KM subsidized banana plantations to get fast ships built?

[Sid Guttridge]

According to Hitler's Secret Pirate Fleet: The Deadliest Ships of World War II by James P. Duffy, in the 1930s the Kriegsmarine subsidized several Central American banana plantations in order to get German shipbuilders to construct refrigerated merchant ships (reefers).

The advantage of reefers was that they were necessarily relatively fast merchantmen because they needed to get their cargo to market in Europe quickly, and sat relatively low in the water. These characteristics of speed and a small target made them paricularly suitable to the German Navy for conversion into auxiliary cruisers for commerce raiding.

However, the only one of the nine raiders that appears to fit this profile is the Thor.

Furthermore, I can find no reference beyond Duffy's unfootnoted book to this alleged far-sighted policy.

Does anyone have better sourced information on this?

Have I, perhaps, missed that other raiders were also reefers?

Or that other reefers built under this plan never made it home for conversion into raiders?

Many thanks,

Sid

[Felix C]

Sounds apocryhpal as it is reminiscent of the pre-WW1 practice among certain nations to subsidize large passenger ship construction for later use as naval auxiliaries.

No footnoting anywhere in that tome or another which indicates the same.

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi Felix,

Thanks. It seemed possible for the same reason you gave, but in the absence of any hard supporting facts, I will also regard it as apocryphal until other evidence surfaces.

Sid.

[Polar bear]

hi, Sid,

The advantage of reefers was that they .. sat relatively low in the water.

This is, simply, wrong. Bananas were comparatively light cargo and the ships rode high in the water.

greetings, the pb

[Felix C]

Hi Felix,

Thanks. It seemed possible for the same reason you gave, but in the absence of any hard supporting facts, I will also regard it as apocryphal until other evidence surfaces.

Sid.

I wrote a followup last night but browser failed to post...I looked up the Paul Schlembach's title
http://www.amazon.com/German-raiders-au ... 0870218247 and there is no mention regarding banana carriers but yes to pre-WW1 mail steamers. PS was a serving pre-WW2 officer and presumably would know if banana companies were subsidized.

[Polar bear]

hi,

I looked up the Paul Schlembach's title ... PS was a serving pre-WW2 officer

his name is Paul Schmalenbach and he was 2nd gunnery officer on PRINZ EUGEN.

greetings, the pb

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi Polar Bear,

I imagine that their load in wartime wasn't intended to be bananas, but point taken.

Cheers,

Sid.