Type
III German U-BoatThe Type III German U-Boat was designed to be a sea-going submarine, similar to the Type I but with a hangar of sorts on the deck abaft the conning tower. Because of the size of the hangar, the conning tower would have to be quite small and with no wintergarten, therefore with no place to mount any AA guns. The hangar was to have housed two ten-ton motor torpedo boats. The boats would be launched by slowly flooding down the U-Boat until the boats floated freely, and then they could move out on their own, accomplish their mission, and return to the U-Boat. This type of operation could be done on a calm sea only, so BDU (U-Boat High Command) decided it to be too limiting and the design was cancelled. There were no Type III U-Boats ever built or even contracted for. Their projected specs were:
Displacement................ unknown
Dimensions..................... 254' 3" x 26' 3" x 17'
Engines............................ twin shaft diesel and electric
Power (diesel)........... 2,800 hp
(electric)....... 1,000 hp
Speed (diesel).......... 17 knots
(electric)...... 8 knots
Bunkers........................ unknown
Radius (diesel)..... unknown
(electric).. unknown
Tubes (fwd)........... four 21 inch
(aft)............ Two 21 inch
(carried eight torpedoes and two MTBs)
Guns.......................... Single 4.1 inch deck gun
AA Guns.................. None
Crew........................ 65 men (included the crews of the MTBs)
No Type III German U-Boats were ever built and none were even contracted for.
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Types IV, V, VI and VIII were various designs which were projected to BDU which, for various reasons, never even got to the drawing boards. Because they were quickly rejected, no details are available.
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The Type XI German U-boat was designed in 1938 along the lines of a World War I U-Cruiser with long range and heavy armament, designed to win surface gun battles. The Type XI was designed to carry a float plane to scout ahead of the submarine much as the raiders did in the early parts of World War II. Kriegsmarine planners looked hard at the Type XI and determined that it was too big to be an effective submarine, and too small to be a surface warship, This type of submarine was quite successful in World War I with the conditions then prevailing, but in World War II with the highly advanced ASW capabilities of the Allies, the designers realized that this type of submarine and this kind of submarine warfare would not work in WW II. Specifications were:
Displacement................ 3,140 tons surfaced/3,630 tons submerged
Dimensions..................... 377' 3" x 31' 3" x 20' 3"
Engines............................ twin shaft diesel and electric
Power (diesel)........... 17,600 hp
(electric)....... 2,200 hp
Speed (diesel).......... 23 knots
(electric)...... 7 knots
Bunkers........................ unknown
Radius (diesel)..... unknown
(electric).. unknown
Tubes (fwd)........... six 21 inch
(aft)............ Two 21 inch
(carried twelve torpedoes and one float plane)
Guns.......................... Two twin 5.0 inch deck guns
AA Guns.................. Two single 20mm
Crew........................ 110 men (included the crew of the float plane)
Type XI U-Boats planned were U-112 thru U-115, projected to be built by AG Weser in Bremen, but no contracts were let and no Type XI U-Boats were built. A pair of wheeler-dealers in New England concocted the story that one of these U-Boats was indeed built, shot down a blimp off the US east coast and was herself mortally wounded, limped off to Casco Bay, Maine and just settled on the bottom where the men were content to die quietly in their U-Boat at the bottom of the bay.......and if you give them a bunch of money, they'll begin to dive on this so-called Type XI U-Boat and recover......whatever. It's all a hoax & a scam - no Type XI U-Boats were built and no US Navy blimps were shot down off the New England coast.
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The Type XII U-Boats were going to be fleet submarines based on the Type IX hull with a somewhat greater surface displacement, somewhere around 1,600 tons. The main propulsion was going to be the normal diesel and electric but the horsepower was to be 7,000 from the diesels and 1,680 from the electric motors. The increase in horsepower would propel these boats at 22 knots surfaced and 10 knots submerged. Hefty bunkers would provide a range of 20,000 miles at 8 knots. Armament would be six tubes forward, two tubes aft. There is no data on the gunnery provisions or the size of the crew. The Type XII U-Boat never even got to the drawing boards, and no provisions for building any were made. There were no Type XII U-Boats.
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The Type XIII U-Boats were to be coastal boats, based on the Type II with an increase in size and speed. They would displace some 400 tons and maintain a speed of 15 knots. No Type XIII U-Boats were built.
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The Type XV U-Boats were to have been ocean going submarines designed for resupply of Frontboots in the open ocean. They would carry additional bunker fuel, torpedoes, stores, medical personnel and a workshop aboard for limited repairs of combat damage to the Frontboots. They were designed with a triple pressure hull design set three abreast, the displacement would have been in the area of 2,500 tons. Conventional diesel and electric propulsion was planned with 2,800 hp on the diesels and 750 hp on the e-motors. It was determined that this Type of submarine would make an easy target for ASW forces if caught on the surface, tending to another submarine and the project was abandoned. There were no Type XV U-Boats contracted for or built.
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The Type XVI U-Boat was to have been a larger version of the Type XV, to about 5,000 tons. Again, due to the fact that a submarine of this type, if caught on the surface tending to other submarines, would have made an easy target, the project was dropped. No Type XVI U-Boats were contracted for or built.
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VB.60 was an experimental submarine in the early days of the Kriegsmarine. When submarine construction was resumed, although clandestinely, in 1934 the first priority naturally, was for coastal submarines such as the Type II. Their small size, limited range and firepower, convinced the designers to look for a closed-cycle engine which would be used for both surfaced and submerged propulsion rather than the separate and space consuming diesel engines for the surface, and electric motors and their batteries for submerged power. At that time, Doctor Walter proposed a closed-cycle turbine which appeared to be the answer.
The first design proposed was the VB.60, which was a very small and unarmed submarine of about 60 tons. She would be only 68' 3" long by 6' 6" beam manned by a crew of 3. This was a purely experimental submarines which would be used as a test bed for the new turbines of 2,000hp coupled to a single shaft.
The experimental VB.60 was never built, but the thinking and planning that went into this project was invaluable for the design of later experimental boats.
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V.80 was a follow-on design, fathered by the work that went into the VB.60. She was slightly larger than VB.60 would have been, and there was a 10kw auxiliary electric motor with the necessary batteries. It is interesting to note that this boat was not part of the Kriegsmarine but instead, operated under the State Service administration. V.80, like VB.60, was intended solely as a test bed for the Walter turbine propulsion system. Likewise, V.80 was an inverted figure eight pressure hull. V-80 was decommissioned at the end of 1942 and put into reserve.
Displacement................ 73¼ tons surfaced/ 76 tons submerged
Dimensions................... 72' 3" x 7' x 10' 6"
Engines.......................... Single shaft Walter geared turbine
Power (Walter)........ 2,000hp
(electric)...... 14hp
Speed (Walter)........ 28 knots
(electric)..... 4 knots
Bunkers........................ 20 tons of Perhydrol
Radius (Walter)..... 50 miles @ 28 knots
(electric).... unknown
Tubes (fwd)............. None
(aft)............... None
Guns............................. No deck gun
AA Guns..................... None
Crew........................... 4 men
V.80 was built by Krupp's Germania Werft in Kiel and launched 19 January 1040. She was laid up in 1942, scuttled in Danzig Bay in March of 1945 and apparently raised and broken up by the Soviets after the war.
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U-791 was the experimental submarine V.300 and she was an ocean going prototype using the Walter turbine. It was necessary to add an auxiliary diesel/electric propulsion system because, at full speed on the turbine, the boat used up its high-test hydrogen peroxide far too quickly. Naturally, with this added weight, the performance was cut down somewhat. Initially, the submarine would be in the area of about 360 tons, but with modifications and upgrades, this swelled to nearly double by the time the submarine was put into production. Specifications were:
Displacement................ 610 tons surfaced/655 tons submerged
Dimensions................... 171' x 13' 3" x 18
Engines.......................... Single shaft Walter geared turbine
(mounted two turbines on the shaft)
Power (Walter)........ 4,360hp
(diesel).......... 300hp
(electric)...... 150hp
Speed (Walter)........ 19 knots
(diesel)......... 9¼ knots
(electric)..... 9½ knots
Bunkers........................ 98 tons of Perhydrol
and......... 34 tons of diesel
Radius (Walter)..... 205 miles @ 19 knots
(diesel)....... 2,330 miles @ 9 knots
(electric).... 40 miles @ 9½ knots
Tubes (fwd)............. Two 21 inch
(aft)............... None
(carried six torpedoes)
Guns............................. No deck gun
AA Guns..................... None
Crew........................... 25 men
U-791 was being built by Krupp's Germania Werft in Kiel and her launch date was scheduled to be 18 February 1942. Construction was cancelled and she was broken up on site.
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The Type XVII-A was actually a couple Types using the same nomenclature. These were coastal submarines using the Walter turbine propulsion but due to the limited range associated with the turbine drive, there were many problems to be solved. There were actually two separate and different Types of submarines built but both were known as the Type XXVII-A. First was the Wa.201 project by Blohm & Voss in Hamburg and the second group was the Wk.202 project by Krupp's Germania Werft in Kiel. Both designs were much smaller than the earlier U-791 or V.300 project. Rather than the standard M.A.N. diesels, these used the 8 cylinder Deutz diesels.
Specifications for the Wa.201 design (U-792 and U-793) were:
Displacement................ 313 tons surfaced/343 tons submerged
Dimensions................... 124' 9" long
Engines.......................... Single shaft Walter geared turbine
(U-792 mounted two turbines on the shaft
but U-793 had only one)
Power (Walter)........ 5,000hp (U-792)
2,500hp (U-793)
(diesel).......... 210hp
(electric)...... 77hp
Speed (Walter)........ 26 knots (U-792)
21 knots (U-793)
(diesel)......... 9 knots
(electric)..... 5 knots
Bunkers........................ 40 tons of Aurol
and......... 17 tons of diesel
Radius (Walter)..... 80 miles @ 26 knots
(diesel)....... 1,840 miles @ 9 knots
(electric).... 76 miles @ 2 knots
Tubes (fwd)............. Two 21 inch
(aft)............... None
(carried four torpedoes)
Guns............................. No deck gun
AA Guns..................... None
Crew........................... 12 men
Specifications for the Wk.202 design (U-794 and U-795) were:
Displacement................ 236 tons surfaced/259 tons submerged
Dimensions................... 111' 9" x 11' 3" x 15'
Engines.......................... Single shaft Walter geared turbine
(two turbines on the shaft)
Power (Walter)........ 5,000hp
(diesel).......... 210hp
(electric)...... 77hp
Speed (Walter)........ 26 knots
(diesel)......... 9 knots
(electric)..... 5 knots
Bunkers........................ 40 tons of Perhydrol
and......... 14 tons of diesel
Radius (Walter)..... 80 miles @ 26 knots
(diesel)....... 1,840 miles @ 9 knots
(electric).... 40 miles @ 4½ knots
Tubes (fwd)............. Two 21 inch
(aft)............... None
(carried four torpedoes)
Guns............................. No deck gun
AA Guns..................... None
Crew........................... 12 men
Wa.201 submarines built at Blohm & Voss were U-792 and U-793. Wk.202 submarines built at Germania Werft were U-794 and U-795. All were scuttled in May of 1945 at Kiel at the mouth of the Kaiser Wilhelm Canal except U-794 which was scuttled in Geltinger Bight. All were raised and salved by the Allies and taken to England where they were placed into experimental service with the Royal Navy. They had the same problems with the Walter turbines as the Kriegsmarine and really never got them solved. In fact, HMS EXPLORER was nicknamed by her crew.....and the entire Royal Navy submarine force, as HMS EXPLODER. That says it all.
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The Deschimag Project was proposed by Deschimag AG Weber in Bremen, projected using closed-cycle diesel engine propulsion rather than the more complicated and less reliable Walter turbine propulsion. The proposal, put forth in 1943, was not new and the design study appeared to be feasable. None were built, but the proposal was in parallel with the Type XVII projects. Specifications were proposed as:
Displacement................ 352 tons
Dimensions................... 118' x 13' 3" x 13' 9"
Engines.......................... Single shaft 20 cylinder Daimler-Benz diesel
(two engines on the shaft)
Power (diesel)........ 3,000hp
(electric)...... 50hp
Speed (diesel)......... 15.75/ 22.75 knots
(electric)..... 4 knots
Bunkers........................ 9½ tons of Perhydrol
and......... 30 tons of diesel
Radius (diesel)....... unknown
(electric).... unknown
Tubes (fwd)............. Two 21 inch
(aft)............... None
(carried four torpedoes)
Guns............................. No deck gun
AA Guns..................... None
Crew........................... unknown
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Type VII-BThe Type XVII-B were also coastal submarines which probably never should have been undertaken, given the severity of the problems encountered with the Walter turbine drive in the Type XVII-A projects. Initially, they had planned to couple two Walter turbines per shaft but eventually settled for one, with little sacrifice in speed. The normal inverted 'figure 8' hull design was used, with the lower and smaller hull to be used as a fuel tank.
Displacement................ 312 tons surfaced/ 337 tons submerged
Dimensions................... 136' 3" x 10' 9" x 14' 9"
Engines.......................... Single shaft Walter geared turbine
Power (Walter)........ 2,500hp
(diesel)........ 210hp Deutz diesel engine
(electric)...... 77hp
Speed (Walter)........ 21½ knots
(diesel)......... 8½
(electric)..... 5 knots
Bunkers........................ 9½ tons of Aurol
and......... 20 tons of diesel
Radius (Walter)..... 150 miles
(diesel)....... 3,000 miles @ 8 knots
(electric).... 40 miles @ 4½ knots
Tubes (fwd)............. Two 21 inch
(aft)............... None
(carried four torpedoes)
Guns............................. No deck gun
AA Guns..................... None
Crew........................... 19
Blohm & Voss in Hamburg built Type XVII-B submarines U-1405 through U-1407 which were scuttled in various German ports in May 1945, but raised and used by the Royal Navy and the US Navy. U-1408 thru U-1410 were cancelled during construction and scrapped on their building slips. The contracts for U-1411 thru U-1416 were cancelled before construction began.
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The Type XVII-B2 and Type XVII-B3 were proposed modifications to the Type XVII-B to increase the radius of action while submerged, using the turbine propulsion system. The "B2" variant was planned to have one turbine and one diesel on a single shaft and the "B3" variant eliminated the diesel but two turbines on the shaft. Specs were:
Displacement................ 306 tons
Dimensions................... 144' x 10' 9" x 14'
Engines.......................... See above
Power (Walter)........ 1,160hp in the B2 and 2,500hp in the B3
(diesel)........ 210hp Deutz diesel engine (B2 only)
(electric)...... 77½hp
Speed (Walter)........ 15.75 knots
(diesel)......... 9 knots (B2 only)
(electric)..... 5 knots
Bunkers........................ 100 tons Perhydrol in the B2 and 80 tons in the B3
and......... 20 tons of diesel in the B2 only
Radius (Walter)..... 660 miles @ 15.75 knots (in the B2) and 1,700 miles @ 8 knots in the B3
(diesel)....... Unknown
(electric).... Unknown
Tubes (fwd)............. Two 21 inch
(aft)............... None
(carried two torpedoes)
Guns............................. No deck gun
AA Guns..................... None
Crew........................... 19
There were no Type XVII-B2 or XVII-B3 U-Boats built or even contracted for.
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The Type XVII-E U-Boat was again modified from the earlier variants (there were no "C" or "D" variant) with the removal of the Walter turbines and conventional diesel and electric propulsion. The battery capacity was doubled to give greater underwater speed, and the new e-motors were of such a high capacity that they nearly matched the power of the Walter turbines they were replacing. Specifications were:
Displacement................ 340 tons
Dimensions................... 144' x 10' 9" x 14'
Engines.......................... Single shaft diesel and electric
Power (diesel)........ 900hp
(electric)...... 1,160hp
Speed (diesel)......... 11½ knots
(electric)..... 14½ knots
Bunkers........................ 40 tons
Radius (diesel)....... 6,000 miles @ 8 knots
(electric).... 224 miles @ 4 knots
Tubes (fwd)............. Two 21 inch
(aft)............... None
(carried four torpedoes)
Guns............................. No deck gun
AA Guns..................... None
Crew........................... unknown
No Type XVII-E U-Boats were ever contracted for or even proposed, but this design variant was the basis for the highly successful Type XXIII coastal submarine at the end of the war.
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Type XVII-GThe Type XVII-G U-Boats were back again to the Walter turbine drive (two on the shaft) with an 8 cylinder Deutz diesel and the normal electric motors, all coupled to a single shaft. Specifications were:
Displacement................ 314 tons surfaced/ 345 tons submerged
Dimensions................... 129' 9" x 11' 3" x 15' 6"
Engines.......................... See above
Power (Walter)........ 2,500hp
(diesel)........ 210hp Deutz diesel engine
(electric)...... 77hp
Speed (Walter)........ 25 knots
(diesel)......... 8½ knots
(electric)..... 5 knots
Bunkers........................ 55 tons Aurol
and......... 20 tons of diesel
Radius (Walter)..... 114 miles @ 20 knots
(diesel)....... 3,000 miles @ 8 knots
(electric).... 40 miles @ 4½ knots
Tubes (fwd)............. Two 21 inch
(aft)............... None
(carried two torpedoes)
Guns............................. No deck gun
AA Guns..................... None
Crew........................... 19
Type XVII-G submarines U-1081 through U-1086 were contracted for with Krupp's Germania Werft in Kiel but the contracts were cancelled on 14 August 1944. U-1087 through U-1092 were contracted with the same yard, but those contracts were cancelled on 12 October 1943. No Type XVII-G U-Boats were ever built.
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The Type XVII-G2 U-Boat was a design project wherein the displacement was increased to 320 tons, and dimensions were increased to 141' 9" x 11' 9" x 14' 6" but the project never got off the drawing boards.
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The Type XVII-K was a follow-on design from the Deschimag project for a coastal submarine, using a closed cycle engine with much more capacity for compressed air to increase the radius of action. This increase in compressed air cut down on the space available in the boat that torpedo reloads were not possible. Specifications were:
Displacement................ 368 tons
Dimensions................... 133' 6" x 11' 3" x 16'
Engines.......................... Single shaft diesel and electric
Power (diesel)........ 1,500hp
(electric)...... 77hp
Speed (diesel)........ 14 to 16 knots
(electric)... 5 knots
Bunkers........................ 9¼ tons of oxygen and
3 tons of diesel
Radius (diesel)....... 120 miles @ 6 knots on the compressed air
or........... 1,600 miles with outside air
(electric).... 45 miles @ 4½ knots
Tubes (fwd)............. Two 21 inch
(aft)............... None
(no reload torpedoes)
Guns............................. No deck gun
AA Guns..................... None
Crew........................... 19
There would have been only three Type XVII-K submarines. U-798 was contracted for and construction begun at Krupp's Germania Werft but she was not completed and was scrapped on the slip. U-799 and U-800 were contracted for at the same yard, but the contracts were cancelled before construction was begun.
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The Type XVIII U-Boat was designed as an ocean going submarine using a twin shaft Walter turbine propulsion system but with diesel and electric as auxiliary power. The design was the usual inverted figure 8, with the smaller pressure hull below and used mainly for the fuel tanks. This was the forerunner of the Type XXI submarine. With the war going badly on all fronts and the Walter turbine propulsion system still not performing to expectations, work was halted on the project and never resumed. Specifications were:
Displacement................ 1,485 tons surfaced/ 1,652 tons submerged
Dimensions................... 235' 3" x 20' 3" x 21'
Engines.......................... See above
Power (Walter)........ 15,000hp
(diesel)........ 2,000hp
(electric)...... 396hp
Speed (Walter)........ 24 knots
(diesel)......... 18¼ knots
(electric)..... 7 knots
Bunkers........................ 204 tons Aurol
and......... 124 tons of diesel
Radius (Walter)..... 200 miles @ 24 knots
(diesel)....... 5,200 miles @ 12 knots
(electric).... 40 miles @ 4½ knots
Tubes (fwd)............. Six 21 inch
(aft)............... None
(carried twenty three torpedoes)
Guns............................. No deck gun
AA Guns..................... Two twin mount 37mm
Crew........................... 52
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The Type XIX U-Boat was to be an ocean going submarine tanker of about 2,000 tons with a figure eight pressure hull of equal size set side by side. They would revert to the tried and true diesel and electric propulsion, but with a new design diesel engine. Research and development of the new design diesel engines never materialized and so the Type XIX design was abandoned. No Type XIX U-Boats were proposed or contracted for.
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The Type XX U-Boat was to be a large ocean going transport submarine for the Far East routes and contained eight cargo compartments for either dry cargo or for oil, diesel or other wet cargo. Construction was terminated in 1943 to put more emphasis into the new Type XXI 'Electro-Boots'. Specifications were:
Displacement................ 2,708 tons surfaced/ 2,962 tons submerged
Dimensions................... 255' x 30' 3" x 21' 9"
Engines.......................... Diesel and electric
Power (diesel)........ 2,800hp
(electric)...... 940hp
Speed (diesel)......... 12½ knots
(electric)..... 5.75 knots
Bunkers........................ 471 tons of diesel
Radius (diesel)....... 13,000 miles @ 12 knots
(electric).... 40 miles @ 4½ knots
Tubes (fwd)............. None
(aft)............... None
(carried 800 tons of cargo)
Guns............................. No deck gun
AA Guns..................... Single 37mm
and........ Two twin mount 20mm
Crew........................... 58
AG Weser in Bremen received contracts for U-1601 thru U-1615 and U-1701 thru U-1715 but the contracts were cancelled and the boats were never completed. U-1616 through U-1700 and U-1716 through U-1800 were projected for AG Weser in Bremen, but no contracts were issued and no construction begun on these boats.
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Type XXIIThe Type XXII was designed as a coastal submarine but with the addition of an external aft torpedo tube as well as going back to a single turbine drive. Again, the never-ending problems with the Walter turbine plagued this Type as well and this design was quickly abandoned in favor of the more reliable Type XXIII coastal submarine.
Displacement................ 155 tons surfaced/ 200 tons submerged
Dimensions................... 89' x 9' 9" x 12' 9"
Engines.......................... Walter turbine with Diesel and electric
Power (Walter)........ 1,750 hp
(diesel)........ 210 hp
(electric)...... 77 hp
Speed (Walter)...... 20 knots
(diesel)......... 7 knots
(electric)..... 7knots
Bunkers........................ 30 tons of Aurol and
471 tons of diesel
Radius (Walter)..... 95 miles @ 20 knots
(diesel)....... 1,550 miles @ 6½ knots
(electric).... 40 miles @ 4½ knots
Tubes (fwd)............. Two 21 inch
(aft)............... One 21 inch
(carried three torpedoes)
Guns............................. No deck gun
AA Guns..................... None
Crew........................... 12
The Type XXII U-Boat never got off the drawing boards. none were projected, contracted for or built.
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