E-boat was the Western Allies' designation for the fast attack craft (German: Schnellboot, or S-Boot, meaning "fast boat"; plural Schnellboote) of the Kriegsmarine of Nazi Germany during World War II; E-boat could refer to a patrol craft from an armed motorboat to a large Torpedoboot. The name of E-boats was a British designation using the letter E for Enemy.
The main wartime production boats, from S26 onwards (but often designated the S100 class), were very seaworthy, heavily armed and capable of sustaining 43.5 knots (80.6 km/h; 50.1 mph), briefly accelerating to 48 knots (89 km/h; 55 mph). These were armed with torpedoes and Flak guns; commonly one 37 mm at the stern, one 20 mm at the bow with a twin mount amidships, plus machine guns. Armament varied and some S26 class boats substituted a 40mm Bofors or, less commonly, a 20mm flakvierling (quadruple mount) for the aft 37mm cannon.
The S26 class boats – which provided the bulk of the wartime deliveries – were 34.94 m (114 ft 8 in) long and 5.38 m (17 ft 8 in) in beam. Their diesel engines provided a range of 700 to 750 nmi (810–860 mi; 1,300–1,390 km), substantially greater than the gasoline-fueled American PT boats and British motor torpedo boats (MTBs).
As a result of early war experience of combat against the fast and powerful S-boats, the Royal Navy created its MGB force and later developed better-matched MTBs, using the Fairmile 'D' hull design.
History
Development
This design was chosen because the theatre of operations of such boats was expected to be the North Sea, English Channel and the Western Approaches. The requirement for good performance in rough seas dictated the use of a round-bottomed displacement hull rather than the flat-bottomed planing hull that was more usual for small, high-speed boats. The shipbuilding company Lürssen at Vegesack, Bremen, overcame many of the disadvantages of such a hull and, with the private motor yacht Oheka II in 1926, produced a craft that was fast, strong and seaworthy. It was also very light, being constructed of wooden planking over alloy frames. This attracted the interest of the Reichsmarine, which in November 1929 ordered a similar boat but fitted with two torpedo tubes. This became the S1, and was the basis for all subsequent E-boats.
After experimenting with the S1, the Germans made several improvements to the design. Small rudders added on either side of the main rudder could be angled outboard to 30 degrees, creating at high speed what is known as the Lürssen Effect. This drew in an "air pocket slightly behind the three propellers, increasing their efficiency, reducing the stern wave and keeping the boat at a nearly horizontal attitude". This was an important innovation as the horizontal attitude lifted the stern, allowing even greater speed, and the reduced stern wave made E-boats harder to see, especially at night.
The rounded wood planking hull helped reduce weight, and flattened at the stern area, the aft section area was reduced at high speeds, it allowed more hydrodynamic lift.
Layout
The internal layout of the E-boat remained the same for all types. Its length was generally divided by eight transverse bulkheads (made of 4 mm steel below the waterline and slightly thinner light metal alloy above) into nine watertight compartments. From bow to stern, these were:
Containing a trimming tank, the anchor chain storage locker, forward "head" (WC) and crew washroom;
the accommodation for senior ratings (six bunks, including one in a separate curtained-off compartment for the coxswain);
comprising the captain's cabin on the starboard side, and the radio room on the port side;
the two forward fuel tanks (capacity 2 x 3,000 liters), one on either side of a centerline walkway, located directly below the bridge;
the forward engine room, housing the two wing engines, still with a central walkway between them;
the second engine room held the engine driving the central shaft, with a walkway on each side, flanked next to the hull by auxiliary machinery;
the two largest of the fuel tanks (each of capacity 3,150 liters), again on either side of a central walkway, with a third (smaller) tank of 1,490 liters below the deck;
the junior ratings' accommodation, with bunks for fourteen men, plus the galley and the stern "head"; the boat's magazine was also in this compartment;
the two aft fuel tanks (capacity 2 x 2,000 liters) and rudder gear.
Note that the earliest (shorter) boats lacked the first transverse bulkhead, and thus the senior ratings' accommodation was included in the first watertight compartment.
Personnel
The earliest six boats had a crew of 12 men, but by the time of the S7 and S14 types (S7 to S25) the manning had increased to 18 men. The S26 class required a complement of between 21 and 24 men, and this remained generally constant for all subsequent boats (except the ex-Italian and KS and LS boats). This comprised a commanding officer (usually an Oberleutnant zur See), a Chief Boatswain (Oberbootsmann), a Helmsman (Matrosen-Gefreiter), about six seamen including those operating semaphore and engine telegraph posts (Matrosen), a Chief Engineer (Obermaschinist), three engineer NCOs (Maschinenmaaten), six engine-room ratings (usually Heizer), two radio operators (Funkgefreiter or Funkgast) for radio communications including decoding, and a torpedo mechanic (Torpedomechanikergefreiter) who doubled as the boat's cook.
Crew members could earn an award particular to their work — the Schnellbootkriegsabzeichen — denoted by a badge depicting an E-boat passing through a wreath. The criteria were good conduct, distinction in action, and participating in at least twelve enemy actions. It was also awarded for particularly successful missions, displays of leadership or being killed in action. It could be awarded under special circumstances, such as when another decoration was not suitable.
Operations with the Kriegsmarine
E-boats were primarily used to patrol the Baltic Sea and the English Channel in order to intercept shipping heading for the English ports in the south and east. As such, they were up against Royal Navy and Commonwealth, e.g., Royal Canadian Navy contingents leading up to D-Day, motor gunboats (MGBs), motor torpedo boats (MTBs), motor launches, frigates and destroyers. They were also transferred in small numbers to the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea by river and land transport. Some small E-boats were built as boats for carrying by auxiliary cruisers.
E-boats were organizationally under the command of the Seekriegsleitung or SKL (the naval warfare command, responsible for the planning, execution and direction of naval warfare), and were administratively organized into flotillas, each originally comprising 8 boats. Consequently most orders for new construction were placed in batches of eight boats, or of multiple of eight. The first half-flotilla (1st Schnellbootshalbflotille) was formed in July 1932, but was reorganized as 1st Schnellbootsflotille in June 1935. A second flotilla was established in August 1938, and a third in 1940. Eventually there were fourteen operational flotillas, numbered 1st to 11th plus 21st, 22nd and 24th, together with three training flotillas (Schnellbootsschulflotille). Each flotilla required the backup of a depot ship; initially this was provided by the converted steamer Nordsea, but from 1934 a series of purpose-built tenders were commissioned - the Tsingtau in 1934, followed by the Tanga (in 1939), Carl Peters and Adolf Lüderitz in 1940, and finally the Herman von Wissmamm and Gustav Nachtigal.
E-boats of the 6th & 9th flotillas from Cherbourg attacked Exercise Tiger on 28 April 1944, causing about 749 American Army and Navy casualties.
The E-boats of the 9th flotilla were the first naval units to respond to the invasion fleet of Operation Overlord. They left Cherbourg harbor at 5 a.m. on 6 June 1944. On finding themselves confronted by the entire invasion fleet, they fired their torpedoes at maximum range and returned to Cherbourg.
During World War II, E-boats claimed 101 merchant ships totaling 214,728 tons. Additional claims include 12 destroyers, 11 minesweepers, eight landing ships, six MTBs, one torpedo boat, one minelayer, one submarine, and a number of smaller craft such as fishing boats. They also damaged two cruisers, five destroyers, three landing ships, one repair ship, one naval tug, and numerous other merchant vessels. Sea mines laid by the E-boats sank 37 merchant ships totaling 148,535 tons, a destroyer, two minesweepers, and four landing ships.
E-boat crews were awarded 23 Knight's Cross of the Iron Crosses and 112 German Crosses in Gold.
Operations in the Black Sea
To boost Axis naval strength in the Black Sea, the OKW ordered to the region the transfer of six E-boats of the 1st S-flotilla, the last to be released from action in the Baltic Sea before refit. The Romanian port of Constanța, in the Black Sea, was chosen as the S-flotilla's headquarters. Transporting the six boats overland from Germany to Romania was an impressive logistical feat. The superstructure and all weapons were removed, leaving only the hull. After a long road journey of 60 hours, the boats arrived at Ingolstadt, Germany, where they were transferred back to water and towed towards Linz, Austria. There the superstructure was rebuilt, then the journey continued down the Danube to Galați, where the main engines were installed. The E-boats then continued on their own power towards Constanța, where refitting was completed.
The first two boats, S26 and S28, arrived in Constanța on 24 May 1942, the second pair, S72 and S102 on 3 June, and the final pair, S27 and S40 10 days later. After the sinking of S27 by a malfunctioning torpedo, four more reserve boats, S47, S49, S51 and S-52 were dispatched to the Black Sea, in order to replace boats undergoing maintenance. S28, S72 and S102 were soon relegated to the Constanța Shipyard for engine replacement, leaving only S26 and the newly commissioned S49 operational. On 1 January 1944, the 1st S-flotilla numbered six operational boats: S26, S42, S47, S49, S52 and S79, while S28, S40, S45 and S51 were all out of commission, undergoing repair in Constanța. Three more boats were shipped down the Danube and were being reconstructed at Constanța. On 1 June 1944, 8 boats were operational in Constanța: S28, S40, S47, S49, S72, S131, S148 and S149. The boats were however penned in harbor, due to fuel shortage. During July, S26, S28, S40 and S42 were transferred to Sulina at the mouth of the Danube, where S42 was fitted with a new propeller. They were joined by S72 in early August, the rest of the boats remaining in Constanța. On 19 August, S26, S40 and S72 were destroyed in port by a Soviet air attack. On 22 August S148 hit a mine and sank near Sulina, and on the following day, S42, S52 and S131 were destroyed in Constanța by a Soviet air attack. What remained of the S-flotilla was disbanded after Romania switched sides on the same day.
Yugoslav Navy
Eight E-boats were built by Lürssen, Vegesack for the Yugoslav Navy from 1936 to 1939. These were named Orjen, Durmitor, Suvobor, Kajmakcalan, Velebit, Dinaira, Rudnik and Triglav. Each measured 28.00 (overall)/27.70 (waterline) x 4.46 x 1.51 m (91 ft 10in/90 ft 10in x 14 ft 4in x 4 ft 11in) and 51 tonnes standard (61.7 tonnes full load). Three Daimler-Benz BF2 petrol engines of 1,100 hp each = 3,300 hp = 33 kts, while they carried 5.8 tonnes of petrrol to give them a radius of 265 nmiles @ 33 knots. Each carried two 550mm torpedo tubes, a 40mm gun and 16 men. Kajmakcalan and Durmitor escaped to Alexandria in April 1941 to join the Allies; the other six fell into Italian hands and became Ms41 to Ms46, four of them eventually captured by the Germans and refitted with standard 533 mm torpedoes (see below under "S2 class").
Italian MS Boat
The poor seaworthiness of the Italian-designed MAS boats of World War I and early World War II led its navy to build its own version of E-boats, the CRDA 60 t type, classed MS (Motosilurante). The prototype was designed on the pattern of the six German-built E-boats captured from the Yugoslav Navy in 1941. Two of them sank the British light cruiser HMS Manchester in August 1942, the largest warship to be sunk by fast torpedo craft in the Second World War. After the war these boats served with the Italian Navy, some well into the 1970s.
Spanish Navy
The Kriegsmarine supplied the Spanish Francoist Navy with six E-boats (S1 to S6) in December 1936 during the Spanish Civil War, and sold six more (S73, S78, S124, S125, S126 and S134) to them in 1943 during the Second World War. Another six were built in Spain with some assistance from Lürssen. A motor boat of the early series, either the Falange or the Requeté, laid two mines off AlmerÃa that crippled the British destroyer HMS Hunter on 13 May 1937. The German-built boats were discarded in the 1960s, while some of the Spanish-built ones served until the early 1970s.
China
The Chinese Nationalist Navy had three S7-class boats during the Second Sino-Japanese War.
Yue-22 (å²³-22)
Yue-253 (å²³-253)
Yue-371 (å²³-371)
Yue-22 was destroyed by Japanese planes, Yue-371 was sunk by its sailors to avoid being captured by the Japanese soldiers, and Yue-253 was captured by the People's Liberation Army during the Chinese Civil War. Yue-253 was renamed "Hoiking", meaning "Seawhale" in Chinese. The People's Liberation Army Navy used it as a patrol boat until 1963.
The Chinese Nationalist government also ordered eight E-boats and a tender, Qi Jiguang. These were all taken over while under construction by the Kriegsmarine in 1939. The E-boats had MB502 diesels and were shorter (by 2.18m) than the standard S26 design of boats. They were re-numbered as S30 to S37, while the Qi Jiguang was renamed Tanga.
Romanian Navy
Germany sold four E-boats to Romania on 14 August 1944. These vessels displaced 65 tons, had a top speed of 30 knots generated by three Mercedes-Benz engines totaling 2,130 kW (2,850 hp) and were armed with two 500 mm (19.685 in) torpedo tubes. Each of the four boats had a crew of 25. They were numbered 10 to 13 (formerly S151, S152, S153 and S154) and served in the Romanian Navy until at least 1954.
Post-war Service
Royal Navy
At the end of the war about 34 E-boats were surrendered to the British. Three boats, S130 (renamed P5230), S208 (P5208) and S212 (P5212) were retained for trials.
Operation Jungle
The Gehlen Organization, an intelligence agency established by American occupation authorities in Germany in 1946 and manned by former members of the Wehrmacht's Fremde Heere Ost (Foreign Armies East), used the Royal Navy's E-boats in order to infiltrate its agents into the Baltic states and Poland. Royal Navy Commander Anthony Courtney was struck by the potential capabilities of former E-boat hulls, and John Harvey-Jones of the Naval Intelligence Division was put in charge of the project. He discovered that the Royal Navy still had two E-boats, P5230 and P5208, and had them sent to Portsmouth, where one of them, P5230 (ex-S130), was modified to reduce its weight and increase its power with the installation of two Napier Deltic engines of 1,900 kW (2,500 hp) each.
Lieutenant-Commander Hans-Helmut Klose [de] was assigned to command a German crew, recruited by the British MI6 and funded by the American Office of Policy Coordination. The missions were assigned the codename "Operation Jungle". The boats carried out their missions under the cover of the British Control Commission's Fishery Protection Service, which was responsible for preventing Soviet navy vessels from interfering with German fishing boats and for destroying stray mines. The home port of the boats was Kiel, and operated under the supervision of Harvey-Jones. Manned by Klose and his crew, they usually departed for the island of Bornholm waving the White Ensign, where they would hoist the Swedish flag for a dash to Gotland, and there they would wait for orders from Hamburg. The first mission consisted in the landing of Lithuanian agents at Palanga, Lithuania, in May 1949, and the last one took place in April 1955 in Saaremaa, Estonia. During the last two years of the operation, three new German-built motorboats replaced the old E-boats. Klose was later assigned the command of a patrol boat in the Bundesmarine and became commander-in-chief of the fleet before his retirement in 1978.
Royal Danish Navy
In 1947, the Danish navy bought twelve former Kriegsmarine boats. These were further augmented in 1951 by six units bought from the Royal Norwegian Navy. The last unit, the P568 Viben, was retired in 1965.
Royal Norwegian Navy
After World War II, the Norwegian Navy received a number of former Kriegsmarine boats. Six boats were transferred to Denmark in 1951.
Survivor
There is just one surviving E-boat, identified as S130. It was built as hull No. 1030 at the Schlichting boatyard in Travemünde. S130 was commissioned on 21 October 1943 and took an active part in the war, participating in the Exercise Tiger attack and attacks on the D-Day invasion fleet.
According to Dutch military historian Maurice Laarman:
In 1945, S130 was taken as a British war prize (FPB 5030) and put to use in covert operations. Under the guise of the "British Baltic Fishery Protection Service", the British Secret Intelligence Service MI-6 ferried spies and agents into Eastern Europe. Beginning in May 1949, MI-6 used S208, (Kommandant Hans-Helmut Klose) to insert agents into Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland. The operations were very successful and continued under a more permanent organization based in Hamburg. In 1952, S130 joined the operation and the mission was enlarged to include signal intelligence (SIGINT) equipment. In 1954/55, S130 and S208 were replaced by a new generation of German S-boote.
S130 was returned to the newly formed Bundesmarine in March 1957, and operated under the number UW 10. Serving initially in the Unterwasserwaffenschule training sailors in underwater weaponry such as mines and torpedoes, she later became a test boat under the name EF 3.
S130 was on display in Wilhelmshaven, Germany, having formerly been used as a houseboat.
S130 was purchased and towed from Wilhelmshaven to the Husbands Shipyard, Marchwood, Southampton, England in January 2003, under the auspices of the British Military Powerboat Trust. In 2004, S130 was taken to the slipway at Hythe, where, under the supervision of the BMPT, she was prepared and then towed to Mashfords yard in Cremyll, Cornwall, England to await funding for restoration. In 2008, S130, having been purchased by the Wheatcroft Collection, was set up ashore at Southdown in Cornwall to undergo restoration work involving Roving Commissions Ltd. In July 2020, S130 was still awaiting restoration, with the intention that upon completion it would be a museum-ship at the Richmond dry docks in Bideford, Devon.
Variants and Vessels
The Schnellboot design evolved over time. The first groups had a pair of torpedo tubes fitted on the foredeck, but from S26 onwards the forecastle had been raised so that the torpedo tubes were built into the structure.
S1
The first post-WW1 torpedo boat was ordered in November 1929 to be built by Lürssen at Vegesack, near Bremen, in 1930 as their Yard No. 12120, using mahogany and light metal composite. Originally numbered as UZ(S)16, it was commissioned into the Reichmarine on 7 August 1930. It was renamed W1 on 31 March 1931, and then as S1 on 16 March 1932. It measured 26.8 x 4.2 x 1.06 metres (87 ft x 13 ft 9in x 3 ft 6in) and had a displacement of 39 tons standard (50 tons full load). Powered by three Daimler-Benz BF2 12-cylinder 900 hp petrol engines on three shafts, with a rating of 2,700 bhp, it had a sustained speed of 34.2 knots (maximum 39.8 knots). It carried two 500mm (19.685 inch) torpedo tubes and one 20mm flak gun. It had a complement of 12 (later 18) men. Along with the next five boats (S2 to S6), it was stricken on 10 December 1936 and sold to Spain as Badajoz (renamed LT15 in 1939).
The number S1 was re-used in 1939. Five boats had been ordered by Bulgaria from Lürssen, Vegesack, of which the first four were delivered as F1 to F4. The fifth boat was retained in Germany and given the number S1. These were petrol-engined boats, similar to the S2 class built for the Kriegsmarine. Although commissioned in 1939, its petrol engines gave frequent problems, and on 10 September 1940 its stern was rammed (by S13) in Vlissingen, and was later removed from active service.
S2 Class
The first production of the E-boat in 1931, a lengthened version of the prototype S1. The first two were ordered from Lürssen on 28 April 1931 and the other two on 16 July 1931. Each measured 27.95 x 4.2 x 1.06 meters (91 ft 8in x 13 ft 9in x 3 ft 6in) and had a displacement of 46.5 tons standard (58 tons full load). Powered by Daimler-Benz petrol engines on three shafts, with a rating of 3,300 bhp, they had a speed of 33.8 knots. Armament and men as in S1. They formed a "Half Flotilla" and were used for training crews for later E-boats; all were stricken on 10 December 1936 (along with S1) for transfer to Spain.
|
Number |
Builder |
Launched |
Commissioned |
Fate |
|
S2 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1 December 1931 |
22 April 1932 |
Sold to Spain 10 December
1936, |
|
S3 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
10 December 1931 |
27 May 1932 |
Sold to Spain 10 December
1936, |
|
S4 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
11 June 1932 |
20 June 1932 |
Sold to Spain 10 December
1936, |
|
S5 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1932 |
14 July 1932 |
Sold to Spain 10 December
1936, |
The numbers S2 to S5 were re-used in 1943. Eight petrol-engined boats similar to the original S2 class had been ordered from Lürssen, Vegesack, and completed in 1937-39 for that navy as Orjen, Durmitor, Suvobor, Kajmakcalan, Velebit, Dinaira, Rudnik and Triglav. When Italy occupied Yugoslavia in April 1941, two of them (Durmitor and Kajmakcalan) escaped to Alexandria and served with the Allied forces, while the other six were commissioned into the Italian Navy as Ms41 to Ms46. In September 1943 Ms41 (ex Orjen) at Monfalcone and Ms45 (ex Suvobor) at Cattolica were scuttled, while the other four were captured by the Germans on 9 September and renamed S2 (ex Velebit), S3 (ex Dinara), S4 (ex Triglav) and S5 (ex Rudnik); all four were scuttled by the Germans at Salonika in October 1944.
S6
The first diesel-powered boat was also ordered from Lürssen, Vegesack on 28 August 1932. Its dimensions and other details were the same as for S7 to S9. It was stricken and sold to Spain on 10 December 1936 (together with the preceding petrol-engined boats) and renamed Toledo (renamed LT14 in 1939 and stricken in 1942).
S7 Class
Built from 1933 onwards. Similar to S6, but with an improved hull form, these were the first operational diesel boats. The first three, ordered (together with S6) on 26 August 1932, were fitted with MAN L7 19/30 diesels on three shafts giving a speed of 36.5 knots and measured 75.8 tonnes standard (95 tonnes full load), while the last four - ordered on 20 July 1932 - were equipped with the more reliable Daimler-Benz MB502 diesels of 3,960 hp to produce 35 knots, and were 78 tonnes standard (92 tonnes full load). They had a fuel capacity of 10.5 tonnes, giving them a radius of 600 miles @ 30 knots. All measured 32.36 x 5.06 x 1.36 m (106 ft 2in x 16 ft 6in x 4 ft 6in) except that S10 to S13 had a draught of 1.42m (4 ft 8in). These carried the larger 533mm (21-inch) torpedoes rather than the 500mm of the petrol-driven boats; two torpedo tubes were mounted on the forecastle, and the boats also carried a single 20mm MgC/30 gun, with a crew of 18 (later 21) men.
|
Number |
Builder |
Launched |
Commissioned |
Fate |
|
S7 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
24 February 1934 |
10 October 1934 |
Transferred to UK in May 1945,
scuttled in the North Sea |
|
S8 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
23 January 1934 |
6 September 1934 |
Converted to fast submarine hunter on 11 September 1940, transferred to UK in 1945, but scuttled in the North Sea on 17 May 1945 |
|
S9 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
24 February 1934 |
12 June 1935 |
Converted to fast submarine
hunter on 5 August 1940, |
|
S10 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
26 August 1934 |
7 March 1935 |
To USA in 1945; transferred to
Norway in 1945, |
|
S11 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
24 October 1934 |
3 August 1935 |
Transferred to USSR on 5 November 1945 as TK-1002, scrapped in later 1940s. |
|
S12 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
18 February 1935 |
31 August 1935 |
Transferred to Norway in July 1945, sunk 18 January 1946 in the North Sea |
|
S13 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
29 March 1935 |
7 December 1935 |
Transferred to Britain in May 1945, sold and scrapped. |
S14 Class
Improved S7 type, ordered on 16 July 1934 (first two) and 5 November 1935 (last two) with new MAN L11 (11-cylinder) engines producing 6,150 hp, which proved unsatisfactory. Enlarged hull, measuring 34.62 x 5.26 x 1.67 m (113 ft 7in x 17 ft 3in x 5 ft 6in) and displacing 92.5 tonnes standard (105.4 tonnes full load). After S17 was broken up, the surviving three boats were transferred to the Fast A/S Group in 1940.
|
Number |
Builder |
Launched |
Commissioned |
Fate |
|
S14 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
23 January 1936 |
12 June 1936 |
Converted to fast tug, but sunk in the Bristol Channel in 1944. |
|
S15 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
15 February 1936 |
27 February 1937 |
Transferred to US Navy post-war, but given to Denmark in July 1947 as T46 and broken up there. |
|
S16 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
7 April 1937 |
22 December 1937 |
Transferred to USSR on 13 February 1946 as TK-1003, scrapped 1950 or later. |
|
S17 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
29 July 1937 |
18 March 1938 |
Decommissioned 8 September 1939 following heavy storm damage on 4 September off Heligoland, and scrapped. |
S18 Class
Built from 1937 onwards. Two new boats were ordered on 21 December 1936 (S18 and S19) and six more boats (S20 to S25) on 29 December 1937. Almost identical to the S14 class, but with 3 Mercedes Benz MB501 engines (of total 6,000 hp) instead of MAN engines. The bridge, which had been in front of the wheelhouse on earlier designs, was raised to the wheelhouse roof to increase all-round visibility.
|
Number |
Builder |
Launched |
Commissioned |
Fate |
|
S18 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
13 January 1938 |
14 July 1936 |
Rebuilt as fast tug boat 1942, sunk by bombing 5 May 1945. |
|
S19 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
10 May 1938 |
6 October 1938 |
Transferred to Britain post-war, sunk as target ship 1950. |
|
S20 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1 October 1938 |
21 March 1939 |
Transferred to Britain post-war, scrapped 1948. |
|
S21 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1 August 1938 |
19 December 1938 |
Transferred to Norway in 1945, scrapped 1950. |
|
S22 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
31 January 1939 |
16 May 1939 |
Sunk at Wilhelmshaven by British bombing 30 March 1945. |
|
S23 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
23 April 1939 |
15 July 1939 |
Badly damaged by mine 12 July 1940 in the North Sea, and scuttled. |
|
S24 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
4 July 1939 |
18 September 1939 |
Transferred to USSR on 15 January 1946 as TK-1004, scrapped 1950 or later. |
|
S25 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
19 September 1939 |
9 December 1939 |
Transferred to Britain post-war, scrapped 1948. |
1938 Orders
In May 1938 it was planned to order six additional boats every year until 1943 (thus providing a projected S26 to S61). However, a speeding-up of production was decided on. Twelve additional boats were ordered - all from Lürssen - in August 1938. These were of two different models, due to accommodating different Daimler-Benz diesels.
S26 Class
The larger type (S26 to S29), were ordered on 2 August, and entered service in 1940. Beginning with this model, the two torpedo tubes on the foredeck were encased within a high forecastle deck. This type were slightly lengthened from the S18 design so that the engine compartments could accommodate the larger 20-cylinder diesels, they measured 34.94 x 5.28 x 1.67 m (114 ft 8in x 17 ft 4in x 5 ft 6in), giving a displacement of 92.5 tons (112 tons full load). These dimensions would be retained for all subsequent boats (except for the somewhat smaller S30 class), as the basic design and layout would remain unchanged. The three Daimler Benz engines each produced 2,000 hp for a total rating of 6,000 hp, providing 39 knots.
|
Number |
Builder |
Launched |
Commissioned |
Fate |
|
S26 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
7 March 1940 |
21 May 1940 |
Sunk in Soviet air attack at Sulina, Romania on 19 August 1944. |
|
S27 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
15 April 1940 |
5 July 1940 |
Sunk by torpedo in the Black Sea on 5 September 1942 |
|
S28 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
4 July 1940 |
1 September 1940 |
Scuttled at Constanta on 25 August 1944 after heavy damage in air attack. |
|
S29 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
14 October 1940 |
28 November 1940 |
Sunk 29 March 1943 in action with two British MGBs. |
S30 Class
The other eight boats (S30 to S37) were 2.18 m (7 ft 2in) shorter than the S26 type and 22 cm (8.66 in) narrower. This is because their engines were the 16-cylinder (2,000 hp) Daimler-Benz MB502 diesels. They were originally ordered on 9 August (a week after S26 to S29) for the Chinese (Nationalist) Navy (the last two initially from Naglo, Berlin, but the contract was later switched to Lürssen), and were sequestered for use by the Kriegsmarine. As they were already under construction at the outbreak of war, they were mostly completed before the S26 type boats.
|
Number |
Builder |
Launched |
Commissioned |
Fate |
|
S30 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
10 September 1939 |
22 November 1939 |
Delivered to Allied forces at Ancona on 3 May 1945. |
|
S31 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
21 October 1939 |
28 December 1939 |
Sunk by mine off Malta on 10 May 1942 |
|
S32 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
22 November 1939 |
15 March 1940 |
Sunk by mine off Dungeness on 21 June 1940. |
|
S33 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
23 November 1939 |
23 March 1940 |
Beached on Unije Island on 10 January 1945 and sunk by British MGB 698 on 16 January. |
|
S34 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
29 February 1940 |
30 April 1940 |
Sunk by German Bf 109 following severe damage by coastal artillery at Valletta on 17 May 1942. |
|
S35 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
19 March 1940 |
19 May 1940 |
Sunk by mine northeast of Tabarka (Algeria) in the Mediterranean on 28 February 1943. |
|
S36 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
20 April 1940 |
14 June 1940 |
Damaged in collision with S61 and paid off; delivered to Allied forces at Ancona on 3 May 1945. |
|
S37 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
15 May 1940 |
11 July 1940 |
Sunk by mine off Orfordness on 12 October 1940. |
1939 Orders
24 more boats were ordered - all from Lürssen (S44 and S45 were first scheduled to be built by Stettiner Oderwerk, but in the event all of this batch were contracted to Lürssen - on 24 September 1939. The pre-war Mobilization New Construction Program had called for 48 new boats per year, but this target was raised to 60 boats in September 1939 by the Naval War Staff. They called for a fleet level of 40 to 50 operational boats, with 16 being built annually as replacements. Sixteen were virtually identical with the S26 type (measuring 34.94 m in length and with 20-cylinder MB501 diesels), other than simplified ventilators and other minor changes. This design was to provide almost all of the Schnellboote built in Germany for the rest of the war.
|
Number |
Builder |
Launched |
Commissioned |
Fate |
|
S38 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1940 |
8 November 1940 |
Sunk by British destroyers 20 November 1940 in North Sea. |
|
S39 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1940 |
16 January 1941 |
Sunk in British air attack on 2 August 1944 at Le Havre. |
|
S40 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
14 December 1940 |
22 April 1941 |
Sunk in Soviet air attack at Sulina, Romania on 19 August 1944. |
|
S41 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
9 January 1941 |
27 February 1941 |
Sunk in collision with S47 on 19 November 1941. |
|
S42 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1941 |
16 March 1941 |
Sunk in Soviet air attack at Constanta, Romania on 23 August 1944. |
|
S43 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
15 February 1941 |
28 March 1941 |
Sunk by mine on 27 June 1941 |
|
S44 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
8 March 1941 |
19 April 1941 |
Sunk in British air attack at Kiel on 25 July 1943. |
|
S45 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
23 March 1941 |
26 April 1941 |
Scuttled off Varna on 29 August 1944. |
|
S46 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
7 April 1941 |
22 May 1941 |
Sunk in air attack on 10 September 1943 |
|
S47 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
25 April 1941 |
13 June 1941 |
Scuttled off Varna on 29 August 1944. |
|
S48 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
28 April 1941 |
120 June 1941 |
To Norway (as E4) following end of war. |
|
S49 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
May 1941 |
11 July 1941 |
Scuttled off Varna on 29 August 1944. |
|
S50 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
18 June 1941 |
25 July 1941 |
To USSR on 15 January 1946, renamed TK-1005. Scrapped 1950. |
|
S51 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1 July 1941 |
8 August 1941 |
Scuttled off Varna on 29 August 1944. |
|
S52 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
11 July 1941 |
23 August 1941 |
Sunk in Soviet air attack at Constanta, Romania on 23 August 1944. |
|
S53 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
30 July 1941 |
6 September 1941 |
Sunk in collision with S39 on 20 February 1942. |
While until this date all boats had been procured from Lürssen, but the German Navy had been seeking a second yard to add to its construction capacity, and on 25 September a contract for eight boats (numbered from S101 to S108) to the standard S26 design was awarded to Schlichting-Werfk at Travemünde. This second builder was assigned a new series of numbers in the "101 range to distinguish them from the Lürssen boats.
|
Number |
Builder |
Launched |
Commissioned |
Fate |
|
S101 |
Schlichting, Travemünde |
25 September 1940 |
30 November 1940 |
To USSR on 4 January 1946 as TK-1011, scrapped 1950. |
|
S102 |
Schlichting, Travemünde |
6 November 1940 |
31 December 1940 |
Sunk by mine 8 July 1943 in the Kerch Strait. |
|
S103 |
Schlichting, Travemünde |
21 December 1940 |
9 February 1941 |
Sunk by British air attack 4 May 1945 off Mommark. |
|
S104 |
Schlichting, Travemünde |
18 February 1941 |
27 March 1941 |
Sunk by mine 9 January 1943 in the Channel. |
|
S105 |
Schlichting, Travemünde |
22 March 1941 |
4 May 1941 |
To Britain 1945, sold 1947. |
|
S106 |
Schlichting, Travemünde |
26 April 1941 |
6 June 1941 |
Sunk by mine 27 June 1941 in Gulf of Bothnia. |
|
S107 |
Schlichting, Travemünde |
31 May 1941 |
6 July 1941 |
To USA 1945, then to Denmark 1947 as T52 (later Gribben); scrapped 1950. |
|
S108 |
Schlichting, Travemünde |
28 June 1941 |
14 August 1941 |
Scrapped 1946. |
Following the outbreak of war, another eight boats were ordered from Lürssen on 14 November 1939 to the same Schnellboot 1939 design as the S30 group (measuring 32.76 m in length and with 16-cylinder MB502 diesels),
|
Number |
Builder |
Launched |
Commissioned |
Fate |
|
S54 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
11 June 1940 |
9 August 1940 |
Badly damaged by mine on 23 April 1944, scrapped 31 October 1944. |
|
S55 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
2 July 1940 |
23 August 1940 |
Sunk in air attack on 10 January 1944 in Vela Luka Bay, Croatia. |
|
S56 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
22 July 1940 |
20 September 1940 |
Sunk in air attack at Toulon on 24 November 1943; raised and broken up. |
|
S57 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
10 August 1940 |
30 September 1940 |
Sunk by British MTBs in the Adriatic on 19 August 1944. |
|
S58 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
10 September 1940 |
18 November 1940 |
Beached on Unije Island and sunk by British MGBs on 16 January 1945. |
|
S59 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
20 October 1940 |
27 November 1940 |
Sunk by air attack at Porto Empedocle (Sicily) on 6 July 1943. |
|
S60 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
22 October 1940 |
20 December 1940 |
Beached on Unije Island and sunk by British MGBs on 16 January 1945. |
|
S61 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
27 November 1940 |
1 February 1941 |
Surrendered to Allies at Ancona 3 May 1945 |
1940 Orders
On 4 June 1940 a further batch of boats to the S26 design was ordered. This comprised 8 boats from Lürssen (S62 to S69) and 9 boats from Schlichting (S109 to S117). S67 introduced an improved design with a partially armor-plated cupola (the Kalotte or skull cap) over the bridge, providing protection from weather as well as small arms fire, with a lower profile. From 1943 orders onwards, this armoured bridge became standard, and was also retro-fitted to many of the earlier boats. Various armaments were carried including 40 mm Bofors or 20 mm Flak aft, MG34 Zwillingsockel midships.
(Note the designation '38b' sometimes seen is not Kriegsmarine nomenclature and originated in a postwar American hobby publication).
|
Number |
Builder |
Launched |
Commissioned |
Fate |
|
S62 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
August 1941 |
19 September 1941 |
To Norway 1945, then to Britain; scrapped 1947. |
|
S63 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
27 August 1941 |
2 October 1941 |
Rammed and sunk 25 October 1943 off Cromer. |
|
S64 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
September 1941 |
2 November 1941 |
To USA 1945, given to Norway 1947 as Lyn, then to Denmark 1951 as Storfuglen, scrapped 1965. |
|
S65 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
20 September 1941 |
16 June 1942 |
To USSR on 15 January 1946 as TK-1006, scrapped 1950. |
|
S66 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
6 October 1941 |
21 June 1942 |
Sunk by air attack by British at Kiel on 25 July 1943. |
|
S67 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
23 October 1941 |
19 March 1942 |
To Britain 1945, sold to Italy 1952 as MV 621, scrapped 1966. |
|
S68 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
6 November 1941 |
1 July 1942 |
To USA 1945, given to Denmark 1947 as T62, renamed Viben 1953, scrapped 1966. |
|
S69 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
24 November 1941 |
21 December 1941 |
To Britain 1945, scrapped 1947. |
|
Number |
Builder |
Launched |
Commissioned |
Fate |
|
S109 |
Schlichting, Travemünde |
14 August 1941 |
14 September 1941 |
To USSR 9n 4 January 1946 as TK-1012, scrapped 1949. |
|
S110 |
Schlichting, Travemünde |
13 September 1941 |
10 October 1941 |
To USSR on 15 January 1946 as TK-1013, scrapped 1949. |
|
S111 |
Schlichting, Travemünde |
18 October 1941 |
11 December 1941 |
Damaged in action 16 March 1942 in the North Sea, captured then recaptured and scuttled. |
|
S112 |
Schlichting, Travemünde |
2 December 1941 |
28 January 1942 |
To France in 1945, scrapped 1951. |
|
S113 |
Schlichting, Travemünde |
7 February 1942 |
14 March 1942 |
To USSR on 5 November 1945 as TK-1014, scrapped 1949. |
|
S114 |
Schlichting, Travemünde |
14 March 1942 |
23 April 1942 |
Sunk in British air attack on 2 August 1944 at Le Havre. |
|
S115 |
Schlichting, Travemünde |
10 April 1942 |
30 May 1942 |
To UK in 1945, fate unknown. |
|
S116 |
Schlichting, Travemünde |
7 May 1842 |
4 July 1942 |
Paid off after accident in Elbe estuary in January 1945; to Denmark in 1945; sold to Germany 1953, burnt by accident 1965. |
|
S117 |
Schlichting, Travemünde |
13 June 1942 |
8 August 1942 |
To USA in 1945, then to Norway 1946 as B97, later Tross; sold 1951 to Denmark as Hejren, scrapped 1965. |
Following the German occupation of France in June 1940, the Naval War Staff decided that 160 E-boats were now needed (comprising 26 flotillas), with 8 flotillas based in France and 6 each in Norway, the Baltic and the North Sea. On 26 August an additional four boats (S70 to S73) were ordered from Lürssen, and in December Schlichting were given another order, this time for eight boats (S118 to S125),
|
Number |
Builder |
Launched |
Commissioned |
Fate |
|
S70 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
15 November 1941 |
11 December 1941 |
Sunk by mine in the Channel 5 March 1943. |
|
S71 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
4 December 1941 |
11 January 1942 |
Sunk by British destroyers 18 February 1943 in the Channel. |
|
S72 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
18 December 1941 |
3 February 1942 |
Sunk in Soviet air attack at Sulina, Romania on 19 August 1944. |
|
S73 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
6 January 1942 |
19 February 1942 |
Sold to Spain on 16 August 1943 as LT23. |
|
Number |
Builder |
Launched |
Commissioned |
Fate |
|
S118 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
30 July 1942 |
14 September 1942 |
To USSR on 14 January 1946 as TK-1015, scrapped 1949. |
|
S119 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
27 August 1942 |
22 October 1942 |
Scuttled after collision with S114 on 8 March 1943 in the Channel. |
|
S120 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
13 October 1942 |
5 December 1942 |
To Britain 1945, scrapped 1947. |
|
S121 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
28 November 1942 |
11 January 1943 |
Sunk in British air attack on 11 August 1943 at Aberwrac'h. |
|
S122 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
30 December 1942 |
21 February 1943 |
To USA in 1945; to Denmark 1947 as T64; scrapped 1956. |
|
S123 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
6 February 1943 |
19 March 1943 |
To USSR on 4 January 1946 as TK-1016, scrapped 1949. |
|
S124 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
6 March 1943 |
15 April 1943 |
Sold to Spain on 16 August 1943 as LT21. |
|
S125 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
3 April 1943 |
16 May 1943 |
Sold to Spain on 16 August 1943 as LT25. |
1941 Orders
Another 40 boats were ordered in 1941, 16 from Lürssen on 3 January (numbered S74 to S89), another 16 from the same yard on 18 September (numbered S90 to S100 and from S134 to S138) and 8 from Schlichting at Travemünde (S126 to S133), also on 18 September.
|
Number |
Builder |
Launched |
Commissioned |
Fate |
|
S74 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
12 February 1942 |
27 March 1942 |
Sunk by torpedo from S135 on 5 November 1943 after being disabled in British air attack. |
|
S75 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
?February 1942 |
9 April 1942 |
Sunk by British air attack on 5 March 1943 at Ijmuiden. |
|
S76 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
March 1942 |
1 May 1942 |
To USA 1945, given to Norway 1947, scrapped 1950. |
|
S77 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
31 March 1942 |
9 May 1942 |
Sunk by gunfire 25 July 1943 in action off Ostend with British MGB40 and MGB42. |
|
S78 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
8 April 1942 |
3 June 1942 |
Sold to Spain on 16 August 1943 as LT24. |
|
S79 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
22 April 1942 |
27 June 1942 |
To Norway 1945, given to Denmark 1947 as T58, renamed Musvaagen, scrapped 1955. |
|
S80 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1942 |
10 July 1942 |
Sunk by mine off Viborg in the Baltic Sea on 1 September 1944. |
|
S81 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1942 |
28 July 1942 |
To USSR on 4 January 1946 as TK-1001, scrapped 1950. |
|
S82 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1942 |
21 August 1942 |
To USSR 15 January 1946 as TK-1008, scrapped 1950. |
|
S83 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1942 |
7 September 1942 |
To Britain 1945, fate unknown. |
|
S84 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1942 |
19 September 1942 |
Sunk by British air attack on Le Havre on 14 June 1944. |
|
S85 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1942 |
7 December 1942 |
To USA 1945, given to Norway as Storm; sold to Denmark 1951 as Tranen, sunk in collision 27 June 1963. |
|
S86 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1942 |
15 October 1942 |
To USSR on 4 January 1946 as TK-1009, scrapped 1950. |
|
S87 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1942 |
4 November 1942 |
Sunk in British air attack 20 May 1944 off Ostend. |
|
S88 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
6 October 1942 |
20 November 1942 |
Sunk by gunfire from HMS Worcester and British MTBs on 25 October 1943 off Cromer. |
|
S89 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1942 |
28 November 1942 |
To Britain 1946, beached during transfer. |
|
S90 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1942 |
10 December 1942 |
Beached on island of Bru, Rogaland on 17 July 1945. |
|
S91 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1942 |
22 December 1942 |
Sunk 25 February 1944 by gunfire from HMS Retalick and Talybont in the Channel. |
|
S92 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1942 |
14 January 1943 |
To Britain 1945, sold 1947. |
|
S93 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
17 December 1942 |
4 February 1943 |
Sunk in US air attack at Ijmuidden on 26 March 1944. |
|
S94 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
31 December 1942 |
18 February 1943 |
Scuttled after collision with S128 on 23 February 1944. |
|
S95 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1942 |
28 February 1943 |
To Britain 1945, sold 1949. |
|
S96 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
21 January 1943 |
11 March 1943 |
Scuttled after collision with British ML145 on 25 September 1943 off Lowestoft. |
|
S97 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
25 March 1943 |
To USA 1945, given to Denmark 1947 as Ravnen, scrapped 1963. |
|
S98 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
10 April 1943 |
To USA 1945, given to Norway 1948 as Kvikk, scrapped 1950. |
|
S99 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
17 April 1943 |
To USSR on 4 January 1946 as TK-1010, scrapped 1950. |
|
S100 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
5 May 1943 |
Sunk by British air attack on Le Havre on 14 June 1944. |
|
S134 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
29 May 1943 |
Sold to Spain on 16 August 1943 as LT26. |
|
S135 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
29 May 1943 |
To USSR on 4 January 1946, becoming TK-1018; scrapped 1952. |
|
S136 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
10 June 1943 |
Sunk in action with HMCS Sioux, HMS Duff and Polish Krakowiak east of Cape Barfleur on 11 June 1944. |
|
S137 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
6 July 1943 |
Sunk by USAAF raid (by 8th Air Force B-17s) on Kiel on 29 July 1943. |
|
S138 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
20 July 1943 |
Sunk during RAF raid on Le Havre on 15 June 1944; raised in August 1944 and scrapped. |
|
Number |
Builder |
Launched |
Commissioned |
Fate |
|
S126 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
8 May 1843 |
12 June 1943 |
Sold to Spain on 16 August 1943 as LT26. |
|
S127 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
5 June 1943 |
10 July 1943 |
To USA in 1945, then to Denmark 1947 as T56; scrapped 1955. |
|
S128 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
8 July 1943 |
27 August 1943 |
Scuttled after collision with S94 on 23 February 1944 |
|
S129 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
12 August 1943 |
24 September 1943 |
Sunk in US air attack at Ijmuidden on 26 March 1944. |
|
S130 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
18 September 1943 |
21 October 1943 |
To UK 1945, sold to Germany 1957 as UW10. Still extant in UK. |
|
S131 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
16 October 1943 |
5 January 1944 |
Sunk in Soviet air attack at Constanta, Romania on 23 August 1944. |
|
S132 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
13 November 1943 |
10 December 1943 |
To USSR 1945, becoming TK-1017; scrapped 1956. |
|
S133 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
1943 |
31 December 1943 |
To USA at war's end, given to Denmark 1947 as T54, scrapped 1955. |
1942 Orders
Orders for a further 16 boats were given to Lürssen on 24 February 1942. The first 12 of these were numbered S139 to S150; the next sixteen numbers were allocated to construction at Schiedam in Holland, so the final four of the Lürssen batch were numbered S167 to S170.
|
Number |
Builder |
Launched |
Commissioned |
Fate |
|
S139 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
1 August 1943 |
Sunk by mine on 7 June 1944 off Barfleur. |
|
S140 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
7 August 1943 |
Sunk by mine on 7 June 1944 off Barfleur. |
|
S141 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
20 August 1943 |
Sunk by French destroyer La Combattante off Selsey Bill on 13 May 1944. |
|
S142 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
3 September 1943 |
Sunk by British air attack on Le Havre on 14 June 1944. |
|
S143 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
17 September 1943 |
Sunk by British air attack on Le Havre on 14 June 1944. |
|
S144 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
1 October 1943 |
Badly damaged by British air attack on Le Havre on 14 June 1944, and scrapped |
|
S145 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
8 October 1943 |
Damaged by air attack on Brest on 18 September 1944 and blown up. |
|
S146 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
22 October 1943 |
Sunk by British air attack on Le Havre on 14 June 1944. |
|
S147 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
5 November 1943 |
Sunk by French destroyer La Combattante off Cherbourg on 25 April 1944. |
|
S148 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
5 January 1944 |
Sunk by mine off Dnetrr-Liman on 22 August 1944. |
|
S149 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
5 January 1944 |
Scuttled at Constanta on 25 August 1944 after heavy damage in air attack. |
|
S150 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
4 December 1943 |
Sunk by British air attack on Le Havre on 14 June 1944. |
S151 Class
Eight smaller torpedo boats were building for the Dutch Navy at Gusto Werf, Schiedam (near Rotterdam) as TM54 to TM61 inclusive. When Holland was occupied by the Germans, these were seized and completed (with some design modifications) by German and Dutch shipyard workers and renumbered as S151 to S158. They measured 28.3 x 4.46 meters (92 ft 10in x 14 ft 7in), displacing 57 tons. Originally the Germans planned to sell these to Bulgaria, and they were formed as the new 7th S-flotilla in October 1941, but the Kriegsmarine's need for them in the Mediterranean had caused them to be sent south via the French inland waterways. They were authorized to transfer to the Mediterranean on 15 July 1942, and arrived there on 8 October, finally reaching Augusta, Sicily on 15 December, when they became operational.
|
Number |
Builder |
Commissioned |
Fate |
|
S151 |
Gusto Werf, Schiedam |
19 December 1941 |
Badly damaged off Korkula by British destroyer on 11 July 1944; surrendered to Allies at Ancona 3 May 1945. |
|
S152 |
Gusto Werf, Schiedam |
31 March 1942 |
Surrendered to Allies at Ancona 3 May 1945. |
|
S153 |
Gusto Werf, Schiedam |
19 April 1942 |
Sunk by HMS Eggesford and Blackmore off Hvar 12 June 1944. |
|
S154 |
Gusto Werf, Schiedam |
10 June 1942 |
Sunk by bombing at Pola 22 January 1945 |
|
S155 |
Gusto Werf, Schiedam |
19 July 1942 |
Surrendered to Allies at Ancona 3 May 1945 |
|
S156 |
Gusto Werf, Schiedam |
5 September 1942 |
Surrendered to Allies at Ancona 3 May 1945 |
|
S157 |
Gusto Werf, Schiedam |
8 September 1942 |
Sunk by Yogoslav mortar fire west of Trieste 1 May 1945 |
|
S158 |
Gusto Werf, Schiedam |
9 September 1942 |
Disabled by British air attack at Sibenik 25 October 1944, then scuttled on 26 or 27 October. |
Eight further vessels had been intended by the Dutch Navy as TM62 to TM70, and material had been collected for their construction at Schiedam. They were cancelled with the German occupation in May 1940; they were re-ordered (as S159 to S166) from Gusto Werf on 11 July 1941, but construction of these stopped in April 1942.
Continuation of S139 Batch
All these were part of the order placed on 24 February 1942, and the first three were identical to S139 batch. However the final boat, S170, was the prototype (along with S228 at Travemünde) for the final series of boats ordered in December 1943 (few of which were completed) with the first MB518 engines of 3,000 hp for evaluation; her details were the same as for that final series of orders.
|
Number |
Builder |
Launched |
Commissioned |
Fate |
|
S167 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
17 December 1943 |
Sank in the Scheldt Estuary on 25 February 1945 after collision 22 February. |
|
S168 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
23 December 1943 |
To UK 1945, scrapped 1947. |
|
S169 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
3 January 1944 |
Sunk by British air attack on Le Havre on 14 June 1944. |
|
S170 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
11 February 1944 |
Blown up in Lubeck on 3 May 1945. |
1943 Orders
Needing to increase production, orders for two batches of vessels were placed during the first half of 1943, totaling sixty boats. An order for sixteen boats was placed with Lürssen's yard on 15 January 1943 (S171 to S186), and another order for eight boats with Schlichting at Travemünde on the same day (S187 to S194). On 7 May another batch was ordered from the same builders - twenty-four from Lürssen (S195 to S218) and twelve from Schlichting (S219 to S230), although the final two from the Schlichting order were seemingly deferred, to be re-included in the much larger order placed in December.
Like the S139 batch, almost all of these were a meter longer than the original S26 class in order to have room to fit the new supercharged MB511 engines. The sole exception was S228 - the final boat from this batch to be completed at Travemünde, which was that yard's prototype for the final mass series which were ordered in December 1943, built to carry the new MB518 diesels, and was thus the equivalent test-bed at that yard to S170 from Lürssen. All the other 57 boats completed from this batch had MB 511 diesels fitted.
|
Number |
Builder |
Launched |
Commissioned |
Fate |
|
S171 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
22 January 1944 |
Sunk by British air attack on Le Havre on 14 June 1944. |
|
S172 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
18 February 1944 |
Sunk by British air attack on Le Havre on 14 June 1944. |
|
S173 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
25 February 1944 |
Sunk by British air attack on Le Havre on 14 June 1944. |
|
S174 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1943 |
3 March 1944 |
To USA in 1945; given to Norway 1947 as Rapp, scrapped 1953. |
|
S175 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
11 March 1944 |
To USSR 1945, becoming TK-1019; scrapped 1952. |
|
S176 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
17 March 1944 |
Scuttled after ramming British MTB494 on 7 April 1945. |
|
S177 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
30 March 1944 |
Scuttled after ramming British MTB493 on 7 April 1945. |
|
S178 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
6 April 1944 |
Sunk by British air attack off Boulogne on 13 June 1944. |
|
S179 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
19 April 1944 |
Sunk by British air attack off Boulogne on 13 June 1944. |
|
S180 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
28 April 1944 |
Sunk by mine off Hook of Holland on 14 January 1945. |
|
S181 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
5 May 1944 |
Sunk by British air attack off Den Helder on 21 March 1945 |
|
S182 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
12 May 1944 |
Sunk in collision with British MTB430 in the Channel on 27 July 1944. |
|
S183 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
19 May 1944 |
Sunk by gunfire from HMS Stayner off Dunkirk on 19 September 1944. |
|
S184 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
28 May 1944 |
Damaged by gunfire from British coastal battery off Dover on 5 September 1944 and scuttled. |
|
S185 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
3 June 1944 |
Sunk by gunfire from British escorts off Ostend on 23 December 1944. |
|
S186 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
23 June 1944 |
Sunk at Wilhelmhaven by British bombing 30 March 1945. |
|
S187 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
31 December 1943 |
10 February 1944 |
Sunk by British air attack on Le Havre on 14 June 1944. |
|
S188 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
6 February 1944 |
1 March 1944 |
Sunk by British air attack on Le Havre on 14 June 1944. |
|
S189 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
6 March 1944 |
31 March 1944 |
Sunk by British air attack off Boulogne on 13 June 1944. |
|
S190 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
30 March 1944 |
22 April 1944 |
Sunk by gunfire from British ships in Seine Estuary on 23 June 1944. |
|
S191 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
22 April 1944 |
18 May 1944 |
Scuttled 4 May 1945 in Fehmannsound after collision with S301. |
|
S192 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
13 May 1944 |
7 June 1944 |
Sunk by gunfire from British escorts off Ostend on 23 December 1944. |
|
S193 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
6 June 1944 |
28 June 1944 |
Sunk by gunfire from British escorts in North Sea on 22 February 1945. |
|
S194 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
23 June 1944 |
19 July 1944 |
Sunk at Wilhelmhaven by British bombing 30 March 1945. |
|
S195 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
28 June 1944 |
To USA at war's end, given to Norwegian Navy 1945 as Kjekk, scrapped 1956. |
|
S196 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
3 July 1944 |
To UK a war's end, given to Denmark 1947 as Raalgen (T59), scrapped 1958 after 1951 collision. |
|
S197 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
10 July 1944 |
To USA at war's end, given to Denmark 1947 as Lommen, scrapped 1972. |
|
S198 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
15 July 1944 |
Sunk in British air attack at Ijmuiden on 15 December 1944. |
|
S199 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
21 July 1944 |
Scuttled after collision with S701 on 23 January 1945. |
|
S200 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
3 August 1944 |
Sunk by gunfire from British escorts off Dunkirk on 19 September 1944. |
|
S201 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
28 July 1944 |
Scuttled at Kiel on 3 May 1945 after air attack damage. |
|
S202 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
8 August 1944 |
Sunk in collision with S703 on 8 April 1945 in the Scheldt approaches in action with British MGBs. |
|
S203 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
13 August 1944 |
Scuttled off Lindesne after collision with R220 on 10 November 1944. |
|
S204 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
19 August 1944 |
To USSR 1945, becoming TK-1020; scrapped 1954. |
|
S205 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
28 August 1944 |
To UK in 1945, scrapped 1946. |
|
S206 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
31 August 1944 |
To USA at war's end, given to Denmark 1947 as Hoegen (T55), scrapped 1957 after collision. |
|
S207 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
19 September 1944 |
To UK at war's end, given to Denmark 1947 as Skaden (T61), scrapped 1960. |
|
S208 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
28 September 1944 |
To USA at war's end, given to Germany 1957, scrapped 1967. |
|
S209 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
21 October 1944 |
To USSR in 1945, renamed TK-1021; scrapped 1954. |
|
S210 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
27 September 1944 |
To USA at war's end, given to Norwegian Navy 1947 as Snar, scrapped 1950. |
|
S211 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
1 October 1944 |
To USSR on 15 January 1946, renamed TK-1022; scrapped 1954. |
|
S212 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
11 October 1944 |
To UK in 1945, scrapped 1957. |
|
S213 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
7 January 1945 |
To UK in 1945, scrapped 1945. |
|
S214 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
8 December 1944 |
To USSR on 4 January 1946, renamed TK-1023; scrapped 1954. |
|
S215 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
1 December 1944 |
To UK in 1945, scrapped 1948. |
|
S216 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
27 December 1944 |
To USA at war's end, given to Denmark 1947 as Havoarnen (T53), scrapped 1957. |
|
S217 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
30 January 1945 |
To UK in 1945, scrapped 1948. |
|
S218 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
18 January 1945 |
To USA in 1945, fate unknown. |
|
S219 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
11 July 1944 |
9 August 1944 |
To USSR on 15 January 1946, renamed TK-1024; scrapped 1957. |
|
S220 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
9 August 1944 |
27 August 1944 |
Badly damaged in action 1 March 1945 and scuttled. |
|
S221 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
16 August 1944 |
10 September 1944 |
To UK 1945. Scrapped 1948. |
|
S222 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
31 August 1944 |
23 September 1944 |
To USSR on 4 January 1946, renamed TK-1025. Scrapped 1953. |
|
S223 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
14 September 1944 |
29 October 1944 |
Sunk by mine off Ostend on 8 April 1945. |
|
S224 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
1944 |
17 November 1944 |
Sunk at Wilhelmshaven by British bombing 30 March 1945. |
|
S225 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
1944 |
1 December 1944 |
To USA 1945, fate unknown |
|
S226 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
1944 |
27 February 1945 |
Sunk in air attack 6 May 1945 |
|
S227 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
1944 |
1944 or 1945 |
To USSR 1945, renamed TK-1026. Scrapped 1949. |
|
S228 |
Schlichting Travemünde |
1944 |
19 April 1945 |
To UK 1945. Scrapped 1946. |
The final batch ordered on 4 December 1943 comprised a massive total of 282 units - S229 to S260 (32 boats) from Schlichting; S301 to S425 (125 boats) from Lürssen; and S701 to S825 (125 boats) from Danziger Waggon at Danzig. The first four of the Schlichting boats (S229 to S230) were completed by April 1945 but not placed into service; these were presumably broken up in the shipyard following the cessation of hostilities. Of the projected numbers from the other two builders only the first five from Lürssen and 9 from Danzig were completed. Another seven were launched but not completed; these were scuttled in the North Sea, while fourteen more were scrapped in the Lürssen shipyard (S308 to S328) and others at Travemünde and Danzig. The remainder were all cancelled.
|
Number |
Builder |
Launched |
Commissioned |
Fate |
|
S301 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
31 January 1945 |
Scuttled 7 May 1945 in Fehmannsound after collision with S191. |
|
S302 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
12 February 1945 |
To USA at end of war, then became Norwegian E1 in July 1947, renamed Blink in 1948; sold to Denmark 1951 as Falken, scrapped 1972. |
|
S303 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
24 February 1945 |
To USA at end of war, then became Norwegian E2 in July 1946, renamed Brand in 1948; sold to Denmark 1950 as Taarnfalken, scrapped 1972. |
|
S304 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
9 March 1945 |
To UK in 1945; scrapped 1946. |
|
S305 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
29 March 1945 |
To USA in 1945, then became to Denmark on 31 July 1947 as T57, later named Jagtfalken, scrapped 1962. |
|
S306 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
April 1945 |
To USA in 1945, then to Denmark on 31 July 1947 as Glenten, scrapped 1960. |
|
S307 |
Lürssen, Vegesack |
1944 |
April 1945 |
To UK in 1945, then scrapped. |
S501 Class
These small ex-Italian Navy boats of the Baglietto fast type (or MAS526 type) were taken over by the Germans in the Black Sea on 20 May 1943. The first seven of these measured 18.7 x 4.7 x 1.5 m (61 ft 4in x 15 ft 5in x 4 ft 11in) and displaced 25.2 tons (29.4 tons full load). These 2-shaft boats were driven by 2 Isotta-Fraschini petrol engines of 2,000 hp to reach 42 knots. They carried two 450mm torpedoes plus one MG or 20mm gun, and 6 depth charges, with a crew of 10. All 7 were transferred to the Romania in August 1943, but seized by the USSR on 5 September 1943.
|
Number |
Ex-Italian |
Builder |
Launched |
Fate |
|
S501 |
ex MAS 566 |
Baglietto, Varazze |
20 June 1941 |
Sunk in Black Sea 1944 |
|
S502 |
ex MAS 567 |
Basglietto, Varazze |
20 July 1941 |
Sunk in Black Sea 1944 |
|
S503 |
ex MAS 568 |
Basglietto, Varazze |
11 August 1941 |
Sunk in Black Sea 1944 |
|
S504 |
ex MAS 569 |
Basglietto, Varazze |
8 September 1941 |
Sunk in Black Sea 1944 |
|
S505 |
ex MAS 570 |
Basglietto, Varazze |
20 September 1941 |
Sunk in Black Sea 1944 |
|
S506 |
ex MAS 574 |
Celli, Venice |
1941 |
Sunk at Constanta on 25 August 1944 |
|
S507 |
ex MAS 575 |
Celli, Venice |
1941 |
Sunk in Black Sea 1944 |
|
S508 |
ex MAS 525 |
CRDA, Monfalcone |
||
|
S509 |
ex MAS 549 |
CRDA, Monfalcone |
1939 |
Sunk (as SA 12) at Imperia on 24 April 1945 |
|
S510 |
ex MAS 551 |
CRDA, Monfalcone |
1941 |
Sunk (as SA 13) at Imperia on 24 April 1945 |
|
S511 |
ex MAS 557 |
Picchiotti, Limite sull'Arno |
7 March 1941 |
Sunk by British air attack on 4 December 1944 |
|
S512 |
ex MAS 553 |
CRDA, Monfalcone |
10 May 1941 |
Sunk (as SA 14) at Imperia on 24 April 1945 |
S601 Class
Further small ex-Italian Navy boats of the Baglietto fast type (of various classes) were taken over by the Germans.
|
Number |
Ex-Italian |
Built |
Launched |
Fate |
|
S601 |
ex MAS 542 |
Venice |
5 July 1939 |
Sunk in Aegean by air attack 1944. |
|
S602 |
ex MAS 430 |
Venice |
1929 |
Scuttled 1944 at Sebenico. |
|
S603 |
ex MAS 431 |
Varazze |
1931 |
Sunk November 1943 at Zara-Sebenico. |
|
S604 |
ex MAS 423 |
Venice |
March 1929 |
Sunk in 1944 in the Adriatic. |
|
S621 |
ex MAS 561 |
Varazze |
4 February 1941 |
Sunk (as SA 16) near Imperia on 24 April 1945 |
|
S622 |
ex MAS 550 |
Monfalcone |
23 September 1939 |
Sunk (as SA 21) in air attack at Monfalcone on 14 March 1944. |
|
S623 |
ex MAS 554 |
Monfalcone |
20 May 1941 |
Scuttled (as SA 20) at Trieste on 1 May 1945; refloated and scrapped |
|
S624 |
ex MAS 424 |
Varasse |
24 October 1937 |
Sunk (as SA 17) in air attack at Monfalcone on 14 March 1944. |
|
S625 |
ex MAS 437 |
Venice |
1934 |
Sunk (as SA 18) in May 1945 |
|
S626 |
ex MAS 502 |
Varazze |
24 April 1936 |
Sunk by German artillery off La Spezia March 1944 |
|
S627 |
ex MAS 504 |
Varazze |
24 August 1936 |
Sunk off Anzio by HMS Grenville on 25 March 1944. |
|
S628 |
ex MAS 505 |
Varazze |
19 February 1937 |
Sunk (as SA 19) at Genoa in May 1945 |
|
S629 |
ex MAS 558 |
Venice |
1940 |
Scuttled (as SA 15) near Imperia on 24 April 1945. |
|
S630 |
S700 Class
Late war design proposal with stern torpedo tubes and 30 mm gun turret forward. These were intended to be slightly larger, of prefabricated construction, and to be propelled by the supercharged MB518 engines. They were to have carried two stern-firing torpedo tubes in addition to the usual two bow tubes, with a special 30mm gun in a bow turret. These were ordered from Danziger Waggonfabrik at Danzig on 4 December 1943 as S701 to S825 (125 boats), but only the first nine boats were built, and these were completed to S100 design specification with MB511 diesel engines after the production of the MB518 engine was cancelled due to Allied bombing. The other boats were cancelled or scrapped unfinished in the shipyard.
|
Number |
Builder |
Launched |
Commissioned |
Fate |
|
S701 |
Danziger Waggonfabrik |
1944 |
3 July 1944 |
Badly damaged on 23 January
1945 in collision with S199; |
|
S702 |
Danziger Waggonfabrik |
1944 |
30 July 1944 |
Sunk in action with British MTBs on 19 September 1944 after collision with S200. |
|
S703 |
Danziger Waggonfabrik |
1944 |
30 August 1944 |
Sunk after collision with S202 on 8 April 1945 in the Scheldt approaches in action with British MGBs. |
|
S704 |
Danziger Waggonfabrik |
1944 |
2 October 1944 |
To USSR on 15 January 1946 as TK-1027, scrapped 1949 |
|
S705 |
Danziger Waggonfabrik |
1944 |
22 October 1944 |
To UK on 4 January 1946, scrapped 1947. |
|
S706 |
Danziger Waggonfabrik |
1944 |
31 October 1944 |
To USA on 30 January 1947, fate unknown. |
|
S707 |
Danziger Waggonfabrik |
1944 |
4 December 1944 |
To USSR on 15 January 1946 as TK-1028, scrapped 1949. |
|
S708 |
Danziger Waggonfabrik |
1944 |
19 February 1945 |
To USSR on 15 January 1946 as TK-1029, scrapped 1954. |
|
S709 |
Danziger Waggonfabrik |
1944 |
1945 |
To USSR on 29 March 1946 as TK-1030, scrapped 1949. |
In the 1944 Program it was intended to increase production of E-boats to deliver 150 boats per annum, but this level was never achieved. In November 1944 there were 292 boats on order, of which 138 were under construction, usually awaiting delivery of the new MB518 engines, while the other 154 boats were unstarted. Eventually, as the ability to provide engines increased, only 19 of the 138 boats were actually completed.
KS-boats (Kleinst Schnellboote), Originally KM-series (Küstenminenleger)
A class of small fast attack craft designed as offensive mine-layers (rated Küstenminenleger), able to carry up to 4 mines, and to operate close to enemy shores. They measured 15.95 x 3.50 x 1.10 m (52 ft 4in x 11 ft 6in x 3 ft 7in); 15/16 tonnes standard (18/19 tonnes full load). Powered by 2 BMW MB507 12-cylinder aero engines producing 1,650 hp (32 knots), although four boats (nos. 1, 2, 5 and 6) had two Junkers 4-cylinder diesels of 1,500 hp to produce speeds of 30/40.9 knots; radius 225 miles at 25 knots. A total of 36 were ordered (most on 29 and 31 July 1940, but KM1 to KM4 were ordered on 26 August, and KM25 and KM26 on 11 October 1940), but as their engines proved unreliable, they were not used in their intended role and instead most were employed in lakes and rivers, being attached to the Peipusee Flotilla (KM3 to the Ladogasee Flotilla). As minelayers they carried four TMB mines and a single Mg39 gun, plus a crew of 6. 21 boats were equipped with 2 x 450mm fixed stern torpedo tubes replacing the mines, and were reclassed as KS-boats (Kleinst Schnellboote), retaining their original numbers but replacing the "KM" prefix by "KS".
|
Number |
Builder |
Commissioned |
Reclassed |
Fate |
|
KS1 |
Nordbjaerg & Wedell, Copenhagen |
18 December 1941 |
February 1944 |
To Finland in 1942; sunk 2 July 1944 but raised; to USSR 1945, fate unknown. |
|
KS2 |
Nordbjaerg & Wedell, Copenhagen |
18 December 1941 |
February 1944 |
To Finland in 1942; to USSR 1945, fate unknown. |
|
KS9 |
Engelbrecht, Berlin |
February 1943 |
October 1943 |
Destroyed on 18 September 1944. |
|
KS10 |
Engelbrecht, Berlin |
February 1943 |
December 1943 |
Destroyed on 18 September 1944. |
|
KS11 |
Engelbrecht, Berlin |
March 1943 |
March 1943 |
Given to Croatian Navy in October 1944, fate unknown. |
|
KS12 |
Engelbrecht, Berlin |
1943 |
December 1943 |
Destroyed on 18 September 1944. |
|
KS13 |
Engelbrecht, Berlin |
1943 |
December 1943 |
Fate unknown. |
|
KS14 |
Engelbrecht, Berlin |
1943 |
December 1943 |
Fate unknown. |
|
KS15 |
Engelbrecht, Berlin |
1943 |
December 1943 |
Fate unknown. |
|
KS16 |
Kreigermann, Berlin-Pichelsdorf |
December 1941 |
December 1943 |
Destroyed on 18 September 1944. |
|
KS17 |
Kreigermann, Berlin-Pichelsdorf |
17 July 1942 |
March 1943 |
Given to Croatian Navy in October 1944, fate unknown. |
|
KS18 |
Kreigermann, Berlin-Pichelsdorf |
17 July 1942 |
March 1943 |
Given to Croatian Navy in September 1944, fate unknown. |
|
KS20 |
Reinickewerft, Berlin-Pichelsdorf |
17 July 1942 |
December 1943 |
Sunk on 5 September 1044 after fire. |
|
KS21 |
Kreigermann, Berlin-Pichelsdorf |
21 July 1942 |
1943 |
Given to Croatian Navy in September 1944, fate unknown |
|
KS22 |
Nordbjaerg & Wedell, Copenhagen |
9 June 1942 |
1943 |
To Finland in 1942; to USSR 1945, fate unknown. |
|
KS23 |
Rob. Franz Niederfehme |
17 July 1942 |
1943 |
Given to Croatian Navy in December 1944; fate unknown. |
|
KS24 |
Rob. Franz Niederfehme |
17 July 1942 |
1943 |
Given to Croatian Navy in December 1944; fate unknown. |
|
KS25 |
Rob. Franz Niederfehme |
12 December 1942 |
1943 |
Fate unknown. |
|
KS26 |
Rob. Franz Niederfehme |
February 1943 |
1943 |
Fate unknown. |
|
KS31 |
Nordbjaerg & Wedell, Copenhagen |
February 1943 |
1943 |
Given to Croatian Navy in September 1944, fate unknown. |
|
KS32 |
Nordbjaerg & Wedell, Copenhagen |
February 1943 |
1943 |
Given to Croatian Navy in September 1944, fate unknown. |
Of the unreclassified boats, KM27 to KM30 were all sunk by Soviet aircraft in the Gulf of Bothnia during 1943.
LS-boats (Leichte Schnellboote)
Another class of even smaller fast attack boat, not intended to operate independently, but to be based on auxiliary cruisers or other vessels operating in overseas areas. They measured 12.50 x 3.46 x 1.02 m (41 ft x 11 ft 4in x 3 ft 4in). These 2-shaft boats weighed 11.5 - 13 tons. The first six were powered by two Junkers 6-cyl JuMo205 aircraft engines, they reached 38 knots. Later boats had two Daimler-Benz MB507 12-cyl diesels of 2,000 hp reaching 40.9 knots, and with an endurance of 300 miles at 30 knots. They carried two 450mm torpedo tubes (instead of up to 4 mines), but had depth charges and a single 20mm MG (in an enclosed turret), plus 7 men. A total of 34 of these boats were ordered, the prototype from Naglo Werft, Berlin, and all the others from Dornier Werft, Friedrichshafen, but the prototype was not completed and only the next eleven were completed; another six (LS13 to LS18) were taken over by France incomplete following the war's end, and completed for them; the final 16 (LS19 to LS34) were cancelled in 1944.
|
Number |
Builder |
Commissioned |
Fate |
|
LS1 |
Naglo Werft |
Launched 1940 |
Never completed as the boat's hull was found to be too heavy. |
|
LS2 |
Dornier Werft |
14 June 1940 |
Used aboard commerce raider Komet; scuttled on 23 December 1940. |
|
LS3 |
Dornier Werft |
14 October 1940 |
Used aboard commerce raider Kormoran; destroyed on 20 November 1941. |
|
LS4 |
Dornier Werft |
5 July 1941 |
Used aboard commerce raider Michel; destroyed on 17 October 1943. |
|
LS5 |
Dornier Werft |
15 October 1941 |
Used as escort vessel in the Aegean Sea; sunk off Kos in air attack on 2 November 1943. |
|
LS6 |
Dornier Werft |
15 October 1941 |
Used as escort vessel in the Aegean Sea; sunk in air attack on 25 September 1943 |
|
LS7 |
Dornier Werft |
8 October 1943 |
Grounded on 14 October 1944 off Grado. |
|
LS8 |
Dornier Werft |
20 December 1943 |
Destroyed by own crew on 21 September 1944 in Phaleron Harbour (Piraeus). |
|
LS9 |
Dornier Werft |
20 January 1944 |
Destroyed by own crew on 21 September 1944 in Phaleron Harbour (Piraeus). |
|
LS10 |
Dornier Werft |
27 January 1944 |
Sunk by aircraft on 14 October 1944 off Volos. |
|
LS11 |
Dornier Werft |
18 May 1944 |
Destroyed by own crew on 21 September 1944 in Phaleron Harbour (Piraeus). |
|
LS12 |
Dornier Werft |
12 July 1944 |
To USSR in 1945, and scrapped. |
 |
| S10. |
 |
| S-100 Class Schnellboot drawings. (John Drain, PT-Boat.com) |
 |
| Otto Herman Kahn’s luxury yacht Oheka II the grandfather of the Schnellboot. |
 |
| A German Motor Torpedo Boat (Schnellboot) underway at speed prior to 1939. It appears to be one of the series S 6 to S 25, built 1932-39. This might be a builder's photo because of the lack of a naval pennant number on the bow and what appears to be a house flag at the foretopmast head. (Official U.S. Navy photo NH 43636 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command) |
 |
| The 1. SFltl with tender Tsingtau in Kiel-Wik. |
 |
| S-14. |
 |
| S-15. |
 |
| S-132 ready for delivery from the Luerssen yard. |
 |
| The hull numbers were removed by the censors for security purposes. |
 |
| A view of the armored bridge. |
 |
| German motor-torpedo boat S13 passing under a bridge, between 1935 and 1939. S9 to S13 were ordered in 1933, the last being commissioned in December 1935. All boats were assigned to the 1. Schnellbootflottille (1. SFltl)/(1st Motor Torpedo Boat Flotilla). S13 survived the Second World War. It was transferred to the United Kingdom in 1945 and subsequently scrapped. (U.S. Navy photo NH 91615 via Naval History & Heritage Command) |
 |
| 2cm ammunition is stowed around the bow gun position. |
 |
| A 4cm Bofors salvaged from an S-boot. These guns were used on the S-38 class. |
 |
| MK151 Drilling (triple) mount as used on S-30 and S-151 classes in the Mediterranean. |
 |
| Tube door. Part of the gear cover is missing. |
 |
| Torpedo stowed in reload cradle on a camouflaged Type 26. |
 |
| Stern 2cm on a Type 26. |
 |
| The German Schnellboot (“E-boat”) S 204 flying a white flag of surrender at the coastal forces base HMS Beehive, Felixstowe, Suffolk (UK), on 13 May 1945. The two German E-Boats S 204 and S 205 from the 4th Schnellboot-Flotilla were escorted in by ten British MTBs. On board of S 205 was Rear Admiral Erich Breuning, who had been in charge of E-Boat operations and who signed the instrument of surrender. Note the black panther painted on the side of S 204 which had on board KKpt Kurt Fimmen (CO 4th Schnellboot-Flotilla) and KptLt Bernd Rebensburg (Ia Op/Operations-Officer of the Staff of Führer der Schnellboote/FdS). (Imperial War Museum A28558) |
 |
| Italian MS 472, post-war configuration. (M. Risolo) |
 |
| S-Boote, France, 1940. (Bundesarchiv Bild 101II-MW-1776-09) |
 |
| S-boat type S 38 receiving torpedoes. (Bundesarchiv Bild 101II-MW-1913-31) |
 |
| Gunner manning the bow gun of a Schnellboot at sea, 1942. (Bundesarchiv Bild 101II-MW-6304-13A) |
 |
| Schnellboot loaded with sea mines in a bunker with other S-boats, Germany, 1942. (Bundesarchiv Bild 101II-MW-6307-32) |
 |
| Transport of the last troops from Libau by Schnellboot on 8 May 1945. (Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1972-093-39) |
 |
| Albert Speer arrives on a S-100 Class Schnellboote during a visit a submarine, 1942. (Bundesarchiv Bild 146-2005-0002) |
 |
| German Schnellbooten in the Arctic Ocean, 16 Mar 1942. (Bundesarchiv Bild 146-2006-0028) |
 |
| The radio reporter questions the engine crew of a German Schnellboot in great detail about their impressions of the battle, 1939. (Bundesarchiv Bild 146-2007-0199) |
 |
| A surrendered German Schnellboot ("E-boat") doing 30 knots with two other E-Boats (not visible) alongside an accompanying MGB heading to HMS Hornet, the light coastal forces base at Gosport, Hampshire (UK), to be taken over by the Royal Navy. (Imperial War Museum A29321) |
 |
| An unidentified German S-26/38-class motor torpedo boat with an armored "Kalotte"-type bridge seen in a wartime concrete shelter built to provide protection against air attack during the Second World War. (U.S. Navy photo NH 92352 via Naval History & Heritage Command) |
 |
| A German S-Boot is attacked by a U.S. Army Air Forces fighter plane in the North Sea, in the spring of 1944. (National Archives and Records Administration cataloged under the National Archives Identifier (NAID) 204917508) |
 |
| German Schnellboot S-9 of the Schnellboot type 1933. (R. Witkowski) |
 |
| A surrendered E-boat doing 30 knots with two others (not visible), on the way to HMS Hornet, the light coastal forces base at Gosport, Hampshire, to be taken over by the Royal Navy. (Imperial War Museum AS29320) |
 |
| Schnellboote S 14 and S 15. |
 |
| Schnellboote during Operation Weserübung. (Archives Ola Erlandsson) |
 |
| Schnellboot. |
 |
| Training with new Type 26 boats. |
 |
| S-boats being towed on the Danube, 1941. |
 |
| Prewar view of S-9 and S-11 showing detail of bow. Notice the white numbers contrasting with the light grey paint scheme. |
 |
| S-100 Class cockpit interior. |
 |
| Early bridge showing from left to right, engine room telegraph, propeller revolution counters, compass. The aluminum bulkheads offered no ballistic protection. |
 |
| Aft view of signal mast and wheelhouse of early boat. |
 |
| View aft onboard a camouflaged Type 26. |
 |
| Details of a mid-war vessel’s deck. |
 |
| S-18’s Officers enjoy a lunch break. Notice the large low ventilators, and the light grey paint to the horizontal surfaces. The clover leaf object is a blackout cover for a 3-porthole engine room skylight. |
 |
| S-18 from a different angle. |
 |
| S-36. |
 |
| An overhauled type 30 lowered back into its element. Note the fine lines of the displacement hull. |
 |
| Two surrendered German Schnellboote ("E-boats") arriving at HMS Hornet, the light coastal forces base at Gosport, Hampshire (UK), to be taken over by the Royal Navy, 1945. (Imperial War Museum A29322) |
 |
| Mechanic monitors instruments. On his right, the engine telegraph. |
 |
| View aft in engine room. A cylinder is serviced. |
 |
| The bow 2cm was manned by a crew of two who stood in the gun tub. |
 |
| Early boats had the standard Kriegsmarine 2cm Flak pedestal at the stern. Notice the opened ammo box and the uncovered master compass. |
 |
| Firing exercise, Black Sea. |
 |
| Notice the simple anti-aircraft sight. The optional basket collected spent shell casings. |
 |
| Torpedo tube trigger mechanism. |
 |
| Reloading using the torpedo winch. |
 |
| Reloading at night. |
 |
| A close-up of the torpedo tube of a salvaged boat. |
 |
| Stern 2cm on early boat, in action. The spent shell basket was not always used. |
 |
| Postwar view of S-Boats used by the Danish Navy. |
 |
| Danish S Boat Flyvefisken built after World War II. Among various alterations, the bow has been lengthened. The boat is painted khaki green. |
 |
| Schnellboot S-1 in 1932 a few months before being delivered by the Luerrsen shipyards in Bremen Vegesack to the Reichsmarine. Development of the boat started in 1929. 27.03 meters long for a 40,4-ton displacement when fully loaded, the S-1 was driven by three 12-cylinder 900-hp Daimler Benz BFz gasoline engines, along with an additional 100-hp Maybach "cruise" engine. It could reach 34 knots at full speed. (Dean Obric) |
 |
| The S-26 was commanded at that time by Oberleutnant zur See Kurt Fimmen and operating with the 1st S-Boote flotilla based in Ijmuiden, Holland. The S-26 was sunk along with the S-40 and S-72 by Soviet fighter-bombers on August 19, 1944 in the Romanian port of Sulina. (Dean Orbic) |
 |
| Schnellboot S701 in April 1945. This torpedo boat was part of the 8th flotilla based in Ijmuiden. The S701 had been delivered to the Kriegsmarine in July, 1944. It was surrendered to the U.S. Navy in 1945 and then sold to the Dutch Navy. (Dean Orbic) |
 |
| A U.S. Navy patrol boat on the Weser River in Germany, circa 1946. The boat is the former German E-boat (German: Schnellboot, or S-Boot, meaning "fast boat") S 216. S 216 was commissioned on 27 December 1944 and later used by the U.S. Navy until it was transferred to Denmark in July 1947. It served as Havoernen and was scrapped in 1958. (US Navy photo from U.S. Navy All Hands magazine July 1948) |
 |
| A German motor torpedo boat escorting a minelayer during the Second World War off the Norwegian coast. The insignia shown was worn by S 16 in 1941. S 16 survived the war and was transferred to the Soviet Union in 1945. (U.S. Navy photo NH 71371 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command) |
 |
| German motor torpedo boats leaving the harbor of Kirkenes, on the Norwegian Arctic Coast, during the Second World War. (U.S. Navy photo NH 71373 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command) |
 |
| A German patrol boat in a lock of a French inland canal in 1942. The type is similar to the German Schnellboot ("E-Boat"). Eight Dutch boats were confiscated at Gusto shipyard, Schiedam, the Netherlands, in 1940. They were completed for the German Kriegsmarine and were moved to the Mediterranean via European inland waterways in 1942. They were then commissioned as S 151 to S 158. (Official U.S. Navy photo NH 43631 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command) |
 |
| A German patrol boat on a French inland canal in 1942. The type is similar to the German Schnellboot ("E-Boat"). Eight Dutch boats were confiscated at Gusto shipyard, Schiedam, the Netherlands, in 1940. They were completed for the German Kriegsmarine and were moved to the Mediterranean via European inland waterways in 1942. They were then commissioned as S 151 to S 158. (Official U.S. Navy photo NH 43628 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command) |
 |
| Schnellbooten and Arado Ar 196A-3 reconnaissance aircraft patrolling the area around an island in the Aegean Sea, Jan 1944. (Polish National Digital Archives [Wydawnictwo Prasowe Kraków-Warszawa] 2-614) |
 |
| S-Boote Daimler Benz high speed diesel engine type MB 518/3. (Swedish "Tidskrift i Sjöväsendet" Januari 1959) |
 |
| 1. SFltl for the Polish campaign. (Walter Koch, Archives S. Jung) |
 |
| S-30 type S-Boat at Ostend. (Archives Förderverein) |
 |
| Lifted into drydock, this view shows the gracefully curved form of its displacement type hull. |
 |
| Bow view in drydock, note the pronounced knuckle to the bow. |
 |
| This view shows the main rudder and “effect” side rudders. Also note the center prop tip is mounted inside the rudder bracket. |
 |
| “S-12” and “S-13” in line astern. |
 |
| Schnellboot under examination by the U.S. Navy. |
 |
| Schnellboot under examination by the U.S. Navy. |
 |
| Schnellboot under examination by the U.S. Navy. |
 |
| Schnellboot under examination by the U.S. Navy. |
 |
| View of two S-151 boats under construction at the Gusto boatyard in Holland, these were hybrids based on captured Dutch hulls. |
 |
| S-13, S-8, S-9, S-11 and tender Tsingtau at Schlichting, Travemünde. |
 |
| S-13, S-14 and S-15 in the harbor of Worms, 29 July 1937. |
 |
| S-11 during exercises in the Baltic. |
 |
| S-14 in the Baltic. |
 |
| Commanding Officers 1. S-Fltl in Urville, Cherbourg, France, 1940. |
 |
| S-boat in camouflage paint in Finland, 1941. |
 |
| S-28 at flank speed in the Black Sea, 1942. |
 |
| Boats of 1. SFltl entering Iwan Baba, 1942. |
 |
| S-102 leaving Iwan Baba, 1943. |
 |
| S-102 in the Black Sea, June 1943. |
 |
| S-boat under fire in the Black Sea. |
 |
| S-boat under fire by aircraft in the Black Sea. |
 |
| Stern 2cm in action. |
 |
| S-40 on fire after hit in the Black Sea. |
 |
| Red and white stripes on the forecastle. |
 |
| Just missed. |
 |
| S-47 with the new Kalotte-Bridge (skull cap) in the Black Sea. |
 |
| S-50 surrenders to the Royal Navy at Felixstowe, 13 May 1945. |
 |
| Close up of bridge armor details, 7 June 1944. The 4th Flotilla insignia was a Panther. KeK was the Kommandant’s monogram. |
 |
| View forward from bridge on early boat. The canvas covered object is the stowed torpedo sight pedestal. |
 |
| View looking forward from the bridge. This is a mid-war type 26 without the 2cm bow turret. Notice the glass windows into the wheelhouse and lack of instrumentation. |
 |
| Rather than conning from the bridge, the commander passed orders to the wheelhouse through a flexible voice pipe. |
 |
| View inside the cockpit of a late war boat. |
 |
| View showing the torpedo targeting column on a boat salvaged by the U.S. Navy. |
 |
| A view inside the cockpit through the partially dismantled bridge armor. |
 |
| Bow view of early boat. Notice the anchor winch and stowed boat hooks. |
 |
| The small anchor winch on S-18. |
 |
| The small anchor winch on S-18. |
 |
| S-36. |
 |
| View of instrument panel and Daimler-Benz engine, facing aft in an early boat. |
 |
| Instrument panel and engine telegraph in late war boat. |
 |
| Engine intake and exhaust conduits. |
 |
| Detail of the engine room telegraph which transmitted orders from the bridge. A visual indicator was necessary due to engine noise. |
 |
| MAN engines. Their height was a disadvantage. |
 |
| 20-cylinder MB501 engine, crated for delivery. |
 |
| Another view of the MB501 engine. |
 |
| MB501 being refitted in Norway. |
 |
| Engine cooling water intake and exhaust ports. |
 |
| Engine room of salvaged late war boat. |
 |
| Engine air intakes, mid-war. Note the shutter grille. |
 |
| Sextant and rangefinder in use on this mid-war boat. |
 |
| The navigator in his tiny charthouse aft of the wheelhouse. |
 |
| The Radio Operator’s cabin. |
 |
| The table doubled as the Radioman’s bed. |
 |
| FuG V transmitter. |
 |
| FuG V reliever. |
 |
| Inside the wheelhouse, matte black bulkheads eliminated reflections. The radioman operates the ship to ship R/T. |
 |
| Lo 1 UK 35 ship-to-ship R/T unit. Shown here in its transportation case. |
 |
| Note the Fu Mo 71 antenna and mast fitted to this mid-war boat. |
 |
| The FuG set as mounted in a Do 18 flying boat. |
 |
| The time-honored method of ship to ship communication. |
 |
| Pennants for two recent victories. |
 |
| Compass instrument with sight. |
 |
| 2cm bow gunner in action. He wears an inflatable life vest. |
 |
| Same gunner, close-up. |
 |
| S-100 class bow gun arrangement. |
 |
| 2cm bow gun in Drehkranzlafette 41. |
 |
| A close-up inside the forward gun tub. The gun has been removed from this salvaged boat. Note the interior door. |
 |
| A depth charge is loaded. These were lashed to rails on the deck. |
 |
| Crewmen working on several S-boats. |
 |
| The meaning of the yellow color is unclear. Practice or live? |
 |
| 2cm “Zwilling” Flak. |
 |
| Smoke generator, and ready ammunition locker. |
 |
| Close-up of smoke generator. |
 |
| Rear view. This gun was fully automatic, fed 5 round clips and fired by foot pedal. This example is on U-505. |
 |
| 2cm MG C/30. |
 |
| The wooden slats of the stern 2cm were a feature of the early boats. |
 |
| The 2cm in action onboard a “Vorpostenboot,” a converted fishing cutter. |
 |
| Cleanliness and constant maintenance was routine on every boat. |
 |
| The tube covers were cranked open by the torpedoman. |
 |
| The torpedo tube covers (closed). |
 |
| The torpedo tube covers (opening). |
 |
| The torpedo tube covers (open). |
 |
| On a mid-war boat, the torpedoman waits for the order to fire. |
 |
| The torpedo is coaxed into its cradle. |
 |
| The torpedo cradle was used when loading torpedoes and occasionally for stowing spares. This is a mid-war boat. |
 |
| The torpedo cradle on an early war boat. The torpedo was winched into the tube by block and tackle. |
 |
| Notice the covered torpedo aiming sight/computer, and the highly polished brass cooling sleeve of the antiquated 08/15 machine gun. |
 |
| The binocular sight is uncovered in this view. Notice the antler talisman. Lucky horseshoes were also popular. |
 |
| Stern 2cm on mid war boat. The deck is covered with a slip resistant matting. |
 |
| Alongside a tender, torpedoes are loaded. |
No comments:
Post a Comment