German trawler V 206 Otto Bröhan

Otto Bröhan was a German fishing trawler that was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine in the Second World War for use as a Vorpostenboot, serving as V 207 Otto Bröhan and V 206 Otto Bröhan. She was scuttled at Caen, Calvados, France in June 1944. She was raised in March 1945 and converted to a survey ship for the French Navy, renamed Ingénieur Hydrographe Nicolas. She served until 1960 and was then scrapped.

Otto Bröhan was 55.65 metres (182 ft 7 in) long, with a beam of 8.44 metres (27 ft 8 in). She had a depth of 4.21 metres (13 ft 10 in) and a draught of 4.90 metres (16 ft 1 in).^[1] She was assessed at 510 GRT, 189 NRT, 1050t displacement.^[2][3] The ship was powered by a triple expansion steam engine, which had cylinders of 35 centimetres (13+3⁄4 in), 55 centimetres (21+5⁄8 in) and 88 centimetres (34+5⁄8 in) diameter by 66 centimetres (26 in) stroke. The engine was made by H. C. Stülcken Sohn, Hamburg, Germany. It was rated at 135nhp and 540ihp.^[2] It drove a single screw propeller via a low pressure turbine, double reduction gearing and a hydraulic coupling,^[2] and could propel the ship at 12.5 knots (23.2 km/h).^[1]

Otto Bröhan was built in 1937 as yard number 723 by H. C. Stülcken Sohn, Hamburg,^[1] for Cranzer Fischdampfer AG, Hamburg.^[2] She was launched on 28 December.^[4] The Code Letters DJVI were allocated,^[2] as was the Cranz an der Elbe fishing boat registration PC 9.^[4][5] The trawler was named after Otto Bröhan, a fishing boat captain from Hamburg.^[6] She entered service on 8 March 1938. On 1 April, her registration was moved to Hamburg as HH9.^[4][5] She fished off Norway and Iceland.^[6]

On 6 October 1939, Otto Bröhan was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine for use as a vorpostenboot. She was commissioned into 2 Vorpostenflotille as V 207 Otto Bröhan.^[7] Her armament consisted of one 88 mm anti-aircraft gun at the bow and one 20 mm cannon aft.^[6] She was redesignated V 206 Otto Bröhan on 20 October.^[7] She served in the North Sea, and following the Fall of France she was based at Saint-Malo, Ille-et-Vilaine, France and Saint Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands. In 1943, Otto Bröhan was rebuilt and her armament was strengthened. She now carried a single 88 mm anti-aircraft gun and five 20 mm cannon. Gunners were provided with armoured shields for protection.^[6]

On 6 June 1944, Otto Bröhan was in port at Caen, Calvados, France when Operation Overlord started, and was trapped there with V 212 Friedrich Busse and the motor minesweeper R 231 as their retreat from the port had been cut off. All three vessels were scuttled with explosives on 12 June, with Otto Bröhan scuttled in the Caen Canal.^{[6][8][9][10]} Lieutenant Commander Patrick Dalzel-Job was able to recover documents and equipment from the wreck on 10 July with his team from 30 AU (Assault Unit) Commando.^{[11][page needed]}

In March 1945, Otto Bröhan was refloated, given basic repairs at Caen, and laid up in August 1946.^[3] She was acquired by the French Navy and, between 1947 and 1948, converted to a hydrographic survey vessel at the naval dockyard at Cherbourg, Manche.^[3][12] She was commissioned on 1 January 1949 as Ingénieur Hydrographe Nicolas, with the Pennant Number P 664.^[3] Her armament consisted of two 20 mm cannon.^[6][13] Her complement was 68 men.^[12][13] She was based at Toulon, Var and was used for survey and mapping work of French and North African coasts.^[6] Ingénieur Hydrographe Nicolas was withdrawn from service on 18 July 1960.^[12] She was sold at Cherbourg that year by the Domaines de l'État, as Q 193, for scrapping.^[3][6]

• Blackman, Raymond V. B., ed. (1953). Jane's Fighting Ships 1953–54. New York: McGraw-Hill.
• Dalzel-Job, Patrick (1991). From Arctic Snow to Dust of Normandy. Leo Cooper. ISBN 0862998425.
• Gröner, Erich (1993). Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815–1945 (in German). Vol. 8/I: Flußfahrzeuge, Ujäger, Vorpostenboote, Hilfsminensucher, Küstenschutzverbände (Teil 1). Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 3-7637-4807-5.
• Paterson, Lawrence (2017). Hitler's Forgotten Flotillas: Kriegsmarine Security Forces. Barnsley, UK: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4738-8239-3.
• Roche, Jean-Michel (2013). Dictionnaire des bâtiments de la flotte de guerre française de Colbert à nos jours [Dictionary of French Warships from Colbert to Today] (in French). Vol. II: 1870–2006 (2nd ed.). France. ISBN 978-2-9525917-3-7. OCLC 165892922.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)