Bundesmarine M1070 'Göttingen' and M1071 'Koblenz', Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, 31. Juli 1958.
During a youth exchange visit to Rendsburg in 1958, the boys in our Lancaster group were invited on board this ship for a days sailing in the Baltic! The crew entertained us with 'man overboard recovery', some mine sweeping exercises and kept us well fed - a right 'grand day-out', it was my 15th birthday, which I'll never forget.
M1071 & M1070 were brand new ships as was the Bundesmarine itself. West Germany too - barely 10 years in existence, finding its way through the devastation still in evidence around us. Fleets of rusting Kriegsmarine hulks lay in Kiel docks, I saw U-boats in their wrecked pens - all awaiting the cutters torch.
In those post-war years Germany was still under allied occupation, Schleswig-Holstein was in the British Sector as was much of Northern Germany. However, the growing threat of the Cold War accelerated West Germany's recovery in the 1960's. Gradually West Germany was brought in to play it's part in NATO and the occupiers were withdrawn. At some stage in this re-awakening or perhaps, besser gesagt 'Wiederaufbau' und 'Wirtschaftswunder', M1071 received its fore-deck cannon, notably missing in my photo and quite obvious in others on the internet.
Its sister ship M1070 Göttingen is seen tied up behind Koblenz in this photo. The group of exchange students including our German hosts was split up between the two vessels for the days activities.
Camera: Zeiss Ikon Box Tengor 54/18
Film: not known
Scanner: Epson V800 with Epson Scanner software.
Bundesmarine M1070 'Göttingen' and M1071 'Koblenz', Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, 31. Juli 1958.
During a youth exchange visit to Rendsburg in 1958, the boys in our Lancaster group were invited on board this ship for a days sailing in the Baltic! The crew entertained us with 'man overboard recovery', some mine sweeping exercises and kept us well fed - a right 'grand day-out', it was my 15th birthday, which I'll never forget.
M1071 & M1070 were brand new ships as was the Bundesmarine itself. West Germany too - barely 10 years in existence, finding its way through the devastation still in evidence around us. Fleets of rusting Kriegsmarine hulks lay in Kiel docks, I saw U-boats in their wrecked pens - all awaiting the cutters torch.
In those post-war years Germany was still under allied occupation, Schleswig-Holstein was in the British Sector as was much of Northern Germany. However, the growing threat of the Cold War accelerated West Germany's recovery in the 1960's. Gradually West Germany was brought in to play it's part in NATO and the occupiers were withdrawn. At some stage in this re-awakening or perhaps, besser gesagt 'Wiederaufbau' und 'Wirtschaftswunder', M1071 received its fore-deck cannon, notably missing in my photo and quite obvious in others on the internet.
Its sister ship M1070 Göttingen is seen tied up behind Koblenz in this photo. The group of exchange students including our German hosts was split up between the two vessels for the days activities.
Camera: Zeiss Ikon Box Tengor 54/18
Film: not known
Scanner: Epson V800 with Epson Scanner software.