The German ship Doggerbank (Schiff 53) was originally a British cargo vessel built in 1926 in Scotland. She was constructed by Harland & Wolff at Govan, Glasgow, and launched on 25 February 1926, with her completion date on 20 April that year. As an Inverbank-class motor ship, she was initially named Speybank and registered in Glasgow under the United Kingdom. She measured 420.3 feet (128.1 meters) in length, with a beam of 53.9 feet (16.4 meters) and a depth of 26.5 feet (8.1 meters). Her tonnages were 5,154 GRT and 3,154 NRT. Power was supplied by twin six-cylinder single-acting diesel engines driving twin screws, producing a combined 717 NHP, which enabled her to reach speeds of approximately 12 knots. Originally equipped with wireless telegraphy, her call sign was GLQF by 1934. In her commercial service, she operated as part of Bank Line, carrying cargo such as raw materials, fats, fish oils, and rubber. On 31 January 1941, she was captured by the German commerce raider Atlantis in the Indian Ocean and taken to Bordeaux, France. Renamed Doggerbank (Schiff 53) by the Kriegsmarine, she was converted into an auxiliary minelayer and disguised with a false identity as Levernbank, another Inverbank-class vessel. Under German command, she laid mines off South Africa in early 1942 and later traveled to Japan, where she took aboard survivors from other German ships. On her return journey to France in January 1943, she carried a substantial cargo and additional personnel. However, on 3 March 1943, U-43 mistakenly identified her as a British vessel and torpedoed her. She sank within two minutes, resulting in the death of most on board—approximately 200 men. Only a few survivors, including her captain Kapitänleutnant Paul Schneidewind, managed to escape. Schneidewind and a handful of others initially survived, but most perished at sea or died during their rescue attempt. The U-43 was itself sunk later that year, with no survivors. Doggerbank’s service history highlights her complex role during wartime, transitioning from a commercial cargo ship to a German auxiliary minelayer involved in strategic operations, before her tragic sinking.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.