Schwertwal

The Schwertwal (German for Orca, lit. "Sword Whale") 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]

Notes
  1. Kemp, p. 192

References
  • Kemp, Paul (1996). Underwater Warriors. London: Arms & Armour Press. ISBN 1-85409-228-6.
  • Rossler, Eberhard (2001). The U-Boat: The Evolution and Technical History of German Submarines. London: Cassell. ISBN 0-304-36120-8.
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