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

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

#1

Post by Sid Guttridge » 25 Feb 2021, 13:59

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.

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Bosnoljub
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Location: Ilijaš, Bosnia and Herzegovina

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

#2

Post by Bosnoljub » 25 Feb 2021, 14:29

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!
Neka oprosti gospođa Evropa, samo Bosna ima spomenike, stećke!


Peter89
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Re: Bulgarian MFP ferry building for Germany, 1941-44. Drzhavna shipyard, Varna.

#3

Post by Peter89 » 26 Feb 2021, 18:22

Sid Guttridge wrote:
25 Feb 2021, 13:59
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
"Everything remained theory and hypothesis. On paper, in his plans, in his head, he juggled with Geschwaders and Divisions, while in reality there were really only makeshift squadrons at his disposal."

Darius333
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Posts: 182
Joined: 07 Jun 2006, 22:31
Location: Germany

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

#4

Post by Darius333 » 28 Feb 2021, 16:42

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


Regards

Darius

dibo
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Joined: 25 Jun 2004, 11:10
Location: Sofia, Bulgaria

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

#5

Post by dibo » 04 Apr 2021, 12:38

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

#6

Post by Sid Guttridge » 04 Apr 2021, 14:05

Hi dibo,

Thanks very much for the update and the book lead.

In appreciation,

Sid.

Darius333
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Joined: 07 Jun 2006, 22:31
Location: Germany

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

#7

Post by Darius333 » 04 Apr 2021, 21:06

Thank you dibo.


Regards

Darius

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