Photo 1. U 995 - German museum submarine
This locality was chosen for the installation of the museum for a reason - the fact is that in Laboe there is a naval memorial, which at first was dedicated to the fallen German sailors on the battlefields of the First World War, then began to be considered a memorial dedicated to all German sailors who died during the First and the Second World Wars, and as a result the German Maritime Union reclassified it as a monument to all fallen sailors of all nations and is a call for peace at sea.
Photo 2. Naval Memorial
History of the U 995
Let's return to the submarine.
Photo 3. Entrance to the submarine
Historical reference:
At the end of 1942, the Hamburg shipyard began production of a new Type VII submarine, which was launched in the middle of 1943.
The new submarine was based in Kiel, not far from Laboe, where the crew underwent training, and then went to the naval base in Trondheim, Norway, where it began serving in the summer-autumn of 1944. During the remaining time of the war, U 995 made 9 combat missions, the main target of which was Allied convoys. At the end of the war, the submarine was in disrepair, which was the reason why the Allied forces did not destroy it during Operation Deadlight. After the end of the war, she came under the jurisdiction of Norway, was repaired and served for about 10 more years, and then was given free of charge to the German authorities, who towed her to Kiel and carried out repair work to turn her into a museum. In the early 70s, the grand opening of the museum took place, where the first visitor was the well-known Admiral Dönitz. Today, tens of thousands of people visit the submarine every year.
This is the information that was presented in the information booklet in English, which you can pick up when purchasing a ticket.
Inside the submarine
We go inside and see the aft torpedo compartment and the electric motor control room.
Photo 4. Aft torpedo compartment
Electric motors were used during the ascent. Thanks to them, the submarine continued to move without immersing in water, but this noticeably affected its speed.
Photo 5. Electric motor control room
In the room with electric engines you can see instruments and a control center with a communications point, where orders from senior officers were sent from the bridge.
Electric motor control room
The diesel engine room is the heart of the submarine. There is a diesel engine located here, which is monitored by a mechanical engineer (usually 1-2 people). These sailors enjoyed greater privileges and were given more time to rest.
The heart of the submarine
Are you still complaining about the size of your own kitchen? Then sympathize with the local “chef” who had to cook lunch for a team of 40-50 people on a low-power electric stove of two burners. It is very difficult to expand in this space. In addition, the lighting is still poor. The pan is secured with a chain with a lock - apparently there were precedents for taking it out.
Photo 6. Lunch from the chef
Photo 7. Private rest room
The number of beds was always less than the number of crew and often two people shared one bed. This did not cause any inconvenience due to the fact that there was a rotation method, according to which it turned out that one of the sailors was on duty, and the second rested, slept, had lunch and was engaged in other personal matters.
Photo 8. Regiment of an ordinary soldier
The largest room on the submarine is the control center and control room.
Photo 9. Hatch to the submarine control center
From here orders were given, the route was laid out and the active life. In addition to following orders from above, each officer was aware that he must save the lives of his team. Here are located navigation maps, periscope, radio room and other devices for monitoring the movement of the submarine.
Immediately after the control center there is a radio room and a receiving point, they are located parallel to the sleeping places of the submarine officers - thus it turns out that even during rest they must be the first to receive information about the situation in the given area, or orders from above, plus interception of allied radio signals. Interception is a responsible task, which, as a rule, was performed by people with excellent hearing and good reaction in order to catch the enemy's signal as early as possible. Largely thanks to the deciphering of the Enigma code by the Allies, German superiority in the Atlantic was lost.
Radio room - in addition to communication with the shore and other submarines great attention focused on intercepting enemy signals
The officers were the only ones who had their own regiment, plus some personal space. Personal space was expressed in a locker and key compartments where they could store dress uniform, personal belongings, letters from home.
Personal space of officers
I seem to have told you everything, but one more main question remains - what about the latrine? Of course, there is a latrine. The officers have their own, with a washbasin, while the rest of the crew have a shared one. I provide a photo of the officer’s amenities, it’s a pity that it’s through glass.
Photo 10. Officer's restroom
The last room, and perhaps the most combat-ready part of the submarine, is the torpedo compartment.
Photo 11. Torpedo room
One of the most important tasks was assigned to the maintenance personnel of the torpedo compartment. Basically, the submarine had 5 torpedoes - 4 were loaded into the torpedo compartments, and one was for reloading.
Torpedo compartment
The torpedoes for U 995 weighed about 300 kg, had an electric motor and, when fired, reached a speed of about 30 km per hour. Reloading the torpedo compartment was perhaps the most important job of the rank and file.
The torpedo room was the last one in the U 995 museum. At the exit you can find a machine, as in many places in Europe, which can turn your 5-cent coin into a medallion with the image of a landmark for 1 euro. Not being a particular fan of this setting, I still made a medallion for myself as a souvenir.
At the exit from the museum
Afterword
The trip to the museum is over. Visiting such places has always been a priority for me, because I have always been interested in how life was carried out during one of the largest and bloodiest conflicts of the 20th century. The U 995 submarine museum is not the largest, but it is unique. Unique in that here you can fully immerse yourself in the atmosphere that reigns at a depth of hundreds of meters under water - when you cannot know for sure whether you will surface tomorrow or remain at the bottom depths of the sea: without the exact coordinates of the place of your death and without a grave that relatives could visit.
How to get there:
From the city of Kiel by bus number 100 to Laboe - we get off at the harbor stop and walk along the coast to the monument.
The cost of visiting the museum is 4.5 Euro. 
If you happen to travel to the north of Germany, be sure to visit these places and get inspired by the spirit of history.
Goodbye Laboe!
Type VII submarines
Historical data
Power plant
Armament
U-Boot Type VII- a series of medium-sized diesel-electric German submarines. They were in service with the Kriegsmarine. A total of 703 boats were built in seven modifications. They took an active part in the Second World War. In total, Type VII submarines sank 6 aircraft carriers (two were scrapped due to serious damage), 2 battleships, 5 cruisers, 52 destroyers and destroyer escorts, as well as dozens of other warships and thousands transport ships. A total of 546 boats were lost, not counting those sunk by their crews at the end of the war.
General information
History of creation
The strategy of warfare at sea was influenced by the use of submarines in the First World War. The damage caused to the commercial shipping of the Entente countries by German submarines was enormous. Due to attacks by German submarines, the Entente countries lost 12 million tons of transport tonnage. According to the Treaty of Versailles, Germany was prohibited from having submarines, but in the mid-20s of the 20th century, the leadership of the Reichsmarine began the construction of medium and small submarines. The plans were to use the most successful submarine designs of the First World War - type UB III, UC II and UB II.
In 1922, the companies “Vulcan”, “Germany” and “Weser” created a design bureau under the leadership of G. Techel and a staff of 30 engineers. The task of this bureau is to create new types of submarines. The possibility of creating minelayers that would carry mines in addition to torpedoes was considered. Also, the construction of submarines with a displacement of 1,500 tons, floating workshops and boats with a Walter engine was considered. This list included a single-hull submarine with internal layout fuel tanks, this series was given the name VII. On January 10, 1935, an order for the development of a new submarine was approved. Characteristics of Type VII:
- Surface displacement - 550 tons.
- Immersion depth - 100 m.
- Engines - 2 diesel engines, 1050 hp each.
- Max. surface/underwater speed - 16-17/8-9 knots.
- Cruising range surface/submarine - 6000 miles at 8 knots/75 miles at 4 knots.
Construction and testing
In the middle of 1935, two significant events happened at once: on July 18, the Anglo-German agreement was signed and in January 1936, Karl Dönitz was appointed to the post of Commander-in-Chief of the submarine fleet. Construction of a German submarine fleet became legalized, but at the same time was limited to no more than 45% of the tonnage of submarines in the British fleet.
Description of design
Modifications
Type VII submarines existed in seven modifications:
| Submarine type | Type VIIA | Type VIIB | Type VIIC | Type VII/C 41 | Type VII/C 42 | Type VIID | Type VIIF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Years of design | 1933-1934 | 1934-1935 | 1937-1938 | 1941 | 1942-1943 | 1939-1940 | n.d. |
| Years of construction | 1935-1937 | 1937-1941 | 1938-1944 | 1941-1945 | n.d. | 1940-1942 | 1941-1943 |
| Displacement t, surface/underwater | 626/915 | 753/1040 | 769/1070 | 759/1070 | 999/1369 | 965/1285 | 1084/1345 |
| Dimensions in m, length/width/draft | 64,5/ 5,9/ 4,4 | 66,5/ 6,2/ 4,7 | 67,1/ 6,2/ 4,7 | 67,23/ 6,2/ 4,7 | 68,7/ 6,9/ 5,1 | 76,9/ 6,4/ 5 | 77,6/ 7,3/ 4.9 |
| Robust housing, length/diameter in m. | 45,5/ 4,7 | 48,8/ 4,7 | 49,4/ 4,7 | 49,4/ 4,7 | 50,9/ 5 | 59,8/ 4,7 | 60,4/ 4,7 |
| Thickness of the robust housing in mm | 16 | 16 | 18,5 | 21,5 | 28 | 20,5 | 20,5 |
| Power in hp, diesel/electric motors | 2320/ 750 | 2800/ 750 | 2800/ 750 | 2800/ 750 | 4400/ 750 | 2800/ 750 | 2800/ 750 |
| Speed, surface/submarine | 16/ 8 | 17/ 8 | 17/ 7,6 | 17/ 7,6 | 18,6/ 7,6 | 16/ 7,3 | 16,9/ 7,3 |
| Immersion depth in m, working/maximum | 100/ 100 | 100/ 100 | 100/ 165 | 120/ 200 | 300/ 300 | 100/ 100 | 100/ 100 |
| Dive time in seconds, urgent/normal | 30/ 50 | 30/ 50 | 30/ 50 | 30/ 50 | 30/ 50 | 30/ 50 | 30/ 50 |
| Fuel reserve in t., normal/full | 58,6/ 67 | 99,7/ 108,3 | 105,3/ 113,5 | 105,3/ 113,5 | 105/ 159 | 155,2/ 169,4 | 198,8/ - |
| Cruising range at cruising speed in miles | 6200 | 8700 | 8500 | 8500 | 12 600 | 11 200 | 14 700 |
| Crew, people | 44 | 44 | 44 | 44 | 45 | 44 | 46 |
Armament
Artillery weapons
At the beginning of the war, the artillery armament consisted of an 88 mm SKC/35 cannon with a barrel length of 45 calibers and a single-barreled Flak 30 anti-aircraft gun on a C30/37 mount. The ammunition load for the SKC/35 consisted of 220 shells; the shells were fed onto the deck manually from the artillery magazine, along a chain. The Flak 30 ammunition consisted of 1,500 rounds.
In the first months of the war, when German submariners tried to act in accordance with prize rights, submarine artillery was actively used. But already on September 26, 1939, the British Admiralty announced plans to install artillery on all merchant ships. A month later, an instruction was introduced according to which the crew of the boat should not inspect the merchant ship, and after examining the papers delivered on the boat, if there was contraband, they should sink the stopped ship with a torpedo.
In addition, placing merchant ships in convoys deprived the gunners of showing their shooting skills. Subsequently, the use of artillery was one-time. The last such incident occurred on September 19, 1942. Off Cape Hatteras, boat U-701 sank the American armed trawler YP-389 in a fierce surface battle. On November 14, 1942, an order was received to dismantle the 88 mm guns.
This order was not carried out immediately and not in all flotillas. First of all, boats stationed in the West of France underwent modernization of anti-aircraft weapons with the removal of the deck gun. Many boats that were tested and operated in Norway retained their guns until the end of 19944. There is a known case when in August 1944, U-745 arrived from Kiel to operate in Gulf of Finland and she had to return to Gotenhafen to dismantle the deck gun.
Anti-aircraft weapons
The anti-aircraft armament of Type VII submarines was constantly expanded. In the first modifications, the anti-aircraft gun was located on the deck behind the wheelhouse, but already in the first months of the war it was raised beyond the wheelhouse fence. In the initial period of the war, Allied aviation did not pose a threat to German submarines; by the end of 1941, it was able to sink only 4 boats.
In connection with the start of air patrols of the Bay of Biscay by the British, in the summer of 1942 the first steps were taken to build up anti-aircraft weapons on submarines. A low additional platform was mounted behind the standard wheelhouse fencing (at German submariners she got a nickname Wintergarten) to accommodate a paired Flak 30. The single-barrel gun on the top was replaced by a two-barreled 20 mm anti-aircraft machine gun MG 151/22, it was distinguished by its smaller dimensions, initial speed and firing range.
But since December 1942, the Submarine Command, having become convinced of the ineffectiveness of the MG 151/20, ordered the installation of faster-firing 20 mm guns Flak 38. This design was called “cabinet 2” (“cabinet 1” was the name given to the scheme with single anti-aircraft guns Flak 30) at the same time, four conventional machine guns were mounted on the bridge railings MG 34 caliber 7.92 mm.
Already the first fights between submarines and aircraft showed that the abundance of small-caliber guns does not guarantee victory over a four-engine flying boat or bomber. New hopes were associated with the entry into service of 37 mm automatic guns, twin and quad guns Flak 38. In 1943, the composition of anti-aircraft weapons called “cabinet 4” was approved; it provided for the installation of two twin Flak 38s on the upper platform and Flakvierling 38 on the bottom.
On June 8, 1943, the U-758 boat with “wheelhouse 4” won the battle against eight aircraft from an American aircraft carrier, although the submarine was seriously damaged and 11 crew members were killed and wounded, the Americans were unable to either drive the boat under water or sink it. On June 30, the Submarine Fleet Command issued an order according to which only those submarines that received “wheelhouse 4” were released for the campaign.
While conventional submarines were awaiting conversion, it was decided to create special "anti-aircraft" decoy boats for airplanes. The first such decoy boat was U-441. She received two Flakvierling 38, in front and behind the wheelhouse and a 37 mm SKC/30 semi-automatic "winter garden". On May 24, on the second boat of the trip, she fought with a British flying boat, and having lost one of the quadruple installations, she was able to shoot it down. After this, the boat went for a 2-month repair. And already on July 12, U-441 entered the Bay of Biscay; in a battle with British aircraft, the boat lost all its top watch personnel. At the end of 1943, the Submarine Fleet Command ordered the conversion of decoy boats into regular ones.
In the battles of the spring-summer of 1943, it became clear that 20 mm machine guns could cause fatal damage to a patrol aircraft, but not before its attack, which, if the pilot persisted, could become fatal for the submarine. In order to stop the attacking aircraft, longer-range weapons were required. And this weapon became an automatic 37 mm anti-aircraft gun Flak 42, it entered service in mid-1943.
By December 1, 1943, 18 submarines had replaced the Flakvierling with the Flak 42. The ammunition load for the 37 mm gun was 1,195 shells, and for the 20 mm, 4,260 shells. Further improvement of weapons ceased after the adoption of the snorkel. This ended the confrontation between submarines and aircraft. The greatest successes in the fight against aircraft were achieved by U-333, U-648, which shot down 3 aircraft each, and U-256, which scored victories over 4 aircraft.
Torpedo weapons
The main weapons of the Type VII submarines were torpedoes. To launch them, there were four bow and one stern torpedo tubes with a diameter of 533 mm each. Modification A boats had 6 torpedoes in reserve; on subsequent modifications, the supply of torpedoes increased due to the placement of one spare torpedo in the electric motor compartment and two more torpedoes in the superstructure, but they were abandoned at the beginning of 1943 due to their frequent damage as a result of attacks by Allied escort ships.
The torpedo tubes themselves had a number of interesting features. The torpedo was ejected from them using a special pneumatic piston, rather than compressed air; this greatly simplified the bubble-free firing system. Also, changing the depth of travel and rotation of the torpedo gyroscope could be carried out directly in the torpedo tubes through the PSA in the command room. Another feature of these torpedo tubes is the ability to lay non-contact mines from them.
The design of the device ensured the release of torpedoes at depths of up to 22 meters. Reloading the devices took relatively little time, only 10 to 20 minutes for torpedoes that were stored inside a durable hull.
Main modifications of Type VII submarine torpedoes
| Name | Date of entry into service | Fuse | Homing or maneuvering device | Other changes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G7a T1 | Early 20s | KHB Pi1 (could be equipped with KHB Pi3 from October 1943 to October 1944) | Could be equipped with PM FAT I (from November 1942) or LUT (from summer 1944) | No |
| G7e T2 | 1929 | KHB Pi1 | No | No |
| G7e T3 | December 1942 | KHB Pi2 | Could be equipped with PM FAT II (from May 1943) | No |
| G7e T3a | Mid 1943 | KHB Pi2 | Could be equipped with PM with FAT II (from May 1943) or LUT (from May 1944) | Cruising range 7.5 km at 29 knots |
| G7e T4 Falke | February 1943 | KHB Pi2 | PS | Weight 1937 kg. Cruising range 7.5 km at 20 knots. |
| G7e T5 Zaunkönig | October 1943 | KHB Pi4 | PS "Amsel" | Weight 1497 kg, explosive weight 274 kg. Cruising range 5.7 km at 24-25 knots. |
| G7e Т5b | Early 1944 | KHB Pi4 | PS "Amsel" | Cruising range 8 km at 22 knots |
| G7e T11 Zaunkönig II | April 1944 | KHB Pi4 | Improved substation "Amsel" | No |
Shortwave was considered the most important because it provided communication with headquarters. It included an E-437-S receiver and two transmitters, a 200-watt S-400-S and a spare 40-watt 40-K-39a, and a retractable antenna in the left wing of the bridge fence; if the antenna was missing, then the role of antennas was performed by galvanized network taps , isolated from the body and tensioned with lanyards. The E-437-S receiver was also used to receive VHF signals.
Medium wave equipment was intended for communication between submarines. It consisted of an E-381-S receiver, a 150-watt Spez-2113-S transmitter and a small retractable antenna with a round vibrator in the right wing of the bridge. This same antenna was a direction finder for the CB range. An Enigma cipher machine was used for encoding and decoding.
Hydroacoustic equipment
The most important component of the sonar equipment of Type VII boats was the equipment GHG, which consisted of 11 and later 24 hydrophones, they were located in nose lung the hulls formed a semicircle around the stock of the bow horizontal rudders and were connected to the receiver in the second compartment of the submarine.
To increase the accuracy of direction finding, the KDB system was used at the beginning of the war; it consisted of a rotating T-shaped antenna with 6 hydrophones; the antenna was placed on the upper deck, but since it was not very durable, it was abandoned by the middle of the war. On some boats built in recent months During the war, the hydrophone placement scheme was improved. 24 hydrophones were placed on a round platform extendable from below in the bow. This scheme had greater accuracy direction finding of the noise source (it was even mechanically attached to the PSA) except for a narrow 60 degree area directly aft. But this scheme was not extended to Type VII, since it was developed for Type XXI boats.
Radar stations
The radars that entered the fleet, in very limited quantities, were primarily equipped with Type IX boats, so only a few Type VII boats received them. The first radar tested in Germany at the beginning of 1939 was the FuMO29 Gema.
The wavelength of the FuMO station is 29-80 cm, a special mast with a 2x3 m mattress-type antenna was placed in front of the wheelhouse, but they refused to install such a bulky radar on production boats. This idea was returned to in 1941; antenna dipoles were mounted on the wheelhouse itself in two rows of six dipoles, the top row being the receiving one, and the lower one transmitting. The detection range of a ship by the FuMO29 station is 6-8 km, an aircraft at an altitude of 500 m is up to 15 km.
In 1942, production of the FuMO-30, an improved version of the FuMO-29, began; it differed from the latter by a mattress-type antenna of 1x1.5 m, the antenna was located in the left wing of the cabin in place of the retractable HF antenna. In 1944, the FuMO-61 entered service, which was a naval version of the FuMG-200 Hohentwil night fighter radar. Having a slightly shorter wavelength of 54-58 cm and an antenna almost identical to the antenna of the FuMO-30 station, the station had a detection range of 8-10 km for ships and 15-20 km for aircraft.
Electronic intelligence stations
In the spring of 1942, an English patrol plane crashed on the territory of French Tunisia, and the Germans completely lost their doubts that the British could use radar to search for boats. In the wreckage of this aircraft, a slightly damaged set of the ASV I station was discovered. Increasing night attacks on boats by Coastal Command aircraft forced the Kriegsmarine Command to look for a way out.
By July 1942, the Germans received the first sample of the FuMB1 electronic intelligence station, which was named “Metox” in honor of the French company that designed this station. On August 26, the Kriegsmarine Command ordered all boats to be equipped with these stations.
“Metox” itself was a simple receiver; it recorded a signal with a wavelength of 1.3-2.6 meters. It connected to the in-boat communication system and the alarm signal was heard by the entire crew, a little later a screen appeared showing the direction to the radiation source. The antenna was rotated horizontally manually; moreover, the installation of this station was not initially envisaged, so the antenna was stored inside a durable housing and, upon ascent, was taken to the bridge and connected to the receiver by cable. The use of Methox made it possible to deprive the British anti-submarine line of effectiveness for six months.
On August 13, 1943, the Kriegsmarine Command banned the use of Methox because the new British ASV III radar detected the Methox radiation. At the same time, the FuMB9 Vanz station was put into production; the antenna of this station was a cylinder with a diameter of 20 cm and a height of 10 cm, it detected radiation in all directions. In November 1943, the second non-emitting modification of FuMB9, and the FuMB10 Borkum station, appeared. The operating range of the ASV III radar was closed by the FuMB7 Naxos station.
Subsequently, Naxos and Borkum (or Vanz) were installed on the boats. In April 1944 they were replaced by the FuMB 24 "Fleige". Due to the emergence of American flying boats with APS-3 and APS-4 radars, the FuMB25 “Mücke” station was created. In May 1944, the FuMB24 and FuMB25 stations were combined into the FuMB26 Tunis complex. But with the introduction of snorkels, the need for electronic intelligence stations disappeared.
Commanders
Submarine aces who fought on the Type VII and sank more than 100,000 tons of transport tonnage:
| First Name Last Name | Dates of combat activity | Submarine | Number of military campaigns | Number of ships sunk/tonnage | Ships damaged/tonnage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Otto Kretschmer | U-99 | 16 | 40/ 208 954 | 5/ 37 965 | |
| Erich Topp | June 1940 - August 1942 | U-552 | 12 | 35/ 197 | 4/ 32 217 |
| Heinrich Lehmann-Wilenbrock | November 1939 - April 1942, September - November 1944 | U-96, U-256 | 10 | 24/ 170 237 | 2/ 15 864 |
| Herbert Schulze | September 1939 - June 1942 | U-48 | 8 | 26/ 169 709 | 1/ 9456 |
| Gunter Prien | September 1939 - March 1941 | U-47 | 10 | 30/ 162 769 | 8/ 62 751 |
| Joachim Schepke | September 1939 - March 1941 | U-100 | 14 | 36/ 153 677 | 4/ 17 229 |
| Heinrich Bleichrodt | September 1940 - January 1943 | U-48 | 8 | 24/ 151 260 | 2/ 11 684 |
| Robert Gisaye | November 1940 - November 1943 | U-98 | 8 | 24/ 136 266 | 1/ 2588 |
| Hans Jaenisch | February 1940 - November 1940 | U-32 | 6 | 17/ 110 139 | 2/ 14 749 |
Famous boats
The most productive submarines Type VII:
| Submarine | Dates of combat activity | Number of trips | Total days at sea | Total ships sunk/tonnage | Ships damaged/tonnage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U-48 | September 1939 - June 1944 | 12 | 314 | 51/ 306 875 | 3/ 20 480 |
| U-99 | June 1940 - March 1941 | 8 | 119 | 35/ 198 218 | 5/ 37 965 |
| U-96 | December 1940 - March 1943 | 11 | 414 | 27/ 181 206 | 4/ 33 043 |
| U-552 | February 1940 - April 1944 | 15 | 600 | 30/ 163 756 | 3/ 26 910 |
| U-47 | September 1939 - March 1941 | 10 | 228 | 30/ 162 769 | 8/ 62 751 |
| U-94 | November 1940 - August 1942 | 10 | 358 | 26/ 141 852 | 1/ 8022 |
| U-100 | August 1940 - March 1941 | 6 | 106 | 25/ 135 614 | 4/ 17 229 |
| U-32 | September 1939- November 1940 | 9 | 172 | 20/ 116 836 U-96 Submarines dictate the rules in naval war and force everyone to meekly follow the established order.
I bring to your attention a short story about the seven most successful submarine projects of the war years. Boats type T (Triton-class), UK
HMS Traveler A British underwater Terminator capable of knocking the crap out of any enemy's head with a bow-launched 8-torpedo salvo. The T-type boats had no equal in destructive power among all the submarines of the WWII period - this explains their ferocious appearance with a bizarre bow superstructure, where additional torpedo tubes were located. The notorious British conservatism is a thing of the past - the British were among the first to equip their boats with ASDIC sonars. Alas, despite their powerful weapons and modern detection means, the boats open sea type "T" did not become the most effective among the British submarines of World War II. Nevertheless, they went through an exciting battle path and achieved a number of remarkable victories. "Tritons" were actively used in the Atlantic, in the Mediterranean Sea, they destroyed Japanese communications on Pacific Ocean, have been spotted several times in the frozen waters of the Arctic. In August 1941, the submarines "Tygris" and "Trident" arrived in Murmansk. British submariners demonstrated a master class to their Soviet colleagues: in two trips, 4 enemy ships were sunk, incl. "Baia Laura" and "Donau II" with thousands of soldiers of the 6th mountain rifle division. Thus, the sailors prevented the third German attack on Murmansk. Other famous T-boat trophies include the German light cruiser Karlsruhe and the Japanese heavy cruiser"Ashigara." The samurai were “lucky” to get acquainted with a full 8-torpedo salvo of the Trenchent submarine - having received 4 torpedoes on board (+ another one from the stern tube), the cruiser quickly capsized and sank. After the war, the powerful and sophisticated Tritons remained in service with the Royal Navy for another quarter of a century. Boats of the "Cruising" type XIV series, Soviet Union
...On December 3, 1941, German hunters UJ-1708, UJ-1416 and UJ-1403 bombed a Soviet boat that tried to attack a convoy at Bustad Sund. Hans, can you hear this creature? The German sailors were wrong. From the depths of the sea, a MONSTER rose to the surface - the cruising submarine K-3 series XIV, unleashing a barrage of artillery fire on the enemy. With the fifth salvo, Soviet sailors managed to sink U-1708. The second hunter, having received two direct hits, began to smoke and turned to the side - his 20 mm anti-aircraft guns could not compete with the “hundreds” of the secular submarine cruiser. Scattering the Germans like puppies, K-3 quickly disappeared over the horizon at 20 knots. The Soviet Katyusha was a phenomenal boat for its time. Welded hull, powerful artillery and mine-torpedo weapons, powerful diesel engines (2 x 4200 hp!), high surface speed of 22-23 knots. Huge autonomy in terms of fuel reserves. Remote control of ballast tank valves. A radio station capable of transmitting signals from the Baltic to the Far East. An exceptional level of comfort: shower cabins, refrigerated tanks, two seawater desalinators, an electric galley... Two boats (K-3 and K-22) were equipped with Lend-Lease ASDIC sonars.
But, oddly enough, neither high performance nor powerful weapons made the Katyusha effective - in addition to dark history with the K-21 attack on the Tirpitz, during the war years on boats XIV series accounted for only 5 successful torpedo attacks and 27 thousand brigades. reg. tons of sunk tonnage. Most of victories were won with the help of mines. Moreover, its own losses amounted to five cruising boats.
K-21, Severomorsk, today The reasons for the failures lie in the tactics of using Katyushas - the powerful submarine cruisers, created for the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, had to “tread water” in the shallow Baltic “puddle”. When operating at depths of 30-40 meters, a huge 97-meter boat could hit the ground with its bow while its stern was still sticking out on the surface. It was a little easier for the North Sea sailors - as practice has shown, the effectiveness of the combat use of Katyushas was complicated by poor training personnel and lack of initiative of the command. It's a pity. These boats were designed for more. “Baby”, Soviet Union Performance characteristics of boats type M series XII:
Baby! Mini-submarine project to quickly strengthen the Pacific Fleet - main feature M-type boats now have the ability to be transported by rail in a fully assembled form. In the pursuit of compactness, many had to be sacrificed - service on the Malyutka turned into a grueling and dangerous undertaking. Difficult living conditions, strong roughness - the waves mercilessly tossed the 200-ton “float”, risking breaking it into pieces. Shallow diving depth and weak weapons. But the main concern of the sailors was the reliability of the submarine - one shaft, one diesel engine, one electric motor - the tiny “Malyutka” left no chance for the careless crew, the slightest malfunction on board threatened death for the submarine. The little ones quickly evolved - the performance characteristics of each new series were several times different from the previous project: the contours were improved, the electrical equipment and detection equipment were updated, the dive time was reduced, and the autonomy increased. The “babies” of the XV series no longer resembled their predecessors of the VI and XII series: one-and-a-half-hull design - the ballast tanks were moved outside the durable hull; The power plant received a standard two-shaft layout with two diesel engines and underwater electric motors. The number of torpedo tubes increased to four. Alas, Series XV appeared too late - the “Little Ones” of Series VI and XII bore the brunt of the war.
Despite their modest size and only 2 torpedoes on board, the tiny fish were simply distinguished by their terrifying “gluttony”: in just the years of World War II, Soviet M-type submarines sank 61 enemy ships with a total tonnage of 135.5 thousand gross tons, destroyed 10 warships, and also damaged 8 transports. The little ones, originally intended only for operations in the coastal zone, have learned to fight effectively in open maritime areas. They, along with larger boats, cut enemy communications, patrolled at the exits of enemy bases and fjords, deftly overcame anti-submarine barriers and blew up transports right at the piers inside protected enemy harbors. It’s simply amazing how the Red Navy were able to fight on these flimsy ships! But they fought. And we won! Boats of the “Medium” type, series IX-bis, Soviet Union “Six torpedo tubes and the same number of spare torpedoes on racks convenient for reloading. Two cannons with large ammunition, machine guns, explosive equipment... In a word, there is something to fight with. And 20 knots surface speed! It allows you to overtake almost any convoy and attack it again. The technique is good...”
The Eskis were distinguished by their rational layout and balanced design, powerful armament, and excellent performance and seaworthiness. Initially a German project from the Deshimag company, modified to meet Soviet requirements. But don’t rush to clap your hands and remember the Mistral. After the start of serial construction of the IX series in Soviet shipyards, the German project was revised with the goal of a complete transition to Soviet equipment: 1D diesel engines, weapons, radio stations, a noise direction finder, a gyrocompass... - there were none in the boats designated “series IX-bis”. foreign made bolt! The problems with the combat use of "Medium" type boats were, in general, similar cruising boats type K - locked in shallow water infested with mines, they were never able to realize their high combat qualities. Things were much better in the Northern Fleet - during the war, the S-56 boat under the command of G.I. Shchedrina crossed the Tikhy and atlantic oceans, moving from Vladivostok to Polyarny, subsequently becoming the most productive boat of the USSR Navy. No less fantastic story connected with the “bomb catcher” S-101 - during the war years, the Germans and Allies dropped over 1000 depth charges on the boat, but each time the S-101 returned safely to Polyarny. Finally, it was on the S-13 that Alexander Marinesko achieved his famous victories.
S-56 torpedo compartment “Cruel alterations in which the ship found itself, bombings and explosions, depths far exceeding the official limit. The boat protected us from everything..." - from the memoirs of G.I. Shchedrin Gato type boats, USA
Ocean-going submarine cruisers of the Getou class appeared at the height of the war in the Pacific Ocean and became one of the most effective tools of the US Navy. They tightly blocked all strategic straits and approaches to the atolls, cut all supply lines, leaving Japanese garrisons without reinforcements, and Japanese industry without raw materials and oil. In battles with the Gatow, the Imperial Navy lost two heavy aircraft carriers, lost four cruisers and a damn dozen destroyers. High speed, lethal torpedo weapons, the most modern radio equipment for detecting the enemy - radar, direction finder, sonar. The cruising range allows for combat patrols off the coast of Japan when operating from a base in Hawaii. Increased comfort on board. But most importantly - excellent preparation crews and the weakness of Japanese anti-submarine weapons. As a result, the "Getow" mercilessly destroyed everything - it was they who brought victory in the Pacific Ocean from the blue depths of the sea.
...One of the main achievements of the Getow boats, which changed the whole world, is considered to be the event of September 2, 1944. On that day, the Finback submarine detected a distress signal from a falling plane and, after many hours of searching, found a frightened and already desperate pilot in the ocean . The one who was saved was one George Herbert Bush.
The cabin of the submarine "Flasher", memorial in Groton. The list of Flasher trophies sounds like a naval joke: 9 tankers, 10 transports, 2 patrol ships with a total tonnage of 100,231 GRT! And for a snack the boat grabbed Japanese cruiser and a destroyer. Lucky damn thing! Electric robots type XXI, Germany By April 1945, the Germans managed to launch 118 submarines of the XXI series. However, only two of them were able to achieve operational readiness and go to sea in last days war. Surface displacement - 1620 tons; underwater - 1820 tons.
U-2540 "Wilhelm Bauer" on eternal parking in Bremerhaven, today Our allies were very lucky that all German forces were thrown at Eastern front- the Krauts did not have enough resources to release a flock of fantastic “Electric Boats” into the sea. If they appeared a year earlier, that would be it! Another turning point in the Battle of the Atlantic. The Germans were the first to guess: everything that shipbuilders in other countries are proud of - large ammunition, powerful artillery, high surface speed of 20+ knots - is of little importance. The key parameters that determine the combat effectiveness of a submarine are its speed and cruising range when submerged. Unlike its peers, “Electrobot” was focused on being constantly under water: a maximally streamlined body without heavy artillery, fences and platforms - all for the sake of minimizing underwater resistance. Snorkel, six groups of batteries (3 times more than on conventional boats!), powerful electric. Full speed engines, quiet and economical electric. "sneak" engines.
The stern of U-2511, sunk at a depth of 68 meters The Germans calculated everything - the entire Elektrobot campaign moved at periscope depth under the RDP, remaining difficult to detect for enemy anti-submarine weapons. At great depths, its advantage became even more shocking: 2-3 times greater range, at twice the speed of any wartime submarine! High stealth and impressive underwater skills, homing torpedoes, a set of the most advanced detection means... “Electrobots” opened a new milestone in the history of the submarine fleet, defining the vector of development of submarines in the post-war years. The Allies were not prepared to face such a threat - as post-war tests showed, the “Electrobots” were several times superior in mutual hydroacoustic detection range to the American and British destroyers guarding the convoys. Type VII boats, Germany * the given performance characteristics correspond to boats of the VIIC subseries
The most effective warships ever to roam the world's oceans. 703 submarines. 10 MILLION tons of sunk tonnage! Battleships, cruisers, aircraft carriers, destroyers, corvettes and enemy submarines, oil tankers, transports with aircraft, tanks, cars, rubber, ore, machine tools, ammunition, uniforms and food... The damage from the actions of German submariners exceeded all reasonable limits - if only Without the inexhaustible industrial potential of the United States, capable of compensating for any losses of the allies, German U-bots had every chance to “strangle” Great Britain and change the course of world history.
U-995. Graceful underwater killer The successes of the Sevens are often associated with the “prosperous times” of 1939-41. - allegedly, when the Allies appeared the convoy system and Asdik sonars, the successes of the German submariners ended. A completely populist statement based on a misinterpretation of “prosperous times.” The situation was simple: at the beginning of the war, when for every German boat there was one Allied anti-submarine ship, the “sevens” felt like invulnerable masters of the Atlantic. It was then that the legendary aces appeared, sinking 40 enemy ships. The Germans already held victory in their hands when the Allies suddenly deployed 10 anti-submarine ships and 10 aircraft for each active Kriegsmarine boat! Beginning in the spring of 1943, the Yankees and British began to methodically overwhelm the Kriegsmarine with anti-submarine equipment and soon achieved an excellent loss ratio of 1:1. They fought like that until the end of the war. The Germans ran out of ships faster than their opponents. The whole history of the German “seven” is a formidable warning from the past: what threat does a submarine pose and how high are the costs of creating an effective system to counter the underwater threat.
A funny American poster of those years. "Hit the weak points! Come serve in the submarine fleet - we account for 77% of the sunk tonnage!" Comments, as they say, are unnecessary The article uses materials from the book “Soviet Submarine Shipbuilding”, V. I. Dmitriev, Voenizdat, 1990. The submarine fleet of the Kriegsmarine of the Third Reich was created on November 1, 1934 and ceased to exist with the surrender of Germany in World War II. During its relatively short existence (about nine and a half years), the German submarine fleet managed to fit itself into military history as the largest and deadliest submarine fleet of all time. German submarines that inspired terror in captains sea vessels from the North Cape to the Cape of Good Hope and from the Caribbean Sea to the Strait of Malacca, thanks to memoirs and films, have long turned into one of the military myths, behind the veil of which real facts often become invisible. Here are some of them. 1. The Kriegsmarine fought with 1,154 submarines built in German shipyards (including the U-A submarine, which was originally built in Germany for the Turkish Navy). Of the 1,154 submarines, 57 submarines were built before the war, and 1,097 were built after September 1, 1939. The average rate of commissioning of German submarines during World War II was 1 new submarine every two days. Unfinished German submarines of type XXI on slips No. 5 (in the foreground) 2. The Kriegsmarine fought with 21 types of German-built submarines with the following technical characteristics: Displacement: from 275 tons (type XXII submarines) to 2710 tons (type X-B); Surface speed: from 9.7 knots (XXII type) to 19.2 knots (IX-D type); Submerged speed: from 6.9 knots ( type II-A) up to 17.2 knots (type XXI); Immersion depth: from 150 meters (type II-A) to 280 meters (type XXI). 3. The Kriegsmarine included 13 captured submarines, including: 1 English: “Seal” (as part of the Kriegsmarine - U-B); 2 Norwegian: B-5 (as part of the Kriegsmarine - UC-1), B-6 (as part of the Kriegsmarine - UC-2); 5 Dutch: O-5 (before 1916 - British submarine H-6, in the Kriegsmarine - UD-1), O-12 (in the Kriegsmarine - UD-2), O-25 (in the Kriegsmarine - UD-3 ), O-26 (as part of the Kriegsmarine - UD-4), O-27 (as part of the Kriegsmarine - UD-5); 1 French: “La Favorite” (as part of the Kriegsmarine - UF-1); 4 Italian: “Alpino Bagnolini” (as part of the Kriegsmarine - UIT-22); "Generale Liuzzi" (as part of the Kriegsmarine - UIT-23); "Comandante Capellini" (as part of the Kriegsmarine - UIT-24); "Luigi Torelli" (as part of the Kriegsmarine - UIT-25). 4. During World War II, German submarines sank 3,083 merchant ships with a total tonnage of 14,528,570 tons. The most successful Kriegsmarine submarine captain is Otto Kretschmer, who sank 47 ships with a total tonnage of 274,333 tons. The most successful submarine is U-48, which sank 52 ships with a total tonnage of 307,935 tons (launched on 22 April 1939, and on 2 April 1941 received heavy damage and did not participate in hostilities again). 5. During World War II, German submarines sank 2 battleships, 7 aircraft carriers, 9 cruisers and 63 destroyer. The largest of the destroyed ships - the battleship Royal Oak (displacement - 31,200 tons, crew - 994 people) - was sunk by the submarine U-47 at its own base at Scapa Flow on 10/14/1939 (displacement - 1040 tons, crew - 45 people). 6. During World War II, German submarines made 3,587 combat missions. The record holder for the number of military cruises is the submarine U-565, which made 21 trips, during which it sank 6 ships with a total tonnage of 19,053 tons. 7. During World War II, 721 German submarines were irretrievably lost. The first lost submarine is the submarine U-27, sunk on September 20, 1939 by the British destroyers Fortune and Forester. west of the coast Scotland. The latest loss is the submarine U-287, which was blown up by a mine at the mouth of the Elbe after the formal end of World War II (05/16/1945), returning from its first and only combat campaign. In this note, I bring to your attention the firepower that the boats had. I again reviewed the topic briefly, without providing details and nuances, since with detailed coverage this issue You will need to write at least a large review article. To begin with, to make it clear how the Germans highlighted the issue of the need to have a gun on board and its use, I will give an excerpt from the “Manual for Submarine Commanders”, where the following is said about this: "Section V Submarine artillery weapons (submarine as a carrier of artillery) Deck artillery
105 mm SK C/32U - U-boot L C/32U Single 15 35° 12,000 m 6 persons
88 mm U29 and U95 guns. The waterproof plug is clearly visible.
Flak
37 mm SK C/30U - Ubts. LC 39 Singles 12 85° 2,500 m 3/4 persons Quad units are highlighted in red, dual units are highlighted in blue. Of the fire weapons that the German submarines had, the most interesting were anti-aircraft weapons. If deck guns were obsolete by the end of the war, then the evolution of anti-aircraft fire among the Germans is clearly visible from the above table. By the beginning of the war, German submarines had only a minimum of anti-aircraft guns, since it was believed that the threat from the air was clearly underestimated by the fleet command. As a result, the designers in the projects included no more than one anti-aircraft gun on the boat. But during the war the situation changed and reached the point that some submarines were literally studded with anti-aircraft guns, such as “anti-aircraft boats” (flakboats). Initially, on the first "sevens" in pre-war time The 20-mm anti-aircraft machine gun type MG C/30 - L 30 was supposed to be installed on the upper deck behind the wheelhouse. This is clearly seen in the example of U49. Behind the open hatch you can see the anti-aircraft gun carriage. But already in wartime, the 20-mm anti-aircraft gun was moved to a site located behind the bridge. It is clearly visible in the photo. Alternately, anti-aircraft platforms U25, U38 (Karl Doenitz himself is on the bridge of the boat), U46 Depending on the type and purpose of the boat, "Dvoyki" received anti-aircraft weapons, both pre-war and during the war. The gun was located in front of the wheelhouse. Either a carriage was installed for it, or it was installed there on a waterproof container (in the form of a barrel) in which the machine gun was stored in a disassembled state). Since I did not set myself the task of conducting a complete and detailed description anti-aircraft weapons, I omit such nuances as ammunition and other characteristics of this type of weapon. I once mentioned the training of anti-aircraft gunners on submarines. Examples of confrontation between submarines and aircraft can be found if you look at the topics in my tag. Firearms and signal weapons
7.92 mm MG15 Automatic (50/75 rounds) 800-900 90° 750 m 1-2 MG81Z on U33 In general, I would like to note that German submarines had fire weapons that were quite modern at that time, which worked well during combat operations. In particular, the British noted after testing the artillery they captured U570 that, compared with the 3-inch gun of the 1917 model mounted on S-type boats, the 88-mm German gun was superior to the British one. The 20-mm anti-aircraft machine gun was recognized by them as an excellent and effective weapon, which, to their surprise, did not vibrate when fired and had a good magazine. Photo resource used to illustrate the note http://www.subsim.com As usual, Vladimir Nagirnyak pored over the analysis. |
The wake of German submarines (Type II-A) at sea during maneuvers, 1939 
Kriegsmarine officers inspect the British submarine Seal (HMS Seal, N37), 
U-48 is the most successful German submarine. She is in the picture 
Battleship Royal Oak 
Commander of the German submarine U-47 Lieutenant Commander 
German submarine ( 
British destroyer HMS Forester, 1942
The growing threat from the air forced the Germans to take measures to increase anti-aircraft weapons. The boat received an additional platform for placing fire weapons, on which two pairs of 20-mm machine guns and one (or two) 37-mm machine guns could be placed. This site received the nickname "Winter Garden" (Wintergarten). Below are photos of boats that surrendered to the Allies U249, U621 and U234 
