Killer whale (submarine)
 Simplified representation of the killer whale I (above) and killer whale II (below)
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The miniature submarine orca was a prototype of the German navy towards the end of the Second World War and was designed as a very fast submarine hunter, which should achieve a top underwater speed of 30 knots . The founding father of the idea was the engineer H. Schade. Although such an idea had already existed in 1943, the project could only be tackled when the Walter drive had matured in 1944.
Development history
Killer whale i
Under the direction of the small combat units of the Kriegsmarine , a test model of the killer whale was created by the end of June 1944 in cooperation with the test command 456 of the K-units, H. Schade and the head of the Walter factory, H. Walter in Kiel- Tannenberg. On July 1, 1944, after extensive model tests in the wind tunnel , the prototype was commissioned to the aviation research institute in Braunschweig . The killer whale had a hydrodynamic torpedo-like shape and had an automatic course and depth control system that was supplied by the company Patin from Berlin . He also had an aircraft master compass, which was housed on the tail fin in a pressure-resistant container, as well as an echo sounder from the Kiel company ELAC with the name right-ahead location device . It is noteworthy that the killer whale had no diving cells, but a control cell and two trim cells at the bow and stern of the boat. The boat should dive dynamically with the help of the down elevator. The resources of the killer whale , which should have an empty weight of 6 and an operating weight of 17 t, amounted to 10 t of ingolin and 1 t of decalin .
Both the front section with the control center (pilot), control center (engineer) and the subsequent control cell together with the rear section (drive chamber) were built to be pressure-resistant. The entire middle section of the killer whale with the fuel cells in Mipolam bags was designed to be free-floating. This enabled the fuel supply to be automatically adapted to the respective diving depth. This ensured that the entire drive, regardless of the diving depth, provided constant performance. The primary armament consisted of two new torpedoes of the G7ut K-Butt type , which worked according to the missile system and could be used against submerged targets thanks to their advance tracking system. By the end of the war the prototype of the killer whale had been completed in terms of shipbuilding, but was no longer used for sea trials and was sunk in Lake Plön at the end of the war . However, the prototype was located and recovered by British search troops in July 1945, but shortly afterwards it was scrapped in Kiel.
Killer whale II
While the prototype of the killer whale was still in production, another project called killer whale II was conceived based on the experience gained . This should have a hydrodynamically better designed hull and more space in the control room for additional instruments. In addition, another drive system was planned, which was intended specifically for crawling and gained 25 hp from an electric motor. This enabled speeds of up to 8 knots. This electric motor has already been used in the seal . While the crew strength, armament and special equipment remained the same, the killer whale II was 13.5 m long and 2 m wide. Its empty weight was 6 t or 18 t in use. However, the driving range was only 80 nm at maximum speed. However, at the end of the war, the plans did not get beyond the drawing board.
Conclusion
After the war, based on Ulrich Gabler's data, it was calculated that the killer whale would not have been able to dive due to its shape, as gross errors in the weight and volume calculations would have already occurred in the planning phase. However, his theory could not be confirmed.
literature
- Erich Gröner : The ships of the German Navy and Air Force 1939–1945 and their whereabouts. Lehmanns Verlag, Munich 1964.
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Eberhard Rössler : History of the German submarine building. 2nd revised and expanded edition. 2 volumes. Bernard U. Graefe Verlag, Koblenz,
- Volume 1: Development, construction and properties of the German submarines from the beginning until 1943. 1986, ISBN 3-7637-5801-1 ,
- Volume 2: Development, construction and properties of German submarines from 1943 to the present day. 1987, ISBN 3-7637-5802-8 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ onlinelibrary.wiley.com
- ↑ Harald Fock: Naval small weapons. Nikol Verlagsvertretungen, 1997, ISBN 3-930656-34-5 , pp. 78-80.