Replenishment Tanker Altmark

In 1929 the German navy decided to build tankers to increase the range of the battleships of the Deutschland class. In the 1930s plans for these special replenishment ships were drawn. They should carry fuel, water, oil, ammunition and spare parts as well as other consumer goods.

The first task of the Altmark was to supply the German navy in the Spanish civil war 1938/39. On August 5th, 1939 she left Hamburg to supply the Admiral Graf Spee. During the war Altmark took on the crews of commercial vessels the Admiral Graf Spee seized. After the scuttling of the Admiral Graf Spee she returned home with more than 300 war prisoners aboard.