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Robert Ley was the second purpose
built cruise ship to enter service for
the German Labor Front. This ship had
been named after the leader of the new
German union, Dr Robert Ley. Hitler took
a great interest in these ships attending
the launch and later the ceremony when
Robert Ley entered service
March 24th 1939. During the Spanish Civil
War July 1936 - April 1st 1939, there had
been a large number of German forces
operating in Spain. The assistance of the
German military helped the Franco
Nationalists take control of the country.
For the return of the German servicemen,
Robert Ley along with the
other German Labour Front ships
Wilhelm Gustloff,
Stuttgart, Der
Deutsche and Sierra
Cordoba were requisitioned as
troop transports.
During the German invasion of Poland
that followed four months later,
Robert Ley was used as a
hospital ship then later to transport the
victorious troops back to Germany.
Between 1940 and 1944, Robert
Ley served as an accommodation
ship based at Neustadt. She joined all
the other available German ships in
January 1945 to take part in the mass
evacuation of troops and refugees from
the eastern territories to save them from
the merciless Soviet forces. Two month
later, Robert Ley lay at
anchor off Hamburg when the Royal Air
Force attacked the city on March 9th.
With the British pilots succeeding in
hitting the ship as well, fire spread
throughout her decks until all that
remained was a burned out hulk. The wreck
of Robert Ley lay abandoned
for almost two years after the war had
come to an end May 7th 1945. She was
eventually towed to Britain in 1947 for
scrapping.
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