Dolphin (submarine)
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The dolphin was a small German submarine from the Second World War . Since the dolphin, which was designed as an explosive device, was only developed towards the end of the war, only three boats were put into service.
The idea for this weapon system came from Cornelius from the Institute for Machine Design . The boat did not have any diving cells, the depth control was purely dynamic. The mini submarine reached a depth of approx. 30 meters and was between 5.105 m and 5.48 m long, depending on the variant. The propulsion unit had been taken over by a torpedo, later propulsion systems analogous to the seal submarines were to follow. The pressure hull itself was made of sheet metal, the aero- or hydrodynamic shape can be seen as an anticipation of the later Albacore shape. The submarine driver sat under a plexiglass hood , like the driver of a Negro torpedo .
The boat was designed so that it could run towards the enemy at high speed (up to 18 knots). Shortly before the impact, the boat driver was supposed to throw himself out of the vehicle by pressing a lever, while the now unmanned dolphin continued to approach the target in order to detonate the 1200 kg explosive charge in the bow. As an alternative to the explosive charge, torpedoes and mines were also used as weapons.
Due to the war, the development of the dolphin did not get beyond the experimental stage. Of the three prototypes built, one was badly damaged in a collision on January 18, 1945, the others blown up shortly before the end of the war on May 1, 1945 in Pötenitz near Lübeck-Travemünde ; all existing documents and spare parts were destroyed.
Models ( Delphin II ) with a 53.3 cm combat torpedo or a TMB mine that was supposed to be towed were no longer realized.