R. Walther Darré was a German fishing trawler that was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine in the Second World War for use as a Vorpostenboot. She served as V 210 R. Walther Darré and V 208 R. Walther Darré. She was sunk in the English Channel by British motor torpedo boats in July 1944.
R. Walther Darré was 45.46m (149.15feet) long, with a beam of 7.69m (25.23feet). She had a depth of 3.81m (12.5feet) and a draught of 4.65m (15.26feet). She was assessed at, . She was powered by a compound steam engine, which had cylinders of NaNinches and NaNinches diameter by NaNinches stroke. The engine was made by Deschimag Seebeckwerft, Wesermünde. It was rated at 115nhp. The engine powered a single screw propeller driven via a geared low pressure turbine.[1] It could propel the ship at 10kn.
The ship was built as yard number 506 by Deschimag Seekbeckwerft, Wesermünde for the Nordsee Deutsche Hochseefischerei Bremen-Cuxhaven AG. She was launched in July 1933 and completed on 23 August. The fishing boat registration HC 273 was allocated. From 1934, she was allocated the Code Letters DJMC.[1] R. Walther Darré took part in the Festungkriegsübung Swinemünde naval exercises on 10 June 1937.
R. Walther Darré was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine on 28 September 1939 for use as a vorpostenboot. She was allocated to 2 Vorpostenflotille as V 210 R. Walther Darré. On 20 October she was redesignated V 208 R. Walther Darré.[2] On 9 September 1941, she assisted V 202 Hermann Bösch in rescuing the crew of the cargo ship, which had been torpedoed and sunk off Boulogne, Pas-de-Calais, France by the Motor Torpedo Boat HMMTB 54.[3] On 27 August 1942, she was attacked and sunk by Allied aircraft at Dieppe, Seine-Inférieure, France. She was refloated, repaired and returned to service. On 4 July 1944, she was sunk in the English Channel (48.6667°N -39°W) by the motor torpedo boats HMMTB 734, HMMTB 735, HMMTB 743 and HMMTB 748 of the Royal Navy. V 210 Hinrich Hey was also sunk in the battle. V 209 Dr. Rudolf Wahrendorff and the minesweeper were damaged.[4]