Type XXIII
Was a smaller version of the large “Electro-U-boat” (Type XXI), with some 61 U-boats being built until the end of World War II.
The Type XXIII-Uboat U 2344 , which was being raised by East Germany in January 1955 off Heiligendamm, was built at Deutsche Werft at Hamburg since 04 September 1944 and commissioned on 10 November 1944. The U-boat sank on 18 February 1945 in the Baltic Sea North East off Heiligendamm while executing combat training, after it collided with U 2336, another Type XXIII-UBoat, with 11 deaths and just 3 survivors.
|
Year of construction |
1944 |
|
Shipyard |
U 2344 at Deutsche Werft at Hamburg, |
|
Displacement |
234 t/ 258 t submerged |
|
Length |
34.7 m |
|
Beam |
3.0 m |
|
Draught |
3.7 m |
|
Propulsion |
1 Diesel engine, 1 electric engine, 1 propeller |
|
Engine Power |
630 HP/ 580 HP submerged |
|
Speed |
9.7 kn/ 12.5 kn submerged |
|
Range |
1,350 nmi at 9 kn/ 194 nmi at 4 kn submerged |
|
Diving depth |
160 m |
|
Fuel |
18 cbm |
|
Armament |
2 bow topredo tubes, 2 torpedoes, no reserves, no AA guns |
|
Complement |
14 |
A new type of U-boat was to be designed for the East German Navy, which should derive from the documentation of U 1308 (Project 20 “Stichling”) and experiences with Kriegsmarine Type XXIII U-boats. Initial concept was for a coastal submarine with a displacement of about 320 t, to be built by the Volkswerft at Stralsund.
Plans were developed for the construction of 14 new coastal submarines, starting in April 1954 with a preseries “Test U-boat”, to be followed by one U-boat every three months. Detailed technical data of the planned U-boats are subject of further research.