1.2.1940 Kiel Harbor 1st day at sea
After almost three months of training and outfitting Schiff 19 is finally ready to depart on her war cruise. The Kommandant Kapitan.z.S Hartmann travelled to Berlin for a final briefing and to receive the raider’s final operational orders from GAdm Reader personally. The task was simple raid enemy supply lines in distant waters, lay minefields, and raid enemy harbors in the Indian Ocean, Caribbean, and Pacific Ocean.
At 01:00 hrs. the starboard watch was called, and Schiff 19 cast off from Kiel on her war cruise making for Mecklenburg Bay where she will change her disguise from Sperrbrecher XI to a German transport sailing under the Reich Service Flag. The change in disguise will take 1 day. Afterwards the ship is to meet her escorts off Keldsnor and begin the voyage to the Norwegian Sea.
Paint and camouflage of the ship:
1. Outer hull black
2. On deck hatches, ventilators, winches, etc. dark grey
3. Superstructure grey
4. Smokestack light grey with black top length unchanged
5. Masts light grey crow’s nest on the foremast
6. Pole masts put up, including cargo booms
7. Cannon I and VI disguised as deck houses, light grey
8. Boats set out
9. Draft marks fitted.
10. Reich Service Flag hoisted on the signal deck.
