Submarine class II

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The Finnish Vesikko , the prototype of the Type II boat

The U-Boot-Klasse II , officially called Type II , was a class of small single-hulled submarines of the German Navy , which were mainly used for coastal patrols. They were the first submarines to be built in Germany after the First World War.

history

Since the Versailles Treaty had prohibited the German Reichsmarine from building and owning submarines, the " Ruhrfonds " of the German arms industry, with the consent of the naval management , set up an engineering office in neutral Holland in 1922 to develop plans for new submarine technologies and sell internationally. For the future, this should keep pace with the ongoing development in submarine construction. In this context, Type II was designed in the 1920s by IvS based in The Hague . The developments of the IvS were based on the submarine class UB and the submarine class UF from the First World War. Designs for Turkey, Spain and Finland were essentially the forerunners of the later Types I , VII and IX . The forerunner of Type II was also developed in Holland and initially sold abroad. This was the Finnish submarine Vesikko , built according to German designs in Turku and put into service in 1933.

The Type II boats formed the first units of the newly founded Navy in 1935. At first, boats of this class were used in the North Sea and Baltic Sea area, but from 1941 they were withdrawn from the front for training purposes. Exceptions were the operations in connection with the Weser Exercise company and the submarine war in the Black Sea. For this purpose, six boats were transported, partly overland, to the 30th submarine flotilla in the Black Sea. In the position in which the deck gun is in the Type VII and Type IX , here is a flak of the 2 cm C / 30 model . They had a magazine of 20 rounds and tended to jam, which is why they were not a threat to the Soviet fighter-bombers during their missions off the Romanian coast.

A total of 50 Type II boats were built between 1934 and 1941. Of these, only eight were destroyed in combat operations at sea; the majority sank in the course of the surrender.

Technical specifications

Type II A

U9 (Type II B) in motion
  • Displacement: above water 254 tons, submerged 303 tons, total shape displacement 381 m³
  • Length: total 40.9 m, pressure hull 27.8 m
  • Width: total 4.08 m, pressure body 4 m
  • Height: 8.6 m
  • Draft: 3.83 m
  • Propulsion: overwater 700 HP, submerged 360 HP
  • Speed: over water 13 knots , submerged 6.9 knots
  • Range: overwater 1600 nm at 8 kn, submerged 35 nm at 4 kn
  • Torpedo tubes: 3 in the bow (Ø 53.3 cm)
  • Torpedoes: 3 in the tubes + 2 reserves (or 18 mines)
  • Guns: none
  • Flak: 1 × 2 cm L / 65 C / 30 (from 1942 2 × 2 2 cm)
  • Diving depth: 100 (guaranteed diving depth) 120 m (maximum diving depth)
  • Crew: 3 officers, 22 men
  • Number of items: 6 ( U1 - U6 )

Type II B

  • Displacement: above water 279 tons, submerged 329 tons, total displacement 414 m³
  • Length: total 42.7 m, pressure body 28.2 m
  • Width: total 4.08 m, pressure body 4 m
  • Height: 8.6 m
  • Draft: 3.9 m
  • Propulsion: overwater 700 HP, submerged 360 HP
  • Speed: 13 knots above water, 7 knots submerged
  • Range: above water 3100 nm at 8 kn, submerged 43 nm at 4 kn
  • Torpedo tubes: 3 in the bow
  • Torpedoes: 5 (or 18 mines)
  • Guns: none
  • Flak: 1 × 2 cm L / 65 C / 30 (from 1942 2 × 2 2 cm)
  • Diving depth: 120 m (maximum diving depth)
  • Crew: 3 officers, 22 men
  • Quantity: 20 ( U7 - U24 , U120 , U121 )

Type II C

  • Displacement: above water 291 tons, submerged 341 tons, total shape displacement 435 m³
  • Length: total 43.9 m, pressure body 29.6 m
  • Width: total 4.2 m, pressure body 4 m
  • Height: 8.4 m
  • Draft: 3.82 m
  • Propulsion: overwater 700 HP, submerged 410 HP
  • Speed: above water 13 knots, submerged 7.4 knots
  • Range: overwater 3800 nm at 8 kn, submerged 40 nm at 4 kn
  • Torpedo tubes: 3 in the bow
  • Torpedoes: 5 (or 18 mines)
  • Guns: none
  • Flak: 1 × 2 cm L / 65 C / 30 (from 1942 2 × 2 2 cm)
  • Immersion depth: 140 m (maximum immersion depth)
  • Crew: 3 officers, 22 men
  • Number of items: 8 ( U56 - U63 )

Type II D

  • Displacement: above water 314 tons, submerged 364 tons, total shape displacement 460 m³
  • Length: total 43.97 m, pressure hull 29.8 m
  • Width: total 4.92 m, pressure body 4 m
  • Height: 8.4 m
  • Draft: 3.93 m
  • Propulsion: overwater 700 HP, submerged 410 HP
  • Speed: above water 12.7 kn, submerged 7.9 kn
  • Range: above water 5650 nm at 8 kn, submerged 56 nm at 4 kn
  • Torpedo tubes: 3 in the bow
  • Torpedoes: 5 (or 18 mines)
  • Guns: none
  • Flak: 2 × 2 cm L / 65 C / 30 (from 1942 2 × 2 2 cm)
  • Diving depth: 125 m (guaranteed diving depth) 175 m (maximum diving depth)
  • Crew: 4 officers, 22 men
  • Quantity: 16 ( U137 - U152 )

See also