During the First World War, submarines began to be produced with a diesel engine for movement on the surface and an electric engine for movement under water. Even then they were extremely formidable weapons. The German submarine SM UB-110, which cost 3,714,000 marks, however, did not have time to show its power, having lived for only a couple of months.
SM UB-110 of the Type UB III class of coastal torpedo boats was built in the Hamburg docks of Blohm & Voss for the needs of the Kaiserlichmarine and launched on March 23, 1918. Four months later, on July 19, 1918, she was sunk by the British ships HMS Garry, HMS ML 49 and HMS ML 263. 23 crew members were killed. The submarine was later taken ashore to be repaired at the Swan Hunter & Wigham Richardson docks in Wallsend, but the project was not completed and she was sold as scrap.
Perhaps the most unique acquisition of the 20th century in terms of naval weapons were submarines. Before they even appeared, they gave rise to a lot of fulfilled and unfulfilled hopes. It was believed that new combat weapons would revolutionize the war at sea, leveling the “old values” in the form of armadas of battleships and armored (battle) cruisers; will nullify general battles as the main means of resolving military confrontation at sea. Now, more than 100 years later, it is interesting to evaluate to what extent such bold predictions were confirmed.
In fact, DPs were most effective in the fight against trafficking, where they achieved truly impressive results. From the standpoint of high strategy, this does not contradict the ideas about achieving the main goals in war. “Trade disruption” hits particularly hard on island, highly developed countries that are traditionally and heavily dependent on exports and imports; in addition, the very concept of “supremacy at sea,” which was considered the prerogative of great sea powers and great fleets, is discredited. First of all, we are talking about the confrontation between Germany and England and its allies in the world wars and about the United States against Japan. These largest and most instructive examples formed the basis for an extensive and in-depth analysis, search for patterns, up to the development of motivated views on the use of submarines in the future.
As for the capabilities of submarines against military fleets, their main forces, this section is covered in less detail and leaves many questions.
It is noteworthy that even today this is not some routine scholastic question of naval history or applied sections of the development of the combat use of torpedo weapons (BITO). It is relevant in determining the prospects for the construction and development of the fleet. Increased interest in it is aroused by the objectively existing national aspect of the problem. It is no secret that the Navy, especially in the post-war period, had a clearly visible underwater focus. And this despite the fact that both world wars ended with the official defeat of the idea of submarine warfare. After the First World War - with the introduction of the convoy system and Asdikom, in the Second - the introduction of radar and aircraft. In general, following this logic, betting on submarines in the future seemed pointless. Nevertheless, we did it, just as the Germans did before us in World War II. Disputes about the legality of such a step and the actual appearance of the Navy in the years are still raging. cold war: How justified was such a step under the current conditions? The question is not simple, still awaiting its competent researcher.
The most “subtle” point in objective analysis, and therefore in the formation of a specific answer, is the lack of support from combat experience. Fortunately for humanity and inconvenient for specialists, there has been no opportunity to rely on one for 67 years. It's about about the axiom: only practice is the criterion of truth, in military affairs in any case. That is why the experience of the 1982 Falklands crisis between Great Britain and Argentina is considered so valuable and unique. But it only strengthens the belief that, no matter how far submarines have gone in their development - right up to equipping them with nuclear power, space communications and navigation, advanced electronics and nuclear weapons - they could not completely free themselves from the load of peculiarities inherent in this type of force and restrictions. The Falklands “underwater experience” turned out to be doubly interesting. This is the experience of combat operations against enemy surface ships (NS). However, we will stick to the chronology and start with the participation of submarines in world wars.
Submarines as a branch of the navy are just over 100 years old. The beginning of widespread combat use and their intensive development dates back to the period of the First World War. Overall this debut can be considered successful. About 600 submarines (372 of them were German submarines, but the Germans also lost the most - 178 submarines), then in service with the warring parties, sent to the bottom more than 55 large warships and hundreds of destroyers with a total displacement of more than 1 million tons and 19 million b.r.t. (gross register ton is a unit of volume equal to 2.83 cubic meters, not currently used) merchant tonnage. The Germans turned out to be the most numerous and productive, chalking up more than 5,860 sunk ships with a total displacement of 13.2 million b.p.t. trade tonnage. The blow mainly fell on English trade and was extremely effective.
The record of sunk tonnage will be repeated, but not surpassed, during the Second World War and, characteristically, much more big amount PL. But the personal record belonging to the German commander Arnaud de la Perriere is more than 440 thousand b.r.t. – not achieved by anyone. The best submariner of the Second World War, also German, Otto Kretschmer, will leave the arena with a score of 244 thousand b.r.t. and 44 sunk ships in the spring of 1941.
If we look at the effectiveness of submarines against the enemy navy, the successes are much more modest even where such actions were specifically planned. This is difficult to reconcile with the hopes and expectations from the first resounding successes of Otto Weddigen, who already in the first days of the war on the primitive U-9 sank three armored cruisers in just over an hour. Other high-profile achievements of German submariners in terms of defeating large enemy tanks are also known, but that will come later. In the meantime, the “mobilization” of almost all available (about 20 units) submarines to comb the North Sea, supposedly infested with dreadnoughts, did not bring any results. Having learned about the operation in advance, the British removed all valuable oil and gas from the North Sea.
The participation of submarines in the Battle of Jutland, on which great hopes were pinned - after all, by 1916, submarines had already gradually managed to prove themselves - was generally discouraging. They didn't even find anyone there. The main forces of the fleets turned around and fought in the greatest naval battle in history without even being noticed. True, the death of the British Minister of War Field Marshal Lord Kitchener on the cruiser Hampshire, which was blown up by mines, is considered an indirect success of the submarine, but this is nothing more than a consoling “bonus”.
Strictly speaking, the goals in the fight against trade were also unachieved. The blockade of England, hastily declared by the German leadership at the beginning of the war, was not achieved, because it was not reinforced with real forces. Then followed a series of bans due to the international scandal over the Lusitania, the accompanying declines in submarine warfare, and a return to the principle of prize law. The belated announcement of unlimited submarine warfare in 1917 did not help either: the enemy had time to prepare.
However, let’s return to unfulfilled hopes regarding the fight between submarines and NK. It should be noted that in the interwar period (1918-1939) there was no shortage of analysis, researchers and theories on this subject, more profound and interested than in Germany. If in all the variety of reasons and explanations we single out the main ones and discard the particular, biased and secondary ones, which, by the way, are widely used at the “school-cadet” level, the bottom line is that the actions of the German fleet in the First World War were based on the absence of a corresponding to its tasks and material strategy level.
For once, Germany, with a huge effort of all its strength, managed to build the world's second fleet. Combined with the recognized best army, this gave rise to hopes of occupying dominant position in Europe, and not only in it. Moreover, such serious military preparations, according to the laws of strategy, are irreversible. But the military-political leadership and naval command of Germany did not have the appropriate strategic guidelines regarding the war at sea. This is recognized primarily by their own specialist researchers. Proceeding from the general to the specific, it is appropriate to extend this problem to the submarine fleet, then a very young branch of the force. In this, apparently, we have to look for the main reason for the failure of the German submarine fleet to achieve its goals in the war.
One can also see in this quite profound general operational-strategic consequences. Let's not forget that the British Grand Fleet was almost a third stronger than the German High Seas Fleet, and entering a general battle with such a balance of forces was at least reckless. Based on this, the idea of the German naval command was to first weaken the Grand Fleet by luring the British into the sea with part of their forces and catching them there with superior forces, equalizing the forces for a future general battle. After Admiral Hugo von Pohl missed such a unique opportunity on December 14, 1914, hopes of equalizing forces centered primarily on the success of submarines. 200 of more than 5,000 transports were lost to mines (1.5 million tons) laid by submarines.
As for other reasons, it is customary to say: the Germans entered World War II with a strategy and a well-developed system for training and using submarine forces. Compared to the Second, the First World War, without exaggeration, was a battle of talented, daring and enterprising single submariners. This is understandable, the young branch of the force had few experienced specialists, the submarines had limited tactical and technical characteristics before the war. The fleet command itself lacked clear and distinct views on the use of submarines. Young submarine commanders with their modest captain-lieutenant stripes and sometimes valuable proposals against the backdrop of brilliant and venerable flagships and ship commanders of the High Seas Fleet were simply lost. Therefore, it is not surprising that the main decisions on the conduct of underwater warfare were made without taking into account and deep knowledge of the peculiarities of using submarines. Throughout the war, submarines remained a thing in themselves for naval operators and high command.
In this note, I bring to your attention fire weapons, which the boats had. I again reviewed the topic briefly, without providing details and nuances, since a detailed coverage of this issue would require writing 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 Artillery weapons of submarines (submarine as a carrier of artillery)
271. The presence of artillery on a submarine is fraught with contradictions from the very beginning. The submarine is unstable, has a low-lying gun and surveillance platform, and is not equipped to conduct artillery fire.
All artillery installations on a submarine are poorly suited for an artillery duel, and in this respect the submarine is inferior to any surface ship.
In an artillery battle, a submarine, as opposed to a surface ship, must immediately bring all its forces into action, because even one hit in the strong hull of a submarine already makes it impossible for it to dive and leads to death. Therefore, the possibility of an artillery battle between a torpedo submarine and military surface ships is excluded.
272. For submarines used for torpedo attacks, artillery is, as it were, a conditional and auxiliary weapon, because the use of artillery over water contradicts the entire essence of a submarine, i.e., a sudden and covert underwater attack.
Based on this, it can be said that on a torpedo submarine, artillery is used only in the fight against merchant ships, for example, to delay steamships or to destroy unarmed or weakly armed ships (§ 305)."(With)
Deck artillery
Caliber, Type, Shooting, Rate of fire, Elevation angle , Effect. range, Calculation
105 mm SK C/32U - U-boot L C/32U Single 15 35° 12,000 m 6 persons
105 mm SK C/32U - Marine Pivot L Single 15 30° 12,000 m 6 persons
88 mm SK C/30U - U-boot L C/30U Single 15-18 30° 11,000 m 6 people
88 mm SK C/35 - U-boot L C/35U Single 15-18 30° 11,000 m 6 people
Of all types of German submarines designed and built from 1930 to 1945, boats of the I, VII, IX and X series were armed with deck artillery with a caliber of over 88 mm. At the same time, only the VII series carried an 88-mm caliber gun; the rest of the indicated series of boats had a 105-mm gun. The cannon was located directly on the upper deck in front of the wheelhouse; the ammunition was stored partly there in the superstructure of the boat, partly inside the durable hull. Deck artillery was in the department of the second watch officer, who performed the duties of a senior gunner on the boat.
On the "sevens" the gun was installed in the area of frame 54 on a pyramid specially reinforced in the superstructure, which was reinforced with longitudinal and transverse beams. In the area of the gun, the upper deck was expanded to 3.8 meters in length, thereby forming a place for artillery crews. The standard ammunition for the boat was 205 shells - 28 of which were in special containers in the superstructure next to the gun, 20 shells in the wheelhouse, and the rest in the "weapons room" inside the durable hull in the second compartment from the bow.
The 105 mm gun was also mounted on a pyramid, which was welded to the pressure hull. Depending on the type of boat, the ammunition for the gun ranged from 200 to 230 shells, of which 30-32 were stored in the superstructure next to the gun, remaining in the “weapons room” located in the central control room and galley.
The deck gun was protected from water by a waterproof plug on the barrel side, and by a special plug sleeve on the breech side. A well-thought-out lubrication system for the gun made it possible to keep the gun in working condition at different temperatures.
I mentioned various cases of using deck guns
And .
By the end of 1942, the command of the submarine forces came to the conclusion that the deck guns on boats that participated in the fighting in the Atlantic theater of operations should be dismantled. Thus, almost all “sevens” of type B and C lost such artillery. The guns were retained on Type IX submarine cruisers and Type VIID and X mines. But by the end of the war it was already difficult to find a German boat of any type that could carry deck artillery.
88 mm U29 and U95 guns. The waterproof plug is clearly visible.
Elevation angle of the 88 mm gun on the U46. It seems that it still exceeds those 30 and 35 degrees indicated in the technical characteristics. The gun had to be raised with its barrel up when loading torpedoes into the bow compartment. The photo below shows how this happened (U74 preparing to take a torpedo) 
105 mm gun on the U26 "one" 
105 mm guns U103 and U106 
General view of the 105 mm gun with its mounts. 
Gunners U53 and U35 prepare for practical shooting 
Artillery crew U123 is preparing to open fire. A tanker is visible straight ahead. The target will be sunk by artillery fire. Completion of Operation Paukenschlag, February 1942. 
But sometimes the tools were used for other purposes :-)
The pictures below show U107 and U156 
Flak
Caliber, Type, Shooting, Rate of fire, Elevation angle , Effect. range, Calculation
37 mm SK C/30U - Ubts. LC 39 Singles 12 85° 2,500 m 3/4 persons
37 mm M42 U - LM 43U Automatic (8 rounds) 40 80° 2,500 m 3/4 persons
37 mm Zwilling M 42U - LM 42 Automatic (8 charges) 80 80° 2,500 m 3/4 persons
30 mm Flak M 44 - LM 44 Automatic (exact characteristics unknown. For type XXI submarines)
20 mm MG C/30 - L 30 Automatic (20 rounds) 120 90° 1,500 m 2/4 persons
20 mm MG C/30 - L 30/37 Automatic (20 rounds) 120 90° 1,500 m 2/4 persons
20 mm Flak C/38 - L 30/37 Automatic (20 rounds) 220 90° 1,500 m 2/4 persons
20 mm Flak Zwilling C/38 II - M 43U Automatic (20 rounds) 440 90° 1,500 m 2/4 persons
20 mm Flak Vierling C38/43 - M 43U Automatic (20 rounds) 880 90° 1,500 m 2/4 persons
13.2 mm Breda 1931 Automatic (30 rounds) 400 85° 1,000 m 2/4 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).
The main weapons of the boats were initially recognized as 20-mm 20-round anti-aircraft guns, which were installed on all types of boats with the exception of the II series. On the latter they were also provided, but were not included in the standard armament of the boats.
Initially, on the first "sevens" in pre-war times, a 20-mm anti-aircraft machine gun of the MG C/30 - L 30 type 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).
U23 before the war 
Waterproof "barrel", also known as a carriage on U9 (Black Sea) 
Same thing on U145 
And this is already in finished form. U24 (Black Sea) 
Option for installing an anti-aircraft gun on a carriage. U23 (Black Sea) 
The "Twos" operating in the Black Sea underwent some modification. In particular, the deckhouse was modified towards standard ocean-going boats by adding a platform for installing additional firepower. Due to this, the armament of boats of this type at the World Theater Championship increased to 2-3 guns per submarine. The photo shows U19 in full armor. Anti-aircraft gun in front of the wheelhouse, twin guns on the platform behind the bridge. By the way, machine guns installed on the sides of the cabin are visible. 
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 was nicknamed " Winter Garden"(Wintergarten). Below are photos of boats that surrendered to the Allies U249, U621 and U234 
As the pinnacle of the evolution of anti-aircraft weapons on German boats, the quad anti-aircraft gun Flak Vierling C38/43 - M 43U, which was received by the so-called “anti-aircraft boats”. As an example U441.
In the Mediterranean, the "Seven" received additional weapons by installing Italian "Breda" machine guns in the form of twin-armed units. As an example U81 
A special word worth mentioning is such a “miracle” weapon as the 37 mm SK C/30U - Ubts anti-aircraft gun. LC 39, which fired single shots. This gun was installed on later types of submarine cruisers of type IX (B and C) and submarine tankers of type XIV. The "cash cows" carried two guns of this type on either side of the wheelhouse. "Nines" had one installed behind the wheelhouse. Below are examples of such a weapon on the U103. 
Since I did not set myself the task of conducting a complete and detailed description of 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
Caliber, Type, Shooting, Rate of fire, Elevation angle , Effect. range, Calculation
7.92 mm MG15 Automatic (50/75 rounds) 800-900 90° 750 m 1-2
7.92 mm MG34 Automatic (50/75 rounds) 600-700 90° 750 m 1-2
7.92 mm MG81Z Automatic (Tape) 2.200 90° 750 m 1-2
In addition, the submarine’s crew had at their disposal 5-10 Mauser 7.65 mm pistols, 5-10 rifles, MP-40 assault rifles, hand grenades and two flare guns.
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 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.
21 MarGerman submarine fleet during World War II
In this article you will learn:
The submarine fleet of the Third Reich has its own interesting history.
Germany's defeat in the war of 1914-1918 brought it a ban on the construction of submarines, but after Adolf Hitler came to power, it radically changed the arms situation in Germany.
Creation of the Navy
In 1935, Germany signed a naval agreement with Great Britain, which resulted in the submarines being recognized as obsolete weapons, and thus Germany receiving permission to build them.
All submarines were subordinate to the Kriegsmarine - the Navy of the Third Reich.
Karl Demitz
In the summer of the same 1935, the Fuhrer appointed Karl Dönitz as commander of all submarines of the Reich; he held this post until 1943, when he was appointed commander-in-chief of the German Navy. In 1939, Dönitz received the rank of rear admiral.
He personally developed and planned many operations. A year later, in September, Karl becomes vice-admiral, and after another year and a half he receives the rank of admiral, at the same time he receives the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves.
It is he who owns most of the strategic developments and ideas used during submarine wars. Dönitz created a new supercaste, the “unsinkable Pinocchios,” from his subordinate submariners, and he himself received the nickname “Papa Carlo.” All submariners underwent intensive training and knew the capabilities of their submarine thoroughly.
Dönitz's submarine combat tactics were so talented that they received the nickname "wolf packs" from the enemy. The tactics of the “wolf packs” were as follows: the submarines lined up in such a way that one of the submarines could detect the approach of an enemy convoy. Having found the enemy, the submarine transmitted an encrypted message to the center, and then it continued its journey in a surface position parallel to the enemy, but quite far behind him. The remaining submarines were centered on the enemy convoy, and they surrounded it like a pack of wolves and attacked, taking advantage of their numerical superiority. Such hunts were usually carried out in the dark.
Construction
The German Navy had 31 combat and training submarine fleets. Each of the flotillas had a clearly organized structure. The number of submarines included in a particular flotilla could vary. Submarines were often withdrawn from one unit and assigned to another. During combat trips to sea, command was occupied by one of the commanders of the operational group of the submarine fleet, and in cases of very important operations The commander of the submarine fleet, Befelshaber der Unterseeboth, took control.
Throughout the war, Germany built and fully equipped 1,153 submarines. During the war, fifteen submarines were seized from the enemy, they were introduced into the “wolf pack”. Turkish and five Dutch submarines took part in the battles, two Norwegian, three Dutch and one French and one English were training, four Italian were transport and one Italian submarine was docked.
As a rule, the main targets of Dönitz's submarines were transport ships the enemy, who were responsible for providing the troops with everything they needed. During a meeting with an enemy ship, he acted main principle“wolf pack” - destroy more ships than the enemy can build. Such tactics bore fruit from the first days of the war across vast expanses of water from Antarctica to South Africa.
Requirements
The basis of the Nazi submarine fleet were submarines of the 1,2,7,9,14,23 series. At the end of the 30s, Germany mainly built submarines of three series.
The main requirement for the first submarines was the use of submarines in coastal waters, such were the second class submarines, they were easy to maintain, well maneuverable and could dive in a few seconds, but their drawback was a small ammunition load, so they were discontinued in 1941.
During the battle in the Atlantic, the seventh series of submarines was used, the development of which was originally carried out by Finland; they were considered the most reliable, since they were equipped with snorkels - a device thanks to which the battery could be charged under water. In total, more than seven hundred of them were built. Submarines of the ninth series were used for combat in the ocean, since they had a long range and could even sail into the Pacific Ocean without refueling.
Complexes
The construction of a huge submarine flotilla implied the construction of a complex of defense structures. It was planned to build powerful concrete bunkers with fortification structures for minesweepers and torpedo boats, with firing points and shelters for artillery. Special shelters were also built in Hamburg and Kiel at their naval bases. After the fall of Norway, Belgium and Holland, Germany received additional military bases.
So for their submarines the Nazis created bases in Norwegian Bergen and Trondheim and French Brest, Lorient, Saint-Nazaire, Bordeaux.
In Bremen, Germany, a plant was installed for the production of series 11 submarines; it was installed in the middle of a huge bunker near the Weser River. Several bases for submarines were provided to the Germans by the Japanese allies, a base in Penang and on the Malay Peninsula, and an additional center for the repair of German submarines was equipped in the Indonesian Jakarta and the Japanese Kobe.
Armament
The main weapons of Dönitz's submarines were torpedoes and mines, the effectiveness of which was constantly increasing. The submarines were also equipped with 88 mm or 105 mm caliber artillery guns, and 20 mm anti-aircraft guns could also be installed. However, since 1943 artillery pieces were gradually removed, since the effectiveness of the deck gun decreased significantly, but the danger of an air attack, on the contrary, forced us to increase the power of anti-aircraft weapons. To effectively conduct underwater combat, German engineers were able to develop a radar radiation detector, which made it possible to avoid British radar stations. Already at the end of the war, the Germans began to equip their submarines with a large number of batteries, which allowed them to reach speeds of up to seventeen knots, but the end of the war did not allow them to rearm the fleet.
Fighting
Submarines took part in combat operations in 1939-1945 in 68 operations. During this time, 149 enemy warships were sunk by submarines, including two battleships, three aircraft carriers, five cruisers, eleven destroyers and many other ships, with a total tonnage of 14,879,472 gross register tons.
Sinking of the Coreages
The Wolfpack's first major victory was the sinking of the USS Coreages. This happened in September 1939, the aircraft carrier was sunk by the submarine U-29 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Shewhart. After the aircraft carrier was sunk, the submarine was pursued by accompanying destroyers for four hours, but U-29 was able to escape with almost no damage.
Destruction of Royal Oak
The next brilliant victory was the destruction of the Battleship Royal Oak. This happened after the submarine U-47 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Gunther Prien penetrated the English naval base at Scala Flow. After this raid, the British fleet had to be relocated to another location for six months.
Victory over Ark Royal
Another resounding victory of Dönitz's submarines was the torpedoing of the Ark Royal aircraft carrier. In November 1941, the submarines U-81 and U-205, located near Gibraltar, were ordered to attack British ships returning from Malta. During the attack, the Ark Royal aircraft carrier was hit; at first the British hoped that they would be able to tow the stricken aircraft carrier, but this was not possible, and the Ark Royal sank.
From the beginning of 1942, German submariners began to conduct military operations in US territorial waters. The cities of the United States were not dark even at night, cargo ships and tankers moved without military escort, so the number of destroyed American ships was calculated by the supply of torpedoes on the submarine, so the submarine U-552 sank seven American ships in one exit.
Legendary submariners
The most successful submariners of the Third Reich were Otto Kretschmer and Captain Wolfgang Lüth, who managed to sink 47 ships each with a tonnage of over 220 thousand tons. The most effective was the submarine U-48, whose crew sank 51 ships, with a tonnage of about 305 thousand tons. The submarine U-196, under the command of Eitel-Friedrich Kentrath, spent 225 days at sea for the longest time.
Equipment
To communicate with submarines, radiograms encrypted on a special Enigma encryption machine were used. Great Britain made every possible effort to obtain this device, since there was no other way to decipher the texts, but as soon as the opportunity arose to steal such a machine from a captured submarine, the Germans first of all destroyed the device and all encryption documents. However, they still succeeded after capturing U-110 and U-505, and a number of encrypted documents also fell into their hands. U-110 was attacked by British depth charges in May 1941, as a result of the damage the submarine was forced to surface, the Germans planned to escape from the submarine and sink it, but they did not have time to sink it, so the boat was captured by the British, and Enigma fell into their hands. and magazines with codes and maps of minefields. In order to keep the secret of the Enigma capture, the entire surviving crew of submariners was rescued from the water, and the boat itself was soon sunk. The resulting ciphers allowed the British to be aware of German radio messages until 1942, until Enigma was complicated. The capture of encrypted documents on board U-559 helped break this code. She was attacked by British destroyers in 1942 and taken into tow, and a new variation of Enigma was also found there, but the submarine quickly began to sink to the bottom and the encryption machine, along with two British sailors, sank.
Victory
During the war, German submarines were captured many times, some of them were also subsequently put into service with the enemy fleet, such as the U-57, which became the British submarine Graf, which carried out combat operations in 1942-1944. The Germans lost several of their submarines due to defects in the design of the submarines themselves. So the submarine U-377 sank to the bottom in 1944 due to the explosion of its own circulating torpedo; the details of the sinking are not known, since the entire crew also died.
Fuhrer's convoy
In the service of Dönitz, there was also another division of submarines, called the “Fuhrer Convoy”. The secret group included thirty-five submarines. The British believed that these submarines were intended to transport minerals from South America. However, it remains a mystery why at the end of the war, when submarine fleet was almost completely destroyed, Dönitz did not withdraw more than one submarine from the “Fuhrer Convoy”.
There are versions that these submarines were used to control the secret Nazi Base 211 in Antarctica. However, two of the convoy's submarines were discovered after the war near Argentina, whose captains claimed to be carrying unknown secret cargo and two secret passengers to South America. Some of the submarines of this “ghost convoy” were never discovered after the war, and there were almost no mentions of them in military documents, these are U-465, U-209. In total, historians talk about the fate of only 9 out of 35 submarines - U-534, U-530, U-977, U-234, U-209, U-465, U-590, U-662, U863.
Sunset
The beginning of the end for German submarines was 1943, when the first failures of Dönitz’s submariners began. The first failures were due to the improvement of the Allied radar, the next blow to Hitler’s submarines was the growing industrial power of the United States, they managed to build ships faster than the Germans sank them. Even the installation of the latest torpedoes on the 13 series submarines could not tip the scales in favor of the Nazis. During the war, Germany lost almost 80% of its submariners; at the end of the war, only seven thousand were alive.
Categories:// from 03/21/2017However, Dönitz's submarines fought for Germany until the last day. Dönitz himself became Hitler's successor, later arrested and sentenced to ten years.
Submarines dictate the rules in naval war and force everyone to meekly follow the established order. Those stubborn people who dare to ignore the rules of the game will face a quick and painful death in the cold water, among floating debris and oil stains. Boats, regardless of flag, remain the most dangerous combat vehicles, capable of crushing any enemy. I present to your attention short story about the seven most successful submarine projects of the war years.
T type boats (Triton-class), UK
Number of submarines built - 53. Surface displacement - 1290 tons; underwater - 1560 tons. Crew - 59…61 people. Working immersion depth - 90 m (riveted hull), 106 m (welded hull). Full surface speed - 15.5 knots; in underwater - 9 knots. A fuel reserve of 131 tons provided a surface cruising range of 8,000 miles. Armament: - 11 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber (on boats of subseries II and III), ammunition - 17 torpedoes; - 1 x 102 mm universal gun, 1 x 20 mm anti-aircraft "Oerlikon".
HMS Traveler British submarine Terminator, capable of “knocking the crap out” of any enemy with the help of a bow 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 its powerful weapons and modern means detection, the T-type open sea boats 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. "Bahia Laura" and "Donau II" with thousands of soldiers of the 6th Mountain 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 Trenchant 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. It is noteworthy that three boats of this type were acquired by Israel in the late 1960s - one of them, INS Dakar (formerly HMS Totem) was lost in 1968 in the Mediterranean Sea under unclear circumstances. Number of submarines built - 11. Surface displacement - 1500 tons; underwater - 2100 tons. Crew - 62…65 people. Working diving depth - 80 m, maximum - 100 m. Full surface speed - 22.5 knots; in underwater - 10 knots. Cruising range on the surface 16,500 miles (9 knots) Cruising range underwater - 175 miles (3 knots) Armament: - 10 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber, ammunition - 24 torpedoes; - 2 x 100 mm universal guns, 2 x 45 mm anti-aircraft semi-automatic guns; - up to 20 minutes of barrage. 
...December 3, 1941, German hunters UJ-1708, UJ-1416 and UJ-1403 bombed Soviet boat, which attempted to attack the convoy at Bustad Sund. - Hans, can you hear this creature? - Nain. After a series of explosions, the Russians lay low - I detected three impacts on the ground... - Can you determine where they are now? - Donnerwetter! They are blown away. They probably decided to surface and surrender. 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 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 the high characteristics nor the most powerful weapons made the Katyusha an effective weapon - in addition to the dark story of the K-21 attack on the Tirpitz, during the war years the XIV series boats accounted for only 5 successful torpedo attacks and 27 thousand br. reg. tons of sunk tonnage. Most of the victories were achieved with the help of mines. Moreover, its own losses amounted to five cruising boats. 
K-21, Severomorsk, our days 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 not much easier for the North Sea sailors - as practice has shown, the effectiveness of the combat use of Katyushas was complicated by the poor training of personnel and the lack of initiative of the command. It's a pity. These boats were designed for more. Series VI and VI-bis - 50 built. Series XII - 46 built. Series XV - 57 built (4 took part in hostilities). Performance characteristics of boats of type M series XII: Surface displacement - 206 tons; underwater - 258 tons. Autonomy - 10 days. Working diving depth - 50 m, maximum - 60 m. Full surface speed - 14 knots; in underwater - 8 knots. Cruising range on the surface is 3,380 miles (8.6 knots). Submerged cruising range is 108 miles (3 knots). Armament: - 2 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber, ammunition - 2 torpedoes; - 1 x 45 mm anti-aircraft semi-automatic. Baby! The project of mini-submarines for the rapid strengthening of the Pacific Fleet - the main feature of the M-type boats was 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 sea 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! Number of submarines built - 41. Surface displacement - 840 tons; underwater - 1070 tons. Crew - 36…46 people. Working diving depth - 80 m, maximum - 100 m. Full surface speed - 19.5 knots; submerged - 8.8 knots. Surface cruising range 8,000 miles (10 knots). Submerged cruising range 148 miles (3 knots). “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 technology is good...” - opinion of the S-56 commander, Hero of the Soviet Union G.I. Shchedrin 
The S-33 "Eski" was distinguished by a rational layout and balanced design, powerful weapons, excellent performance and seaworthiness. Initially German project company "Deshimag", modified to 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 the "Medium" type boats, in general, were similar to the K-type cruising boats - locked in mine-infested shallow water, 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 made the transition through the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, moving from Vladivostok to Polyarny, subsequently becoming the most productive boat of the USSR Navy. An equally fantastic story is connected with the S-101 “bomb catcher” - 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. 
Torpedo compartment S-56 “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
Number of submarines built - 77. Surface displacement - 1525 tons; underwater - 2420 tons. Crew - 60 people. Working diving depth - 90 m. Full surface speed - 21 knots; submerged - 9 knots. Cruising range on the surface is 11,000 miles (10 knots). Submerged cruising range 96 miles (2 knots). Armament: - 10 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber, ammunition - 24 torpedoes; - 1 x 76 mm universal gun, 1 x 40 mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun, 1 x 20 mm Oerlikon; - one of the boats, USS Barb, was equipped with a multiple launch rocket system for shelling the coast.
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 the main thing is the excellent training of the 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. Crew - 57 people. Working depth of immersion is 135 m, maximum depth is 200+ meters. Full speed in the surface position is 15.6 knots, in the submerged position - 17 knots. Cruising range on the surface is 15,500 miles (10 knots). Submerged cruising range 340 miles (5 knots). Armament: - 6 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber, ammunition - 17 torpedoes; - 2 Flak anti-aircraft guns of 20 mm caliber.
U-2540 "Wilhelm Bauer" permanently moored in Bremerhaven, present day Our allies were very lucky that all the forces of Germany were sent to the 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 batteries(3 times more than on conventional boats!), powerful full-speed electric motors, quiet and economical “sneak” electric motors. 
The stern of U-2511, sunk at a depth of 68 meters. The Germans calculated everything - the entire “Electrobot” 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 number of submarines built is 703. Surface displacement is 769 tons; underwater - 871 tons. Crew - 45 people. Working diving depth - 100 m, maximum - 220 meters Full speed in the surface position - 17.7 knots; submerged - 7.6 knots. Cruising range on the surface is 8,500 miles (10 knots). Submerged cruising range 80 miles (4 knots). Armament: - 5 torpedo tubes of 533 mm caliber, ammunition - 14 torpedoes; - 1 x 88 mm universal gun (until 1942), eight options for superstructures with 20 and 37 mm anti-aircraft mounts.
The most effective warships ever to roam the world's oceans. A relatively simple, cheap, mass-produced, but at the same time well-armed and deadly weapon for total underwater terror. 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 “sevens” is a formidable warning from the past: what threat does the submarine pose and how high are the costs of creating effective system countering 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 "Wolf Packs" in World War II. Legendary submarines of the Third Reich Gromov Alex
Performance characteristics of the most common types of submarines
The armament and equipment of German submarines, which in the first year of the war had many flaws and often malfunctioned, was constantly being improved, in addition to the creation of new, more reliable modifications. This was a “response” to the enemy’s emergence of new anti-submarine defense systems and methods for detecting submarines.
Type II-B boats(“Einbaum” - “canoe”) were put into service in 1935.
20 submarines were built: U-7 - U-24, U-120 and U-121. The crews numbered 25–27 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 42.7 x 4.1 x 3.8 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 283/334 tons.
Maximum speed on the surface is 13 knots, while submerged - 7 knots.
Surface range - 1800 miles.
It was armed with 5–6 torpedoes and one 20 mm gun.
Type II-C boats entered service in 1938
8 submarines were built: U-56 - U-63.
The crew consisted of 25 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 43.9 x 4.1 x 3.8 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 291/341 tons.
Maximum speed on the surface is 12 knots, while submerged - 7 knots.
Surface range - 3800 miles.
It was armed with torpedoes and one 20 mm gun.
Type II-D boats commissioned in June 1940
16 submarines were built: U-137 - U-152.
The crew consisted of 25 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 44.0 x 4.9 x 3.9 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 314/364 tons.
Maximum speed on the surface is 12.7 knots, while submerged - 7.4 knots.
Surface range - 5650 miles.
It was armed with 6 torpedoes and one 20 mm gun.
Immersion depth (maximum working/limit): 80/120 m.
Boats type VII-A entered service in 1936. 10 submarines were built: U-27 - U-36. The crew numbered 42–46 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 64 x 8 x 4.4 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 626/745 tons.
Maximum speed on the surface is 17 knots, while submerged - 8 knots.
Surface range - 4300 miles.
It was armed with 11 torpedoes, one 88 mm and one 20 mm anti-aircraft gun.
Immersion depth (maximum working/limit): 220/250 m.
Type VII-B boats were more advanced compared to Type VII-A boats.
24 submarines were built: U-45 - U-55, U-73, U-74, U-75, U-76, U-83, U-84, U-85, U-86, U-87, U -99, U-100, U-101, U-102, among them the legendary U-47, U-48, U-99, U-100. The crew numbered 44–48 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 66.5 x 6.2 x 4 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 753/857 tons.
Maximum speed on the surface is 17.9 knots, while submerged - 8 knots.
It was armed with 14 torpedoes, one 88 mm and one 20 mm gun.
Type VII-C boats were the most common.
568 submarines were built, including: U-69 - U-72, U-77 - U-82, U-88 - U-98, U-132 - U-136, U-201 - U-206, U -1057, U-1058, U-1101, U-1102, U-1131, U-1132, U-1161, U-1162, U-1191 - U-1210…
The crew consisted of 44–52 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 67.1 x 6.2 x 4.8 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 769/871 tons.
Maximum speed on the surface is 17.7 knots, while submerged - 7.6 knots.
Surface range - 12,040 miles.
It was armed with 14 torpedoes, one 88-mm gun, and the number of anti-aircraft guns varied.
Type IX-A boats were a further development of the less advanced type I-A submarines.
8 submarines were built: U-37 - U-44.
The crew consisted of 48 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 76.6 x 6.51 x 4.7 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 1032/1152 tons.
Maximum speed on the surface is 18.2 knots, while submerged - 7.7 knots.
Surface range - 10,500 miles.
It was armed with 22 torpedoes or 66 mines, a 105 mm deck gun, one 37 mm anti-aircraft gun, and one 20 mm anti-aircraft gun.
Immersion depth (maximum working/ultimate): 230/295 m.
Type IX-B boats were in many ways identical to Type IX-A submarines, differing primarily b O greater fuel reserve and, accordingly, cruising range on the surface.
14 submarines were built: U-64, U-65, U-103 - U-111, U-122 - U-124.
The crew consisted of 48 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 76.5 x 6.8 x 4.7 m.
Maximum speed on the surface is 18.2 knots, while submerged - 7.3 knots.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 1058/1178 t (or 1054/1159 t).
Surface range - 8,700 miles.
It was armed with 22 torpedoes or 66 mines, one 105 mm deck gun, one 37 mm anti-aircraft gun, one 20 mm anti-aircraft gun.
Immersion depth (maximum working/ultimate): 230/295 m.
Type IX-C boats would have O longer length compared to previous modifications.
54 submarines were built: U-66 - U-68, U-125 - U-131, U-153 - U-166, U-171 - U-176, U-501 - U-524. The crew consisted of 48 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 76.76 x 6.78 x 4.7 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 1138/1232 t (often 1120/1232 t).
Maximum speed on the surface is 18.3 knots, while submerged - 7.3 knots.
Surface range - 11,000 miles.
It was armed with 22 torpedoes or 66 mines, one 105 mm deck gun, one 37 mm anti-aircraft gun, and one 20 mm gun.
Immersion depth (maximum working/ultimate): 230/295 m.
Boats type IX-D2 had the longest cruising range in the Third Reich fleet.
28 submarines were built: U-177 - U-179, U-181, U-182, U-196 - U-199, U-200, U-847 - U-852, U-859 - U-864, U -871 - U-876.
The crew consisted of 55 people (on long trips - 61).
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 87.6 x 7.5 x 5.35 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 1616/1804 tons.
Maximum speed on the surface is 19.2 knots, while submerged - 6.9 knots.
Surface range - 23,700 miles.
It was armed with 24 torpedoes or 72 mines, one 105 mm deck gun, one 37 mm anti-aircraft gun, and two twin 20 mm cannons.
Immersion depth (maximum working/ultimate): 230/295 m.
Type XIV boats(“Milchkuh” - “cash cow”) - a further development of the IX-D type, were capable of transporting over 423 tons of additional fuel, as well as 4 torpedoes and a fairly large supply of food, including even their own bakery on board the submarines.
10 submarines were built: U-459 - U-464, U-487 - U-490.
The crew numbered 53–60 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 67.1 x 9.35 x 6.5 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 1668/1932 tons.
Maximum speed on the surface is 14.9 knots, while submerged - 6.2 knots.
Surface range - 12,350 miles.
Only two 37-mm anti-aircraft guns and one 20-mm anti-aircraft gun were in service; they had no torpedoes.
Immersion depth (maximum working/ultimate): 230/295 m.
Type XXI boats were the first ultra-modern submarines, with serial production which used ready-made modules. These submarines were equipped with air conditioning and waste removal systems.
118 submarines were built: U-2501 - U-2536, U-2538 - U-2546, U-2548, U-2551, U-2552, U-3001 - U-3035, U-3037 - U-3041, U -3044, U-3501 - U-3530. At the end of the war, there were 4 boats of this type in combat readiness.
The crew numbered 57–58 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 76.7 x 7.7 x 6.68 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 1621/1819 tons, fully loaded - 1621/2114 tons.
Maximum speed on the surface is 15.6 knots, while submerged - 17.2 knots. For the first time, such a high speed of a boat in a submerged position was achieved.
Surface range - 15,500 miles.
It was armed with 23 torpedoes and two twin 20 mm cannons.
Type XXIII boats(“Elektroboot” - “electric boats”) were focused on constantly being under water, thus becoming the first project of not diving, but truly submarines. They were the last full-size submarines built by the Third Reich during World War II. Their design is as simplified and functional as possible.
61 submarines were launched: U-2321 - U-2371, U-4701 - U-4707, U-4709 - U-4712. Of these, only 6 (U-2321, U-2322, U-2324, U-2326, U-2329 and U-2336) took part in combat operations.
The crew consisted of 14–18 people.
Boat dimensions (length/maximum beam/draft): 34.7 x 3.0 x 3.6 m.
Displacement (surfaced/submerged): 258/275 t (or 234/254 t).
Maximum speed on the surface is 9.7 knots, while submerged - 12.5 knots.
Surface range - 2600 miles.
There were 2 torpedoes in service.
Immersion depth (maximum working/limit): 180/220 m.
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