German torpedoboats of World War II
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German torpedoboats armed principally, if not exclusively with torpedoes varied widely in size; however, they should not be confused with destroyers, nor torpedo-armed motor torpedo boats, despite their affiliation with the term Schnell-boote, known to the Allies as "E-boats".
Contents |
[edit] Classes
[edit] Raubvogel (1923) and Raubtier (1924)
 Raubtier-class torpedo boats |
|
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators: |  Kriegsmarine |
| In commission: | 1926 - 1944 |
| Completed: | 12 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Raubvogel (1923) & Raubtier (1924) Torpedo boat |
| Displacement: | 1923: 923 tons (standard) 1,290 tons (full load) 1924: 932 tons (standard) 1,298 tons (full load) |
| Length: | 1923: 87.7 m 1924: 92.6 m |
| Beam: | 1923: 8.25 m 1924: 8.65 m |
| Draught: | 1923: 3.65 m 1924: 3.52 m |
| Propulsion: | 1923: 2 shaft geared steam turbines (all Blohm & Voß, except Albatros - Schichau), 3 boilers, 24,000 shp 1924: 2 shaft geared steam turbines (from Brown, Boveri & Cie, Vulcan and Schichau), 3 boilers, 25,500 shp |
| Speed: | 1923: 33.6 knots 1924: 35.2 knots (65.2 km/h) |
| Range: | 1923: 1,700 nm at 17 knots (31 km/h) 1924: 2,000 nmi (4,000 km) at 17 knots (31 km/h) |
| Complement: | 120 - 129 |
| Armament: | 3 × 10.5 cm L/45 (3x1) 2 × 2 cm Flak L/65 (1×1) (4 or 7 from 1940) 6 × 500 (533 from 1931) mm torpedo tubes (2×3) 30 mines |
The six Raubvogel (German:"Bird of prey") class torpedo boats were developed from earlier designs shortly after World War I and came into service in 1926 and 1927. They were the first to use electrical welding for hull construction to reduce displacement and they also introduced geared turbines. During the Second World War these ships were referred to as the Möwe class by the Royal Navy.
Despite the innovations, and unlike contemporary German destroyers, the Raubvogels were successful sea-boats, although limited to coastal waters, and most remained in service until 1944, by which time all had been lost. Well before this time, however, the deficiencies of their concentration on torpedoes became apparent: their anti-aircraft weaponry was wholly deficient, and had to be upgraded, and their guns were also minimal.
The immediately following six ships of Raubtier ("predator") class had been intended to mount 12.7 cm guns but, instead, received updated 10.5 cm weapons. Speed and range were improved. Otherwise, they displayed the same good and bad points as the Raubvogels and experienced similar operational conditions and upgrades.
They entered service in 1927 and 1928 and all but one had been lost before mid 1942.
During the St. Nazaire Raid ("Operation Chariot"), the destroyer HMS Campbeltown was altered by the Royal Navy to look like a Raubvogel class torpedo boat.
All twelve vessels were built at Reichsmarinewerft Wilhelmshaven
Type 23 (Raubvogel)
| Name | Launched | Completed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Möwe (Seagull) | 1926 | 1926 | Sunk by bombing in Le Havre 14 June 1944 |
| Falke (Falcon) | 1926 | 1926 | Sunk by bombing in Le Havre 14 June 1944 |
| Greif (Vulture) | 1926 | 1927 | Torpedoed by aircraft 24 May 1944 |
| Kondor (Condor) | 1926 | 1927 | Mined 23 May 1944, decommissioned 1 August 1944 |
| Albatros | 1926 | 1928 | Wrecked by accidental grounding while under fire from Oslofjord Fortress 10 April 1940 during the invasion of Norway |
| Seeadler (Sea Eagle) | 1926 | 1927 | Sunk by British MTBs 14 May 1942 while escorting the auxiliary cruiser Stier |
Type 24 (Raubtier)
| Name | Launched | Completed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wolf | 1927 | 1928 | Mined 8 January 1941 near Dunkirk |
| Iltis (Polecat) | 1927 | 1928 | Sunk by British MTBs 14 May 1942 while escorting the auxiliary cruiser Stier |
| Jaguar | 1928 | 1929 | Bombed 14 June 1944 |
| Leopard | 1928 | 1929 | Wrecked in collision 30 April 1940 |
| Luchs (Lynx) | 1928 | 1929 | Torpedoed by HM Submarine Thames 26 July 1940 |
| Tiger | 1928 | 1929 | Wrecked in collision with destroyer Max Schultz 25 September 1939 |
[edit] Torpedoboot 1935 and 1937
 Torpedoboot 1935 |
|
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators: | Kriegsmarine |
| Completed: | 21 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | 1935 and 1937 Torpedo boat |
| Displacement: | 1935: 844 tons (standard), 1,088 tons (full load) 1937: 1,098 tons (full load) |
| Length: | 1935: 84.30 m 1937: 85.20 m |
| Beam: | 1935: 8.62 m 1937: 8.87 m |
| Draught: | 1935: 2.94 m 1937: 3.14 m |
| Propulsion: | 1935: 2 shaft geared Wagner turbines, 31,000 shp 1937: 2 shaft geared Wagner turbines, 34,110 shp |
| Speed: | 1935: 35 knots 1937: 36.6 knots (67.8 km/h) |
| Range: | 1935: 1,070 nm at 19 knots (35 km/h) 1937: 1,400 nmi (2,590 km) at 19 knots (35 km/h) |
| Complement: | 1935: 119 1937: 119-155 |
| Armament: | (as for T1): 1 × 10.5 cm L/45 (3×1) 512 × 2 cm MG L/65 6 × 533 mm torpedo tubes (2×3) 30 mines |
The 1935 design was unsuccessful and the 1937 was little better. These ships were designed as a larger more seaworthy torpedo vessel rather than a more balanced mini destroyer.
The requirements for the 1935 class included a maximum "declared" displacement of around 600 tons in order to come within a clause in the Washington Naval Treaty, and higher speeds than the older 1923 and 1924 classes. In reality these ships came in overweight at around 900 tons standard displacement. To achieve this, high pressure turbines were used but these were unreliable and difficult to repair and maintain in the restricted space of the hull. The low displacement made them unseaworthy which was only partially resolved by 1940 and this reduced the effectiveness of the class as minelayers. There was an even greater concentration on torpedoes, with a single 10.5 centimetre gun and minimal anti-aircraft protection.
The 1937s incorporated some modifications, including lower pressure turbines, but with little real improvement. They displayed the same limitations as their predecessors and the reasons for persisting with such a poor design are unclear.
Twelve 1935s and nine 1937s were built at Schichau Elbing and all except two survived until the late war or post-war. This survivability reflects their unsuitability as warships and they were either withdrawn into reserve or used as training ships.
Type 1935
| Name | Launched | Completed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | 19 Feb 1938 | 2 Dec 1939 | sunk 9 April 1945 |
| T2 | 7 April 1938 | 9 Dec 1939 | bombed and sunk in Bremen 29 July 1944, salvaged and scrapped 1946 |
| T3 | 23 June 1938 | 3 Apr 1940 | mined and sunk 14 March 1945 near Danzig |
| T4 | 15 Apr 1938 | 27 May 1940 | transferred to Denmark and scrapped Feb 1952 without seeing further service |
| T5 | 22 Nov 1937 | 23 Jan 1940 | mined and sunk 14 March 1945 near Danzig |
| T6 | 16 Dec 1937 | 30 Apr 1940 | mined and sunk 7 Nov 1940 off the East coast of England |
| T7 | 18 June 1938 | 20 Dec 1939 | scrapped between 1947-1949 |
| T8 | 10 Aug 1938 | 8 Oct 1939 | scuttled 3 May 1945 near Kiel |
| T9 | 3 Nov 1938 | 4 July 1940 | scuttled 3 May 1945 near Kiel |
| T10 | 6 Aug 1940 | 6 Aug 1940 | destroyed 18 Dec 1944, by bombing in dry dock Gotenhafen |
| T11 | 1 March 1939 | 7 May 1940 | Transferred to the French Navy as war reparation, renamed Bir Hakiem, scrapped October 1951 |
| T12 | 12 Apr 1939 | 3 July 1940 | Transferred to the USSR as war reparation, served as the Podvischny until the 1960s. sunk in deep water 1991 |
Type 1937
| Name | Launched | Completed | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|
| T13 | 15 June 1939 | 31 May 1941 | sunk 10 April 1945 by RAF bombing |
| T14 | 20 July 1939 | 14 June 1941 | transferred to France as the Dompaire scrapped 1951 |
| T15 | 16 September 1939 | 26 June 1941 | sunk 13 December 1943 in Kiel by bombing |
| T16 | 23 November 1938 | 24 July 1941 | decommissioned 13 April 1945 |
| T17 | 13 March 1940 | 28 August 1941 | Transferred to the USSR as the Poryvistyy, scrapped after 1960 |
| T18 | 1 June 1940 | 22 November 1941 | sunk 17 September 1944, by Soviet aircraft rockets near the Åland Islands |
| T19 | 20 July 1940 | 18 December 1941 | transferred to USA, then to Denmark and scrapped February 1952 |
| T20 | 12 September 1940 | 5 June 1942 | transferred to France as the Baccarat, scrapped 1951 |
| T21 | 21 November 1940 | 11 July 1942 | Scuttled by the US Navy in the Skagerak 10 June 1946 |
[edit] Flottentorpedoboot 1939 (Elbing class)
The Elbings "Fleet torpedo boats" were a radical design departure from their predecessors, larger and with a more balanced weapons mix. They were comparable with British destroyers of the period.
[edit] See also
- German World War II destroyers
- Torpedoboot Ausland
- Motor Torpedo Boat British MTBs
- Fairmile D motor torpedo boat British response to the E-boat
- Steam Gun Boat British E-boat hunter
- Torpedo boat general history
[edit] References
M.J Whitley, Destroyers of World War 2, 1988 Cassell Publishing ISBN 1 85409 521 8
- - page on type 23 from German Navy.de
- - page on type 24 from German Navy.de
- Classe: Raubtier (French)
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