| Builders | Howaldtswerke, Kiel, Germany |
|---|---|
| Class before | Type XXIII U-boat |
| Class after | Type 205 U-boat |
| Built range | 1960–1962 |
| In commission range | 1962–1967 |
| Total ships planned | 12 |
| Total ships completed | 3 |
| Total ships canceled | 9 |
| Total ships active | 0 |
| Total ships retired | 3 |
| Displacement |
|
|---|---|
| Length | 42.40 m (139 ft 1 in) |
| Beam | 4.60 m (15 ft 1 in) |
| Draft | 3.80 m (12 ft 6 in) |
| Propulsion | 1,100 kilowatts (1,500 hp) electric motor |
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 100 metres (330 ft) |
| Complement | 21 |
| Sensors | sonar, radar, periscope, GHG |
| Armament |
|
| Power | 880 kilowatts (1,180 hp) diesel generator |
The Type 201 was Germany's first U-boat class built after World War II.
Design
They were built out of amagnetic steel to counter the threat of magnetic naval mines, but the material had been insufficiently tested and proved to be problematic in service with the Bundesmarine. Microscopic cracks in the pressure hull forced the cancellation of nine of the twelve ordered submarines and the rebuilding of the first two boats as Type 205 submarines. Responsible for the design and construction was the Ingenieurkontor Lübeck (IKL) headed by Ulrich Gabler.
The price per unit was around 12 million Deutsche Mark.[1]
List of boats
| Pennant number | Name | Shipyard | Laid down | Launched | Com- missioned | Decom- missioned | fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S180 | U-1 | Howaldtswerke | 8 June 1960 | 2 October 1961 | 20 March 1962 | 22 June 1963 | scrapped 1967 |
| S181 | U-2 | Howaldtswerke | 1 September 1960 | 25 January 1962 | 3 May 1962 | 15 August 1963 | scrapped 1967 |
| S182 | U-3 | Howaldtswerke | 12 October 1960 | 7 May 1962 | 20 June 1964 | 15 September 1967 | intentionally destroyed in trials in high pressure chamber "Dock C" (Marinearsenal Kiel 1971), scrapped |
U-3 was loaned to the Royal Norwegian Navy and served under the name Kobben from between 10 July 1962 and 20 June 1964 before being commissioned in the German Navy.[2]
Citations
- ^ "Nieuwe Duitse Onderzeeërs" (in Dutch). Klaar Voor Onderwater. Vol. 37, no. 129. Den Helder: Onderzeedienst Reünistenvereniging. September 2014. pp. 13–17. ISSN 2214-6202
- ^ Rössler 2001, pp. 308–309.
References
- Rössler, Gerhard (2001). The U-boat : the evolution and technical history of German submarines. London: Casell. ISBN 0304361208.
Further reading
- Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen; Budzbon, Przemysław (eds.) (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
- Karr, Hans (2014). Deutsche Uboote seit 1956 (in German). Stuttgart: Motorbuch. ISBN 9783613037083.
- Showell, Jak P. Mallmann (2006). The U-boat Century: German Submarine Warfare 1906-2006. London: Chatham Publishing. ISBN 9781861762412.
- Taucher.net (in German)