Description
KFK Kriegsfischkutter
WWII German multi-purpose boat
The KFK multipurpose boat project was developed on the basis of a fishing seiner by Maierform GmbH Bremen in 1941. Their production began in 1942 and was carried out, in addition to Germany itself, at shipbuilding yards in seven European countries (including Kherson, Ukraine). Simple and technological, with a wooden hull and diesel engines, the boats were quite successful, especially in terms of cost/efficiency.
Different armament options allowed the KFK to be used in different roles: as a patrol or escort boat, as a minesweeper to combat sea mines, as a training boat or as ASW boat. The construction of the KFK was the largest shipbuilding series in German history, with a total of 1072 units ordered, of which 612 were built. The boats took part in combat operations in all major theaters of the war, where the German Navy was involved – in the North, in the Atlantic, in the Mediterranean and Black Seas.
