The Deutsches Marinemuseum is a maritime museum in Wilhelmshaven, Germany. The museum provides an overview of the development of the German navy from 1848 onwards. Besides an indoor exhibition there is an outer harbor where various naval ships and objects can be visited.
History
The museum came about after an initiative by the city of Wilhelmshaven. The city had long had a naval port within the city limits. The museum is owned by a foundation and finances its activities from entrance fees and also has various sponsors. The German Navy has its own museum nearby.
Exhibition
The museum building contains permanent exhibitions about three different eras: the navy between 1848-1914, during both world wars and the interwar period and finally the development of the navy after 1945 up to the present.
A mini submarine can be seen in this musem, the German Seehund (Eng. Seal) is on display, a Uboot uniform, and the ships bell from the German Cruiser Admiral Scheer and lots of other interesting items can be seen, all kinds of stuff used by the German Kriegsmarine during WW2.
In the harbor near the museum there are several ships that are accessible to the public, in the water or on the quay. Destroyer Mölders is the largest naval ship in the collection. The ship had a crew of 334 and the visitor is guided past weapon systems and living areas. The ship was made available by the Wehrtechnische Studiensammlung Koblenz of the Bundeswehr. There are also the mine hunter Weilheim and the submarine U 10. As of mid-2016, the S71 Gepard, a fast motor boat armed with anti-ship missiles, was added to the museum fleet. There are mines and torpedoes from World War Two and some items belonging to the German Battleship Tirpitz.
The outdoor area also gives an impression of the development of maritime technology from the First World War to the present.
Visit
Check the museums website for opening hours. Car parks can be found nearby.
Some comments on the photocaptions…
“German WW2 G7 Torpedo – Deutsches Marine Museum Wilhelmshaven”: This is a Bundesmarine DM11 torpedo (ie an ex-Kriegsmarine G7a(TI) torpedo reused with some minor modifications in the period ca 1955-1975).
Also, note that the Kriegsmarine torpedomodel is identified by the torpedonummer, ie “TI”, “TII” etc. “G7a” is not a designation at it’s own.
“Torpedo tube from German submarine – Deutsches Marine Museum Wilhelmshaven”: This is a 45 cm G/6 torpedo from WW1.