 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (February 2015) |
 HMS Tartar's boarding party prepares to board the weather ship Lauenburg north east of Jan Mayen
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | Lauenburg |
| Namesake | Lauenburg/Elbe |
| Laid down | 1 July 1936 |
| Launched | 1938 |
| Acquired | 1940 |
| Commissioned | November 1940 |
| Fate | Sunk 28 June 1941 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Converted trawler |
| Complement |
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Lauenburg was a German weather ship used in the early years of the Second World War to provide weather reports for German shipping, particularly German U-boats. After the German use of such vessels had been identified as a weakness that could be exploited to break the Enigma code, Lauenburg was captured and sunk on 28 June 1941. The Royal Navy acquired important German code books and parts of an Enigma machine.