Editing AG Weser (section)

=== Naval Shipbuilding ===
A.G. "Weser" was one of the great German manufacturers of warships, besides [[Blohm & Voss]], the imperial shipyards in Kiel, Danzig and Wilhelmshaven, which later became [[Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven]], and Schichau Shipyard Danzig. This was contrary to the second great Bremen shipyard [[Bremer Vulkan]], which with exception of both World Wars, only produced civilian ships and started warship-building except war-times only in the early 1980s.

A first important warship-order came from the ''Kaiserliche Marine'', between 1875 and 1884 altogether 29 gunboats were built. By this A.G. "Weser"  started its career as an important constructor of war ships for the Imperial German Navy first and the [[Nazi Germany|Nazi German]] Kreigsmarine. Altogether A.G. "Weser" built 146 units for the Imperial Navy and 196 units for the Kriegsmarine.<ref>Pamphlet 125th anniversary of AG Weser, 1986</ref> After [[World War II|the Second World War]], A.G. "Weser" only built a single warship for the German Navy, in 1979/81 the {{sclass|Bremen|frigate|0}} F122-type frigate ''Niedersachsen'' in collaboration with frigate general contractor ''Bremer Vulkan''.

The share of warships from all delivered new constructions came to about 50% in 1909/10 and increased to nearly 100% in 1916 during the First World War. After 1936, it was again about 66% with an increasing share to about 80% in 1938. Construction of warships started in 1936 with the artillery training ship ''Brummer'' for the Kriegsmarine, followed by destroyers and U-boats. The last civilian ships built in 1939 were the merchant ships ''Neidenfels'' for the German company ''D.D.G. Hansa'' and ''Java'' for a shipping company in the Netherlands. The latter was the last civilian ship for many years. After that only warships were constructed, mainly U-boats and some destroyers.

The first U-boats constructed were [[German Type UB I submarine|UB I]] series. Later also [[German Type UC I submarine|UC I]], [[German Type UB II submarine|UB II]] and [[German Type UC II submarine|UC II]] series were constructed at AG "Weser". By 1917 most of the work went into the construction of the [[German Type UB III submarine|UB III]]. Later three [[German Type UC III submarine|UC III]] were ordered. but were never finished. During [[World War I]], AG "Weser" launched a total of 96 U-boats.

Because of intensive construction of warships, A.G. "Weser" was often the target of [[Strategic bombing during World War II|Allied air-raids]] during the [[Bombing of Bremen in World War II]], mainly in 1944 and 1945. But despite many buildings, workshops, magazines, slipways and docks as well as ships and U-boats under construction were damaged, in most cases production could be continued within some weeks. The estimated reduction of construction capacity at the end of war seemed only less than 30%.

In March 1944, the building of the bunker ''Hornisse'' (Eng. Hornet) was started near the shipyard. Well-protected from air attacks, it was intended to produce U-boat sections in. These prefabricated sections were then shipped to the [[U-boat pen]] [[Valentin submarine pens|Valentin]] about 30 km downstream the river Weser. Together with parts from [[Kriegsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven]] and under management of ''Bremer Vulkan'' beginning end of 1945 monthly 3 U-boats would be completed there. Both bunkers had never been finished and U-boats had never been built there. The bunker ''Valentin'' is still existing today and partly used as a memorial to the many prisoners and forced laborers who worked and died there.