Type 201 (class)

Type 201 (Class) History

In the post-World War II world, Germany - now divided into East and West - has limited military production capacity. It was not until the 1960s that the first post-war submarines were built (by West German shipyards) and built to the new "Type 201" design standards. While twelve were originally planned for the batch, only three types were eventually produced - designated "U-1", "U-2" and "U-3"??.

They are finished with a non-magnetic steel hull for passive survival and are designed for nearshore operations. As a result, they carry a small crew and are equally modest in size.

This class was built from 1960 to 1962 and in service with order status from 1962 to 1967 (Type 205 became its direct successor). The design was given a deep hull with integrated sails, while the nose caps were well contoured to cut through the sea. The tail tapers rapidly towards the tail, in keeping with the traditional cruciform aircraft layout forward of the single propeller shaft extending aft.

The dive plane was adjusted on the sails (as opposed to the fuselage).

At the time of construction, the class had a surface displacement of 400 tons (short) and a submerged displacement of 435 tons. Dimensions include a barrel length of 139 feet, a beam of 15 feet and a draft of 12.5 feet.

Power is provided by a 1,180-horsepower diesel generator connected to a 1,500-horsepower electric motor. Top speed is over 10.5 knots when surfaced and 17.5 knots underwater. With a range of 3,800 nautical miles, the hull was tested at a depth of 100 meters (330 feet).

There were about 21 crew members on board and the usual systems - sonar, radar, optics - were all in place. The armament is concentrated on 8 x 533 mm (21") torpedo tubes, with only 8 x torpedoes. The submarine can also carry 16 mines when asked to do so.

U-1's pennant number S180, built by Howaldtswerke, keel laid on June 8, 1960. The ship was launched on October 2, 1961, commissioned on March 20, 1962, and in service for a short time until decommissioning on June 22, 1963.

U-2 (S181), also built by Howaldtswerke, followed by keel laying on 1 September 1960. It was launched on January 25, 1962, commissioned on May 3 of the same year, and in service until August 15, 1963 (the ship was stripped of wartime use and eventually dismantled).

U-3 (S182), also known as Howaldtswerke, laid 12 October 1960 and launched 7 May 1962. It was commissioned on June 20, 1964, and operated until September 15, 1967. The U-3 was first leased to the Royal Norwegian Navy (known as "Kobaen") from 1962 to 1964, and then eventually returned to the West German Navy.

The ship was consumed during trials in 1971.

The steel hulls of these U-boats broke during normal use after being drafted into service in the West German Navy ("Deutsche Marine Corps"). This significant shortage effectively limited her lifespan and resulted in the cancellation of the remaining nine ships in the program - the focus shifted to developing a suitable successor/replacement Type 205.

The new series does not rely on non-magnetic hulls and lays the path of the future for the improved 206 model.

The design of the Type 201 was also influenced by the export-oriented design of the 'Korben' class, which saw action in Norway, then Denmark and Poland. 15 were built for Norway, 4 of which were sold to Denmark and Poland.

Surprisingly, the Polish tables were in use until the 2010s (as of January 2019, two of them are still in use).

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

WEIGHTS

POWER

PERFORMANCE

ARMAMENT

AIR WING