Bulgarian MFP ferry building for Germany, 1941-44. Drzhavna shipyard, Varna.

[Sid Guttridge]

I was surprised to learn that the Bulgarian shipyard Drzhavna verf. at Varna built 93 MFP armed ferries for the Kriegsmarine: http://www.navypedia.org/ships/germany/ger_amph_mfp.htm

That is around 15,000t of shipping and would appear to be the great majority of MFPs used by Germany in the Black Sea. They played a major role in supplying and evacuating the Kuban Bridgehead, Crimea and Odessa in 1942-44.

I presume this was a German-owned company. Does anyone know the circumstances under which this construction went on?

Cheers,

Sid.

[Bosnoljub]

I don't really know the circumstances of anything like that as I had no idea about this, however, thank you for sharing this intresting detail with us!

[Peter89]

I was surprised to learn that the Bulgarian shipyard Drzhavna verf. at Varna built 93 MFP armed ferries for the Kriegsmarine: http://www.navypedia.org/ships/germany/ger_amph_mfp.htm

That is around 15,000t of shipping and would appear to be the great majority of MFPs used by Germany in the Black Sea. They played a major role in supplying and evacuating the Kuban Bridgehead, Crimea and Odessa in 1942-44.

I presume this was a German-owned company. Does anyone know the circumstances under which this construction went on?

Cheers,

Sid.

Dear Sid, please see the attached file (in German).

https://easyupload.io/towkct

[Darius333]

Take a look at https://historisches-marinearchiv.de/pr ... eibung.php, too.
Go to "Datensätze" & search for "Varna".


Regards

Darius

[dibo]

The latest Bulgarian study on the subject is the book "България - морският съюзник на Третия райх през Втората световна война 1941-1944" (Bulgaria as a Naval Ally to the Third Reich in World War II 1941-1944) by Petar Daskalov (Steno Pulbishing House, Varna, 2016, ISBN 978-954-449-897-9). He studied the available Bulgarian and German archives and concluded (p. 193 of the book) that:
Държавна корабостроителница Варна (the State Shipyard at Varna) completed 41 MFPs (type A - 121-132, 143-145, 334-339, type C - 532-537, type C2 - 492-497, 559-561, type D - 849-851, 901, 903 (not finished - sections evacuated), 902 (transferred to Koralovag shipyard where renumbered to 905)
Кораловаг Варна (Koralovag Shipyard in Varna, private shipyard, German capital owned) completed 17 MFPs (type A - 133-136, 340-342, type C - 538, 539, type C2 - 579, 586, type C2M - 570, type D - 848, 899, 900, type DM - 905 (former 902), 906 (not finished - sections evacuated)
Флотски арсенал Варна (The Fleet Arsenal in Varna) completed 13 MFPs (type A - 137-139, 331-333, type C2 - 562, 573, 580, 581, type C2M - 568, type D - 852, 904 (not finished, sections evacuated)
other MFPs built in Varna, but which shipyard produced these is not known - type C2 - 558, 563-567, 574-578, 583-584, type C2M - 569, 571, 572, type DM - 907, 908.

Total built in Varna - 91 MFPs. Also 35 KFKs (another 10 were captured incomplete by the Soviets in 09.1944), 10-16 "Delfin" motor boats, etc.

Regarding the shipyards:
The State shipyard was owned by the Bulgarian state (militarized in 06.1941), the Fleet Arsenal by the Bulgarian Navy and the Koralovag shipyard was a private one (1941-1942 its capital was 20 mln. BGL, of which 19 980 000 were owned by the German "Viking Schiffbau-Gesellschaft")

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi dibo,

Thanks very much for the update and the book lead.

In appreciation,

Sid.

[Darius333]

Thank you dibo.


Regards

Darius