 Right elevation and plan of the Type 1935 | |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators | |
| Preceded by | Type 24 torpedo boat |
| Succeeded by | Type 37 torpedo boat |
| Built | 1938–1940 |
| In commission | 1939–1957 |
| Completed | 12 |
| Lost | 8 |
| Scrapped | 4 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Type | Torpedo 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 |
|
TheType 35 torpedo boat was aclass of a dozentorpedo boats built forNazi Germany'sKriegsmarine in the late 1930s. Although the first boats were completed a few months after the start ofWorld War II in September 1939, none of them were able to participate in theNorwegian Campaign of April–June 1940. They began escorting convoys andminelayers as they laid theirminefields in theNorth Sea andEnglish Channel in July. Most of the boats were transferred toNorway in November where they made an unsuccessful attempt to attack shipping along theScottish coast that saw one boat sunk.
They were all refitted in early 1941 and nearly half the class was deployed afterwards in theBaltic Sea where they supported German operations afterOperation Barbarossa began in June. Four of the boats were placed inreserve at one point or another in 1941 and again in 1942, because of manpower shortages. Four others returned to France where they helped to escort a pair ofcommerce raiders passing through the Channel in late 1941 and were part of the escort for a pair ofbattleships and aheavy cruiser through the Channel back to Germany in theChannel Dash in early 1942. Two boats were the first to be assigned to the Torpedo School in mid-year and they were followed by all the others over the rest of the year and 1943. A pair of boats were sent to France in mid-1942 and were part of the escort during an unsuccessful attempt to pass one of the earlier commerce raiders back through the Channel in October.
In early 1943 three boats returned to France where they were twice unsuccessful in escorting an Italianblockade runner through theBay of Biscay into the Atlantic. By the end of the year, all of the Type 35s were either in reserve, under repair or assigned to the Torpedo School. Advancing Soviet forces caused them to be recalled to active duty during 1944 to support German forces operating in the Baltic. Three boats were lost that year toAllied bombs. The following year three more were sunk by British aircraft and two lost to Sovietmines. Three survived the war and were seized by the Allies aswar reparations. Only the Soviet Union actually made use of its vessel and it was eventually used as a test ship before beingscuttled during the 1950s.
The 1930London Naval Treaty had a clause that ships below 600 long tons (610 t)standard displacement did not count against the national tonnage limits, so theKriegsmarine attempted to design a high-speed, ocean-going torpedo boat with a maximum displacement of 600 long tons. This proved to be impossible as the over-ambitious high-speed requirement demanded use of the same troublesome high-pressureboilers that were being installed in theType 1934 destroyers. The maintenance problems with the boilers were exacerbated by the lack of access to the machinery allowed by the restricted spaces of the lightly-built and narrow hull. The naval historianM. J. Whitley deemed "the whole concept, with the benefit of hindsight, must be considered a gross waste of men and materials, for these torpedo boats were rarely employed in their designed role."[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] They 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 859long tons (873 t) at standard load and 1,108 long tons (1,126 t) at deep load. Theirhull was divided into 12watertight compartments and it was fitted with adouble bottom that covered 75% of their length.[3] The boats had ametacentric height of 0.74 meters (2.4 ft). They were considered excellent sea boats and were very maneuverable. They were, however, very wet forward in ahead sea until the bow was rebuilt.[2] The crew numbered 119 officers and sailors.[4]
The Type 35s had two sets of Wagner gearedsteam turbines, each driving a single three-bladed 2.45–2.6-meter (8 ft 0 in – 8 ft 6 in)propeller,[2] using steam provided by four Wagnerwater-tube boilers that operated at a pressure of 70 kg/cm2 (6,865 kPa; 996 psi) and a temperature of 460 °C (860 °F). The turbines were designed to produce 31,000shaft horsepower (23,000 kW) for a speed of 35knots (65 km/h; 40 mph). The boats carried a maximum of 191 metric tons (188 long tons) offuel oil which gave a range of 1,200nautical miles (2,200 km; 1,400 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph).[5]
As built, the Type 35 class mounted a single 42-caliber10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK C/32[Note 1] gun on thestern. Its mount had a range of elevation from -10° to +50° and the gun fired 15.1-kilogram (33 lb) projectiles at amuzzle velocity of 785 m/s (2,580 ft/s). It had a range of 15,175 meters (16,596 yd) at anelevation of +44.4°.[7]
Anti-aircraft defense was provided by a single 80-caliber3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30anti-aircraft (AA) gunsuperfiring over the 10.5 cm gun. The hand-operated mount had a maximum elevation of 80° which gave the gun a ceiling of less than 6,800 metres (22,300 ft); horizontal range was 8,500 metres (9,300 yd) at an elevation of 35.7°. The single-shot SK C/30 fired 0.748-kilogram (1.65 lb) projectiles at a muzzle velocity of 1,000 m/s (3,300 ft/s) at a rate of 30rounds per minute.[8] The boats were also fitted with a pair of 65-caliber2 cm (0.8 in) C/30 AA guns on thebridge wings. The gun had an effective rate of fire of about 120 rounds per minute. Its 0.12-kilogram (0.26 lb) projectiles were fired at a muzzle velocity of 875 m/s (2,870 ft/s) which gave it a ceiling of 3,700 meters (12,100 ft) and a maximum horizontal range of 4,800 meters (5,200 yd).[9] Each boat carried 2,000 rounds per gun.[2]
The boats were also equipped with six above-water 533 mm (21 in)torpedo tubes in two triple rotating mounts and could also carry 30mines (or 60 if the weather was good). The boats used theG7a torpedo which had a 300-kilogram (660 lb)warhead and three speed/range settings: 14,000 meters (15,000 yd) at 30 knots (56 km/h; 35 mph); 8,000 meters (8,700 yd) at 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph) and 6,000 meters (6,600 yd) at 44 knots (81 km/h; 51 mph).[10]
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.[11] As late as April 1944, T1, T2, T3, and T4 lacked radar and had not had their anti-aircraft suite significantly augmented.[12]
| Ship | Builder[13] | Laid down[13] | Launched[13] | Commissioned[13] | Fate[14] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Schichau,Elbing | 14 November 1936 | 17 February 1938 | 1 December 1939 | Sunk by aircraft, 10 April 1945 |
| T2 | 7 April 1938 | 2 December 1939 | Sunk by aircraft, 29 July 1944 | ||
| T3 | 23 June 1938 | 3 February 1940 | Sunk by aircraft, 19 September 1940, butraised and repaired. Sunk by mines, 14 March 1945 | ||
| T4 | 29 December 1936 | 15 September 1938 | 27 May 1940 | Transferred to US, 1945, then Denmark, 1948;scrapped, 1951 | |
| T5 | Deschimag,Bremen | 30 December 1936 | 22 November 1937 | 23 January 1940 | Sunk by mines, 14 March 1945 |
| T6 | 3 January 1937 | 16 December 1937 | 30 April 1940 | Sunk by mines, 7 November 1940 | |
| T7 | 20 August 1937 | 18 June 1938 | 20 December 1939 | Sunk by aircraft, 29 July 1944 | |
| T8 | 28 August 1937 | 10 August 1938 | 8 October 1939 | Sunk by aircraft, 3 May 1945[15] | |
| T9 | Schichau | 24 November 1936 | 3 November 1938 | 4 July 1940 | |
| T10 | 19 January 1939 | 5 August 1940 | Sunk by aircraft, 19 December 1944 | ||
| T11 | Deschimag | 1 July 1938 | 1 March 1939 | 24 May 1940 | Transferred to UK, 1946, then France; scrapped, 1951 |
| T12 | 20 August 1938 | 12 April 1939 | 3 July 1940 | Transferred to USSR, 1946; converted into a test ship andscuttled, 1959[16] |
Although the first few boats were completed at the end of 1939, maintenance problems with the boilers and modifications to thebridge and the normal issues associated withworking up boats of a new class, kept them in German waters until mid-1940. Assigned to the 5th Torpedo Boat Flotilla,T2,T7 andT8 began escorting minelayers as they laid a minefield in the North Sea in August. By the end of the month,T1,T2 andT3 were assigned to the 1st Torpedo Boat Flotilla whileT5,T6,T7 andT8 were assigned to the 2nd Torpedo Boat Flotilla. Both flotillas continued to escort minelayers in the North Sea and the English Channel and theStraits of Dover.T12 was transferred to Norway for convoy escort duties in September.T2 was damaged by British bombers on 9 September and returned to Germany for repairs.T3 was sunk by British bombers nine days later, although she was refloated in 1941 and towed back to Germany. By November the 1st and 2nd Torpedo Boat Flotillas withT1,T4,T6,T7,T8,T9 andT10 between them had transferred toStavanger, Norway. On 6 November they departed in an attempt to attack two coastal convoys that had been spotted off the Scottish coast, but they ran into a British minefield that sankT6 and they returned to port after recovering the survivors.T11 remained in France until December when she began a lengthy refit in Germany. All of her sisters began their own refits between January and March 1941.[17]
After completing their refits,T2,T5,T8 andT11 supported German forces invading theEstonian islands (Operation Beowulf) in mid-September and then, reinforced byT7, they escorted the battleshipTirpitz, as itsortied into theSea of Åland on 23–29 September to forestall any attempt by the SovietRed Banner Baltic Fleet to breakout from theGulf of Finland.T1,T8,T9 andT10 were reduced to reserve at some point during the year to alleviate manpower shortages. In November,T4,T7 andT12 successfully escorted the commerce raiderKomet through the Channel and into the Atlantic despite an attack by Britishmotor torpedo boats (MTBs). The following monthT2,T4,T7,T12 and the torpedo boatT14 successfully did the same for the commerce raiderThor although the British failed to react.[18]
On the morning of 12 February 1942, the 2nd Torpedo Boat Flotilla (withT2,T4,T5,T11 andT12) rendezvoused with the battleshipsGneisenau andScharnhorst and the heavy cruiserPrinz Eugen to help escort them through the Channel to Germany in the Channel Dash. After their arrival,T4,T5,T11 andT12 were transferred to Norway for escort duties and were joined byT7 in April whileT2 was reduced to reserve, followed byT11.T1 andT8 were reactivated and assigned to the Torpedo School as training ships in mid-1942.T4 returned to France in June, followed shortly afterwards byT10, and were assigned to 3rd Torpedo Boat Flotilla. The flotilla made an unsuccessful attempt to escortKomet through the Channel in October. They were intercepted by a British force of fiveescort destroyers and eight MTBs that sank the raider and severely damagedT10 which subsequently returned home and was paid off into reserve.T7 was briefly put in reserve in October before being assigned to the Torpedo School in January 1943.[19]
T4 andT10 returned to Germany in January and then joinedT1,T7,T8 andT11 in the Torpedo School.T2 was activated and joinedT9 andT12 in France in March 1943 whileT5 arrived there that same month.T2,T9 andT12, all assigned to the 2nd Torpedo Boat Flotilla, were some of the escorts in late March for the Italian blockade runner,Himalaya, in her attempt to breakout through the Bay of Biscay, but the Italian ship turned back when she was spotted by a Britishreconnaissance aircraft. Another attempt was made several weeks later, but failed when she was spotted by British aircraft and forced to return by heavy aerial attacks.T9 andT12 sailed to Germany in May for a refit and were then assigned to the Torpedo School whileT2 was transferred to the Baltic in July and was assigned to the Torpedo School in October together withT5.T3 completed her repairs in December and was then assigned to the Torpedo School.[20]
Beginning in March 1944, the boats began to return to active duty with the 2nd Torpedo Boat Flotilla escorting ships in the Baltic and supporting Axis forces against advancing Soviet troops.T8 andT10, together with the torpedo boatT30, and Finnish forces participated in a failed attempt to recapture the island of Narvi on 27/28 June. The three torpedo boats damaged a Sovietpatrol boat offNarva, Estonia, on 16 July. On 29 July,T2 andT7 were sunk by American bombers attacking Bremen. Both ships were refloated, but neither was repaired. On the night of 23/24 November, the flotilla, which includedT3,T5,T9 andT12, screened the heavy cruiserAdmiral Scheer as she shelled Soviet positions during the evacuation ofSworbe, on the Estonian island ofÖsel.T10 was damaged during a Soviet air raid onLibau,Latvia, on 15 December. She sailed toGotenhafen for repairs and was in afloating drydock when the British bombed the port on 18 December. The drydock was badly damaged and several bombs landed between the drydock's walls andT10's hull, blowing large holes in the latter and she sank the following day.[21]
T1 andT12 were among the escorts forPrinz Eugen as she supported a German counterattack against advancing Soviet forces nearCranz, East Prussia, on 29–30 January 1945.T8 screened the heavy cruiserLützow as she bombarded Soviet positions nearFrauenburg on 8 February. While escorting a convoy on 14 March,T3 andT5 struck mines laid by a Soviet submarine and sank.T1 sank after being hit by British bombs inKiel on the night of 9 April andT8 andT9 were sunk by British aircraft on 3 May.T4,T11 andT12 were the only Type 35s to survive the war. The first two were allocated to the United States and Great Britain when the Allies divided the surviving ships of theKriegsmarine amongst themselves in late 1945, but their navies had no interest in them.T4 was sold to Denmark on in 1948 for use as a MTB leader, but was never commissioned and the boat was demolished in 1950–1951. The British transferredT11 to France in 1946 which renamed herBir Hacheim. The boat was immediately placed in reserve until she was stricken on 8 October 1951 and subsequently scrapped.T12 was allocated to the Soviet Union and renamedPodvizhny in 1946.[22] She served with the Baltic Fleet until 1949, when she seriously damaged by a boiler explosion. The boat was withdrawn from service on in 1953 and renamedKit in 1954 for use as a vessel in simulated nuclear testing onLake Ladoga, the boat wasscuttled in shallow water in 1959. In mid-1991, theradioactively contaminated wreck was raised and towed to a different location, where it was scuttled in deeper water.[23][24]
