German trawler V 209 Gauleiter Telschow

Gauleiter Telschow was a German fishing trawler that was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine in the Second World War for use as a Vorpostenboot, serving as V 206 Gauleiter Telschow and V 209 Gauleiter Telschow. She was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea off Heligoland, Germany by HMS Sturgeon (73S) on 20 November 1939.

Description
Gauleiter Telschow was 163 ft long, with a beam of 26 ft and a depth of 12 ft. She was assessed at,. The ship was powered by a triple expansion steam engine which had cylinders of 13+3/4 in, 21+5/8 in and 25+7/16 in diameter by 25+9/16 in stroke. The engine was built by Deschimag Seebeck, Wesermünde and was rated at 96 nominal horsepower. It drove a single screw propeller via a low-pressure turbine, double reduction gearing and a hydraulic coupling.

History
Gauleiter Telschow was built as yard number 265 by Schiffbau-Gesellschaft Unterweser AG, Wesermünde, Germany. She was launched on 25 September 1937 and completed on 17 December. She was built for Hussmann & Hahn, Cuxhaven. The Code Letters DUBE were allocated, as was the fishing boat registration PC 307.

On 12 September 1939, she was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine and commissioned with 2 Vorpostenflotille as the Vorpostenboot V 206 Gauleiter Telschow. On 20 October, she was redesignated V 209 Gauleiter Telschow. On 20 November 1939, Gauleiter Telschow was on patrol with V 210 R. Walther Darré when they were sighted by HMS Sturgeon (73S). Gauleiter Telschow was torpedoed and sunk in the North Sea 100 nmi north west of Heligoland with the loss of 24 crew. She was the first German naval vessel sunk by a British submarine during the Second World War.