Type 205 (class)

Type 205 (Class) History

Germany's first post-WWII submarine became the "Type 201" for coastal patrolling (detailed elsewhere on this page). Although twelve were planned for the class, only three were built because their anti-mine hulls were prone to breakage in normal use. This resulted in a short lifespan for the group and the ships were taken out of service in 1967. To address deficiencies in the Type 201 design, the "Type 205" class was quickly created from a simple single-ply steel hull.

Like the Type 201, the new class was developed for shallow water operations in and around the Baltic Sea, the main enemy of the Soviet Union at the time. For this role, these ships have modest crews and are compact in size.

All 13 planned ships in the class were completed, 3 of which were finally received at the end of their days (the rest were stripped of military use and scrapped). Of the 13, 11 were in service with the West German Navy, and the other two, Narhvalen (S320) and Nordkaperen (S321), were built for Denmark (both now scrapped).

These are known locally as "Narhvalen classes".

When constructed, the class displaces 412 long tons above ground and 450 tons underwater. The length is 145.3 feet, the beam is 15 feet, and the draft is 12.5 feet. Power comes from two Mercedes-Benz V12 diesels, each producing 590 hp, connected to a BBC generator set.

There's also an SSW electric motor in the mix, putting out 1,500 horsepower to a single shaft. The surface speed can reach 10 knots, and the underwater speed can reach more than 17 knots. Range is 4,550 miles at 4 knots. The hull has been tested to a depth of 100 meters (330 feet).

22 crew members (including four officers) on board. Armament is a typical arrangement of 8 x 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes, and the ship has built-in mine transport capabilities.

U-1 was launched on February 17, 1967, entered service on June 26 of that year, and operated until November 29, 1991. She was commissioned by U-4 and arrived on November 19, 1962 (although she was only operational). until 1 August 1974). The last German ship was the U-12, which was launched on September 10, 1968, commissioned on January 14, 1969, and decommissioned on June 21, 2005.

The class is so remarkable in German naval history that three of them survived as floating museums - these became the U-9, U-10 and U-11.

Two ships built for the "Kongelige Danske Marine" (Danish Navy) in service from 1970 to 2004. Narhvalen was launched on September 10, 1968, commissioned on February 27, 1970, and decommissioned on October 16, 2003.

Nordkaperen followed, launched on December 18, 1969, commissioned on December 22, 1970, and decommissioned on February 2, 2004.

Specification

Basic

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Wing