 Right elevation and plan of the Type 1935 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | T9 |
| Ordered | 29 June 1936 |
| Builder | Schichau,Elbing,East Prussia |
| Yard number | 1393 |
| Laid down | 24 November 1936 |
| Launched | 3 November 1938 |
| Completed | 4 July 1940 |
| Fate | Scuttled, 8 May 1945 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Class and type | Type 35torpedo boat |
| Displacement | |
| Length | 84.3 m (276 ft 7 in)o/a |
| Beam | 8.62 m (28 ft 3 in) |
| Draft | 2.83 m (9 ft 3 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | 2 × shafts; 2 × gearedsteam turbines |
| Speed | 35knots (65 km/h; 40 mph) |
| Range | 1,200 nmi (2,200 km; 1,400 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) |
| Complement | 119 |
| Armament |
|
TheGerman torpedo boatT9 was one of a dozenType 35 torpedo boats built for theKriegsmarine (German Navy) during the late 1930s. Completed in July 1940, the boat participated in an abortive attempt to attack several convoys off theScottish coast in November.T9 was placed inreserve in August 1941 and was reactivated in June 1942 for duties in France. She participated in an unsuccessful attempt to escort ablockade runner through theBay of Biscay in early 1943 and was then transferred to the Torpedo School in September. In mid-1944 the boat returned to active duty and was assigned to theBaltic Sea area. She escorted a bombardment mission in November and was damaged by bombers inEast Prussia in early 1945.T9 was sunk nearKiel,Germany, during an air raid on 3 May.
The Type 35 was an unsuccessful attempt by theKriegsmarine to design a fast, ocean-goingtorpedo boat that did not exceed the 600-long-ton (610 t) displacement limit of theLondon Naval Treaty for ships that counted against the national tonnage limit.[1] The boats had anoverall length of 84.3 meters (276 ft 7 in) and were 82.2 meters (269 ft 8 in)long at the waterline. After thebow was rebuilt in 1941 to improveseaworthiness, the overall length increased to 87.1 meters (285 ft 9 in).[2] The ships had abeam of 8.62 meters (28 ft 3 in), and a meandraft of 2.83 meters (9 ft 3 in) atdeep load and displaced 859metric tons (845long tons) atstandard load and 1,108 metric tons (1,091 long tons) at deep load.[3] Their crew numbered 119 officers and sailors.[4] Their pair of gearedsteam turbine sets, each driving one propeller, were designed to produce 31,000shaft horsepower (23,000 kW) using steam from four high-pressurewater-tube boilers[2] which would propel the boats at 35knots (65 km/h; 40 mph). They carried enoughfuel oil to give them a range of 1,200nautical miles (2,200 km; 1,400 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph).[3]
As built, the Type 35 class mounted a single10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK C/32 gun on thestern. Anti-aircraft defense was provided by a single3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30anti-aircraft gunsuperfiring over the 10.5 cm gun and a pair of2 cm (0.8 in) C/30 guns on thebridge wings. They carried six above-water 533 mm (21 in)torpedo tubes in two triple mounts and could also carry 30mines (or 60 if the weather was good). Many boats exchanged the 3.7 cm gun for another 2 cm gun,depth charges andminesweeping paravanes before completion. Late-war additions were limited to the installation ofradar,radar detectors and additional AA guns, usually at the expense of the aft torpedo tube mount.[5]
T9 was ordered on 29 June 1936 fromSchichau,laid down at theirElbing, East Prussia,shipyard on 24 November 1936[6] asyard number 1393,[2]launched on 3 November 1938 andcommissioned on 4 July 1940. The boat wasworking up until August when she began convoy escort duties in the Baltic Sea.[6] By NovemberT9 had transferred toNorway. German aerial reconnaissance had located two coastal convoys in early November that theKriegsmarine estimated would passKinnaird Head,Scotland, during the early morning of 7 November. Both the 1st and 2nd Torpedo Boat Flotillas, consisting ofT9 and her sisters,T1,T4,T6,T7,T8 andT10, sailed on 6 November in an attempt to pass through a gap in the British minefields and intercept the convoys around 02:00 the following morning. The British had extended their minefields further north unbeknownst to the Germans andT6 struck a mine shortly after midnight and sank.T7 andT8 rescued the survivors and the operation was abandoned.T9 was one of the escorts for a minelaying mission offStavanger, Norway, on the night of 27/28 January 1941 together with her sistersT5 andT12 and theminesweepersM15 andM22.T9 began a refit in March in Kiel that lasted until July. The boat was reduced to reserve on 15 August.[7]
T9 was recommissioned in June 1942 and was working up until August. On 15–19 August she was one of the escorts, together withT12 and thedestroyerZ23, for theminelayerUlm from Kiel toNarvik, Norway. The boat was transferred to France in November and was one of the escorts for the Italian blockade runner,Himalaya, together with her sistersT2 andT12 and the torpedo boatsFalke,T18 andT23, but the Italian ship turned back on 28 March 1943 when spotted by a Britishreconnaissance aircraft.T9 began a refit at Schichau on 9 May that lasted until August. The boat was then transferred to the Torpedo School as a training ship. She was transferred back to active service in mid-1944 and was assigned to the 2nd Torpedo Boat Flotilla in the Baltic, which consisted ofT9, her sistersT3,T5,T12 and the torpedo boatsT13 andT16. On the night of 23/24 November, the flotilla screened theheavy cruiserAdmiral Scheer as she shelled Soviet positions during the evacuation ofSworbe, on the island ofÖsel.T9 was damaged by bombs inDanzig on 8 March 1945. She was sunk by British aircraft on 3 May in theKieler Förde at54°26′N18°34′E / 54.433°N 18.567°E /54.433; 18.567. Her wreck was demolished by depth charges on 10 December.[8]
