Schwertwal

The Schwertwal was a German miniature submarine design that reached the trial stage in late April 1945.[1] It had a crew of two and was designed to have a high subsurface speed of around 20 knots.[1] The high speed was archived by the use of a Walther turbine. The submarine carried an armament of two torpedoes.[1] The submarine lacked a periscope and the pilot viewed the outside world through an acrylic glass dome.[1]

The prototype was scuttled at the end of World War II but was raised by the British Navy and examined before being scrapped.[1]

Further developments

Design work for an even faster version began but the plans never left the drawing board.[1]

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kemp, Paul (1996). Underwater Warriors. Arms & Armour Press. p. 192. ISBN 1-85409-228-6.


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