German trawler V 621 Mars

Mars was a German fishing trawler which was built in 1937. She was requisitoned by the Kriegsmarine during the Second World War. She was used as a minesweeper under the Pennant numbers M 1402 and M 4413, and later as the Vorpostenboot V 621 Mars. She was lost in an Allied air attack in July 1944.

The ship was 35.84 m (117 ft 7 in) long, with a beam of 7.49 metres (24 ft 7 in). She had a depth of 3.28 m (10 ft 9 in). She was assessed at 268 GRT, 124 NRT. She was powered by a diesel engine, which had 8 cylinders of 28 centimetres (11 in) diameter by 44.9 centimetres (17+11⁄16 in) stroke. The engine was built by Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz AG, Köln, Germany. It was rated at 94 nhp. It drove a single screw propeller.^[1] It could propel the ship at 11 knots (20 km/h).^[2]

Mars was built as yard number 116 by Schulte & Bruns, Emden, Germany.^[2] She was launched on 8 June 1937 and completed on 7 August. She was owned by the Dollart Heringfischerei AG, Emden^[3] Her port of registry was Emden. She was allocated the Code Letters DGLF,^[1] and the fishing boat registration AE 91.^[3]

On 10 September 1939, Mars was requisitioned by the Kriegsmarine, serving with 14 Minensuchflotille as the minesweeper M 1402. On 12 April 1942, she was reallocated to 44 Minensuchflotille and her pennant number was changed to M 4413. On 1 January 1943, she was designated as a vorpostenboot. She was allocated to 6 Vorpostenflotille as V 621 Mars. On 15 July 1944, she was attacked off La Pallice, Charente-Inférieure, France by two Allied aircraft and set afire. She was beached on Belle Île, Morbihan, where she burnt out. Mars was a total loss.^[3] V 624 Köln was severely damaged in the attack.^[4]

• Gröner, Erich (1993). Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815-1945 (in German). Vol. 8/I: Flußfahrzeuge, Ujäger, Vorpostenboote, Hilfsminensucher, Küstenschutzverbände (Teil 1). Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 3-7637-4807-5.