From Newsgroup: rec.aviation.military

Here is something from Facebook

Navy General Board
-+
-+
We spent a bit of time talking about the American observations of the
German cruiser Prinz Eugen. However, a lesser known bit of history from
the time is the German point of view. What did the German crew think of
their time operating under the United States flag?
I've collected as many stories and bits of information as I could find
into this post to give you an idea of what life was like for the German
crew following the Surrender of the ship to when the last of the crew disembarked.

1. Prinz Eugen was in Copenhagen when the war ended. She was
decommissioned on May 7, 1945. The following day, the British came
aboard to take command of the ship. Several of the German crew noted
that the transfer involved the rCLusualrCY British penchant for ceremony.
2. There was a lot of concern among the crew at the time. Due to their proximity, there was a very real fear that the cruiser would be given
over to the Soviets and the crew would become prisoners of war. However,
the British occupation forces were noted to be very friendly with the
Germans. There were assurances that any movement would involved sailing
West, not East, for the time being.
3. On May 27, Prinz Eugen finally got underway for Wilhelmshaven. She
was escorted by the British cruisers Dido and Devonshire for the
journey. Once the British escorts broke away, one of them flashed a
message to Prinz Eugen saying something along the lines of rCLGood Bye,
until better timesrCY.
4. Prinz Eugen was then docked in Wilhelmshaven along with a large
collection of other German ships. At first, most of the crew assumed the occupation forces would take over the ship and the crew would be
permitted to return home. However, only about half of the crew was
allowed to disembark. Most of the shiprCOs officers, engineering crew, and gunnery crews were ordered to remain aboard.
5. It was about this time that the crew of Prinz Eugen had realized that
they had an uncertain future ahead of them. The British occupation
authorities had moved Prinz Eugen into drydock and begun repairing her
damage. The German crew was ordered to maintain the ship in seaworthy condition. However, the fate of the crew and ship would not be discussed
with the Germans.
6. Despite this uncertainty, the crew of Prinz Eugen noted that they
were taken care of. In a time when the Allies were already beginning the process of denazification, the crew of Prinz Eugen were allowed to wear
their uniforms. Officers were even free to wear their medals and
ceremonial daggers. The British also kept the cruiser stocked with a few comfort items and remained friendly with the Germans. In addition, the
British were kind enough to permit the Germans ample shore leave as a
reward for maintaining Prinz Eugen. Most of the crew records at the time
were fairly content with the situation.
7. The crew of Prinz Eugen were well informed about outside events. They learned prior that the cruiser would likely go to the United States,
Britain, or the Soviet Union. Interestingly, they were almost positive
that the United States would not take the ship. They were aware of the
number of heavy cruisers the US Navy had put into service and thought it
was unlikely that they would take an older, inferior model.
Despite this, the cruiser was eventually ordered to Bremerhaven in
December of 1945.
8. However, the crew was unaware of how the cruiser was ultimately
awarded. The announcement that Prinz Eugen would go to the United States
was met with surprise and a modicum of excitement.
9. Several notes were made about the speed in which the United States
took control of Prinz Eugen. The Germans were surprised to see a convoy
of American trucks arrive, immediately offloading food and supplies.
They also brought supplies aboard that were unfamiliar to the Germans.
Several notes were made about the number of beds broad aboard for the
American crew. The Germans, accustomed to hammocks, were amazed that the Americans slept in beds on their warships. The level of luxury that the Americans enjoyed would become a theme throughout Prinz EugenrCOs service
in the US Navy.
The Germans were also surprised by the love of coffee in United States
Navy. Several crew members reported seeing coffee pots installed in
almost every single room aboard the cruiser.
10. Ironically, very little was done about the language barrier aboard
the cruiser. Instead, the bilingual crew members found themselves
elevated in performance. Germans who spoke English and Americans who
spoke German were given liaison positions.
11. On January 5, 1946, the United States formally commissioned the
Prinz Eugen into its Navy. Several of the Germans were actually happy
for this, simply for the fact that Prinz Eugen was operating once again.
They had also been told that they would be steaming for the United
States. Interestingly, this seemed to bring a measure of excitement to
the crew, many treated this as vacation.
The German crew were brought into the US Navy. Serving as rCLEmployed
Enemy CombatantsrCY, they were paid wages and were, for all intents and purposes, sailors of the US Navy.
12. There was not a lot of time for the Germans to get to know the new American crewmembers and vice versa at first. The journey to the United
States apparently involved steaming through intense storms.
This led to a unique situation. As Prinz Eugen neared the US Coast, she
had to turn back. A US Merchant ship had put out a distress call after
losing power. As Prince Eugen came on scene, the merchan ship was able
to reestablish power and resume course.
In an ironic twist of fate, a German warship was about to rescue an
American merchant ship when a year prior it would have happily sunk it.
13. The arrival in Boston was a major source of excitement for the
German crew. Some noted the pristine nature of the city given the state
of European cities at the time. There was anticipation for exploring the United States through shore leave. However, pressure from the media as
well as local governments led to the United States Navy preventing this. Instead, the Germans were confined to Prinz Eugen during her stay in Boston. 14. Despite this, the crew was able to talk with the Americans aboard as
well as the dockyard workers that came aboard in Boston to examine the cruiser. Several German records showed that the Americans were surprised
to see that the Germans were different from what wartime propaganda led
them to believe. Likewise, the Germans were surprised to see that the
United States and its citizens were far different from what German
propaganda suggested. This led to a curious period in which the Germans
and Americans exchanged cultural information.
15. This culminated with the German captain being taken to a local radio station. For several hours he was able to talk about Germany, life
aboard a German cruiser, his views about his experiences un the United
States at his leisure. This radio broadcast became immensely popular and
was heard across the nation. The result was that relations became even
more smooth.
However, other media stations grumbled about the positive reception
being given to the Germans.
16. Confined to the ship as they were, the Germans were still interested
in observing the shipyard and city around them. One thing that was
mentioned several times was the amount of wealth. The Germans were
surprised to see that every worker at the Boston Shipyard had a vehicle
they arrived or left work in.
17. The Germans also received a unique look at US industrial capacity.
One anecdote that was recorded noted a strange interaction between a
German and American.
While working on a piece of machinery, some specialized bolts made to
German specifications were needed. Within a short time, a box containing custom-made brass bolts arrived. The German was amazed at the speed in
which these bolts arrived, but was even more amazed by what happened
next. Once the needed bolts were taken, the American then pitched the remaining bolts overboard into Boston Harbor. His rationale? There was paperwork that accompanied returned material.
18. It was in Boston when the crew learned that Prinz Eugen would end up
in the Pacific to be used in a weaponrCOs test. Interestingly, several
seemed to prefer this outcome. They would rather see Prinz Eugen end her
days as a warship rather than be scrapped.
19. Prinz Eugen would be sent to Philadelphia next. During this time,
the German cruiser would fire her guns one final time. The German crew demonstrated the weaponry of Prinz Eugen against several simulated
surface and air targets. Several in the crew were reportedly happy to
put their ship through its paces again.
Reportedly, the Americans were also impressed with the performance of
Prinz Eugen.
20. The arrival in Philadelphia was of interest to the crew. Several
crew members noted the incredible number of building slips and drydocks
at Philadelphia. When dockyard workers explained the number of ships
produced at that one shipyard, one German crewmember wrote in his diary
that he wondered if the German Navy would even bother going to war if
they had known about such a vast industrial capacity.
21. While the crew was still confined to the cruiser, the restrictions
on visitors were loosened. The Germans were able to entertain many
curious visitors. At the same time, the crew of Prinz Eugen became the
subject of fascination for the large German-American population in the
United States. These wayward sons of the Fatherland were sent a mountain
of gifts and supplies.
In fact, so many visitors and gifts were going to Prinz Eugen that the
US Media got involved once again. Newspaper articles describing drinking parties and other debauchery were published. Eventually the US Navy
conducted an investigation, but quickly halted it after determining the Germans remained highly professional and disciplined. Even so, the local
media were upset about the popularity of the former enemies.
22. Soon, it was decided to send Prinz Eugen to San Diego for final preparations before her journey to Bikini Atoll. Most of the German crew
was sent home by this time. Only the engineering team and some liaison officers remained. Once again, there was a strange level of excitement
among the Germans about the prospect of sailing in the Pacific.
23. At this time, Prinz Eugen had seen her appearance changed. Her two forward 20.3cm guns had been removed for further study. In addition, the United States Navy installed a radar trailer atop the cruiserrCOs bridge
for navigation purposes. While the crew records mentioned a level of
respect for the flexible nature of the Americans, the biggest complaints
were of disgust at the ugly new appearance of their cruiser.
24. By March of 1946, the Prinz Eugen was sailing for the Pacific. Not
much is recorded at this time, as the crew was more involved keeping the
ship running smoothly. However, there was much excitement for the
transit of the Panama Canal. Most of the Germans were allowed on deck to
watch the trip through the Canal.
Apparently, there was also a chance meeting of a transport ship sailing
East through the Panama Canal. She was carrying German prisoners of war
back to Europe. Several of Prinz EugenrCOs crewmembers wrote about getting
to meet fellow countrymen so far away from Germany.
25. The most friction also occurred during this time. Two Germans
attempted to escape the cruiser. Both were captured within an hour or
two and brough back. Initially there were fears about the Americans
cracking down on the Germans in punishment. However, for the most part
the Germans got off lightly. A military police boat accompanied Prinz
Eugen during her stay in Panama to dissuade further escape attempts. The escapees were subject to the most punishment from their fellow Germans
rather than the Americans.
26. Off the west coast of Panama, Prinz Eugen demonstrated her advanced passive sonar system to United States observers. During a simulated
torpedo attack, Prinz EugenrCOs crew was able to identify a mass attack by over thirty torpedoes. The Germans recorded that the Americans were
extremely amazed by this capability. This led to the removal of the
passive sonar upon arrival in San Diego for further study.
27. A few more Germans were disembarked at San Pedro Naval Base, leaving
only a small skeleton crew to help the Americans bring the cruiser to
San Diego. It was at this time that the Germans found they had
overstayed their welcome so far as the United States media was
concerned. The fact that Germans were sailing a warship around American shores, paid for by the United States government, was a hot topic.
Perhaps inspired by the negative publicity, the US navy announced that
the last German crew would be disembarked at San Diego. This news was
actually less than ideal to the Germans. Most of those remaining were
excited about exploring the Pacific.
28. Despite the end of their journey, the arrival in San Diego was one
of the best times for the remaining Germans. The restrictions on the
German crew was loosened further and they became something of
celebrities. Many people visited them at San Diego including naval
officials, politicians, and others that were simply curious. Prior to
their final departure, the American commander gathered the Germans and presented them a commendation for their service before seeing them off.
The saga of the German crew of Prinz Eugen under the US Navy had ended.
--- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: rec.aviation.military

"a425couple" wrote in message news:laMkR.38452$A2I.37529@fx21.iad...
This is what followed: https://wwiiafterwwii.wordpress.com/2015/06/23/uss-prinz-eugen/

--- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2