German WW2 airplane tender "Boelcke"

Flugsicherungsschiff Boelcke

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Boelcke (K 54) was a German aviation support ship of the Karl Meyer class, operated by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. Built in 1942 at the Norderwerft Köser & Meyer shipyard in Hamburg, she was 78 metres long and designed to support seaplane operations at sea.

Her most distinctive feature was a large 18-ton crane, used to lift seaplanes from the water onto the working deck. Boelcke could accommodate and service several aircraft, providing fuel, maintenance, technical support and recovery assistance. Ships of this class formed an important part of the Luftwaffe’s maritime rescue and seaplane support network.

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During the final months of the war, Boelcke operated in the Baltic Sea, where she was involved in support and evacuation duties as German forces withdrew from East Prussia. On 16 April 1945, while sailing in the area of the Hel Peninsula, the vessel was attacked by Soviet Il-2 ground-attack aircraft. Bomb hits caused serious damage in the forward engine-room area, resulting in fire and loss of power, although the ship initially remained afloat.

The following morning, on 17 April 1945, Boelcke was attacked again and sank several nautical miles east of Hel.

 

The wreck now rests upright on the seabed at a depth of approximately -75 metres. It was identified by Polish technical divers in 2013. Despite heavy damage to the superstructure, many characteristic elements of the vessel are still clearly recognizable, including the massive crane structure, funnel, hull shape and large working deck, making Boelcke a particularly interesting subject for underwater documentation and 3D photogrammetry.

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Capturing the photos for this 3D model required three dives, with total time underwater over 9 hours.