruiser of the Gazelle-class)
• Nymphe (a former Norwegian coastal defence battleship that was originally named Tordenskjold of the Tordenskjold-class)
• Thetis (a former Norwegian coastal defence battleship that was originally named Harald Haarfagre of the Tordenskjold-class)
• Niobe (a former Netherlands cruiser that was originally the Gelderland of the Holland-class)
• Ariadne (a former Netherlands coastal defence battleship that was originally the Hertog Hendrik of the Koningin Regentes-class)
• Undine (a former Netherlands coastal defence battleship that was originally the Jacob van Heemskerck)
• Adler (a former Danish coastal defence ship that was originally the Peder Skram of the Herluf Trolle-class)

These ships were all taken in hand and converted into flakschiff.