World War II Database

Contributor: Al Griffis

ww2dbaseIn 1841, Franz Tecklenborg, Johann Simon Abegg, and Peter Ulrichs established the new shipyard company Abegg & Co in Bremerhaven, Germany; Tecklenborg, who was in the shipping business, was a major financial backer of the new venture. Three years later, Abegg and Ulrichs decided to leave the shipbuilding business; Franz Tecklenborg and his brother Johann Carl Tecklenborg, with shipbuilding expertise, took control of the shipyard and renamed it Johann C. Tecklenborg in 1845. At this time, the shipyard had two slips and various workshops. In 1846, the shipyard launched its first sailing ship, Rappahannock. In 1852, the shipyard and the Royal Hanoverian government signed a 99-year lease for the construction of a double dry dock on the south bank of the Geeste River. Construction of the drydock began in 1853 and was completed in 1855. One of them was named the King George Dry Dock, and the other was dedicated to repair work, as decided by Johann Tecklenborg, to ensure income. Johann Carl Tecklenborg passed away in 1873, and engineer Georg Wilhelm Claussen took control of the operations. In 1880, it was authorized to build iron ships. In 1881, Claussen began a massive 10-year modernization and expansion project. In 1882, it became one of the first shipyards in the world to switch from wooden ship construction to iron shipbuilding; three slips were built during this year. In 1890, a fourth slip was completed and put into operation. In 1897, it became a public limited company under the name of Johann C. Tecklenborg Schiffswerft- und Maschinenfabrik A. G. During the same year, the shipyard move to the left shore of the Geeste, a little further up the river. The plan was to construct seven slips all of them with the most modern scaffolding and electric cranes and trolleys to rapidly transport parts to ships being built. In 1897, a patent slip is constructed at dial field. In 1898, the boiler and coppersmith buildings were expanded; a fifth slip was also built and put into operation. In 1899, the shipyard was connected to the railway system. In 1900, the living quarters for shipyard workers were built. By this time, it employed about 1,000 workers. In 1902, additional land were added to shipyard. By 1907, Slip VI was completed. By this time, the shipyard could build a 10,000-ton ship in eight months, which was as fast as any shipyard in the world. By 1910, Tecklenborg had employed about 1,500 workers. By 1914, it employed about 4,300 workers. During WW1, it built 40 minesweepers and 24 submarines for the German Navy. In 1924, after WW1, the lack of orders placed the shipyard in financial straits, forcing the shipyard to reduce to only about 300 workers. It was acquired by A. G. Weser/Deschimag in 1926. After two years of lackluster sales, Deschimag closed the former Tecklenborg facilities. Despite the closure, several ships built by Tecklenborg took on their roles in WW2, such as the passenger ship Weissesee, freighter Westfalen, minesweeper M107, among others.

Ships Constructed at Joh. C. Tecklenborg Schiffswerft- und Maschinenfabrik AG

Joh. C. Tecklenborg Schiffswerft- und Maschinenfabrik AG Interactive Map

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Joh. C. Tecklenborg Schiffswerft- und Maschinenfabrik AG Timeline