Comments on Type XXI U-Boat

(Anatomy of the Ship)

The design of the Type XXI U-boat was a radical step in the history of submarine development;
indeed, the vessel could be said to have been the prototype of the modern conventionally powered
submarine. After the disastrous losses among conventional submarines during the early months of
1943, the German authorities concluded that the older boats, Types VII, IXC and IXD, were no match
for Allied ASW techniques. The Type XXI design was the response to the deteriorating situation and
the first boats were launched in the spring of 1944 only nine months after the initial presentation of
the designs. These remarkable vessels incorporated a number of bold innovations including the
schnorkel, which allowed it to run fast underwater employing its diesel machinery, and automatic
torpedo reloading systems; and never before had such large and complex warships been built using
standardised, prefabricated sections. The type was a new and menacing weapon which might have
had a profound effect on the conduct of the war had it been introduced earlier. The 'Anatomy of the
Ship' series aims to provide the finest documentation of individual ships and ship types ever
published. What makes the series unique is a complete set of superbly executed line drawings, both
the conventional type of plan as well as explanatory views, with fully descriptive keys. These are
supported by technical details and a record of the ship's service history. --This text refers to an out of
print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Fritz Kohl served in the U-boats during the Second World War and then trained as a technical
draughtsman. His reconstructions of builder's drawings led to collaboration with Eberhard Rossler,
probably the world's leading authority on the history of German submarine development. --This text
refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

The Boat That Changed the Submarine Warfare

In the spring of 1943, Germany was clearly losing the battle of the Atlantic. Improvements in
Allied escort material and tactics, combined with cracking the German military code
dramatically increased the U-Boats´ losses, rendering them near useless. The German high
command saw its best reaction in the speedy development of improved submarines. These
were meant to overcome the shortcomings of the current types VII and IX, especially their
low speed and little underwater endurance. A future submarine would have to be fast, silent
and able to operate submerged for any given time to evade enemy aircraft.

In the long run, the Germans saw their biggest potential in a propulsion independent from
surface air, made possible by the Walter turbine (we aircraft modellers know Mr. Walter for
his RATO pods used to bolster the thrust of German aircraft on take-off). It utilised Hydrogen
peroxide as fuel; this system would give the boat a hitherto impossible underwater speed of
more than 20 knots, yet only limited range.

Two submarine hulls were in the developing stage that would make use of the system. The
larger one, the Type XVIII, was designed for long-range operations. It combined a diesel-
electric powerplant for long-range duty (getting into the operations area and back) with a
Walter turbine (for underwater attack use only). Thus, the hull grew rather large, yet was
designed with a streamlined perfection hitherto unknown. The smaller craft, the Type XXII,
would be used near the shore and was much smaller.

The project was delayed by the complicated and largely untested power plant: It was felt that
it would take several years for it to achieve sufficient reliability for combat use. Moreover,
the current production of Hydrogen peroxide was much too small for the projected needs of a
large submarine fleet; so adequate capacities would have to be built up beforehand.

The Advent of the Elektroboot

In this situation in the spring of 1943, with dozens of boats lost to Allied forces, as an interim
solution it was decided to mate the hulls of the projected Walter boats with conventional
powerplants, although with three times the battery capacity than hitherto. This were the types
XXI and XXIII which should help turn the tide of the war. Until their deployment, the current
types, successively equipped with snorkels, had to soldier on despite staggering losses and
somehow bind Allied forces.

The Type XXI was a bigger boat than the Type VII; it was well designed and resembled in no
way a stopgap construction. The new boat's hull was designed for high underwater speeds; its
shape reflected a change in design: All earlier submarines had essentially been surface
vessels that submerged for short spells - this would be a real submarine for the first time. The
streamlined shape of the hull and the conning tower produced less noise and made detection
by acoustics harder. Moreover, the engines´ efficiency was nearly doubled, giving the Type
XXI a top submerged speed of nearly 18 knots for short periods of time.

The vessel's detectability by Sonar or ASDIC could not be altogether eliminated, but in the
event it turned out that the new boats were much harder to detect than their predecessors on
account of their optimised shape and silent engines. They were also able to sail much faster in
silent mode than hitherto.

Six bow torpedo tubes were installed, none at the stern. The boat carried ample spare
torpedoes - sufficient for two rechargings in a very short time (20 minutes). Only two twin 20
mm AA guns were mounted in streamlined fairings on the sail, otherwise the boat carried no
guns. The sail in its final configuration had only a very small open "bridge", rather hatches
only, a total change in design in comparison with the earlier types. It just was not meant to
sail on the surface any more. A snorkel system allowed for virtually unlimited operations
below the surface, recharging batteries and sailing submerged under diesel power.

An improved passive and active sonar system, called Gruppenhorchgerät and Unterwasser-
Ortungsgerät NIBELUNG respectively, enabled detection and attack of enemy shipping
without optical contact - another revolutionary feature introduced with the type.
Theoretically, the bow-mounted passive sonar would detect enemy shipping and enable the
boat to close in near enough for the use of the active sonar. Only a few of its impulses should
suffice to compute the distance, speed and bearing of the target with more than sufficient
precision for use with the improved LUT-torpedoes. LUT, standing for Lageunabhängiger
Torpedo was a new type of guided torpedo to be fired regardless of the target's bearing that
would steer an interception course programmed by the torpedo computer. The probability of
hits on targets longer than 60 meters was calculated at 95 %.

Crew facilities - though still spartan - were better compared to earlier types. Most crew
members had their own bunks (51 for 58 hands); the boat was air-conditioned and equipped
with freezers for supplies, thus markedly improving the crew's situation. There were three
toilets and a fresh water distiller that increased personal hygiene and crew comfort vastly.

Production and Operations

This design was completed and executed under conditions typical for the second half of the
war - the Allied strategic bombing campaign. To evade it, the construction office was housed
in a remote location in the Hartz mountains; the boats were built decentralized in modules,
which were ferried by barge to a main site only towards the end of construction. Here they
were assembled to complete hulls, reducing the period of vulnerability towards air attacks in
the shipyard. This system was of course vulnerable, too: Raids on a certain manufacturer
could halt progress on all three yards that did the final assembly.

Total construction time compared to former methods was reduced from 22 months to only 9,
and that was all that counted in the given situation.

In the end, the overly optimistic schedules weren't met due to the deteriorating war situation
and the teething troubles inevitable in such a complex design; but a full 119 Type XXI were
completed and delivered in less than a year (28 June 1944 until May 1945).

Only a single Type XXI boat was operationally deployed towards the end of the war. It did
not fire a single shot in anger, yet the few encounters made by U 2511 on its raid from
Norway between 30 April and 4 May, 1945 showed the Allies´ inability to track the boat with
their equipment.

22 Type XXIs were destroyed by the Allies in the yards, 84 were scuttled by their crews
following Admiral Doenitz's orders from May 4th, 1945. However, 12 vessels fell into Allied
hands intact and gave valuable impulses towards post-war submarine development, both on
the eastern and the western side. Major post-war submarine constructions in the Soviet
Union, the UK, France and the USA were visibly influenced by the Type XXI.

Enter the Wilhelm Bauer

This particular boat was built as U 2540, launched on 13 January, 1945, commissioned on 24
February, 1945, and scuttled on 4 May 1945. It rested on the bottom of the sea for more than
a decade until the German rearmament brought the founding of the German Bundesmarine
(Federal Navy) and new submarines were needed.

With the locally defensive tasks given to the Germans within NATO, Germany needed an
altogether new and comparatively small type of coastal submarines. These would have to be
very heavily armed, hard to detect and as survivable as possible. Quite a number of entirely
new subsystems had to be developed and tested for these boats, a huge task to be
accomplished at a tight schedule under cold war conditions.

It was felt that training and test bed submarines was needed and that scuttled Kriegsmarine
submarines would provide a good solution, especially one more economical in acquisition
than other alternatives. So after sifting through Kriegsmarine records, two small Type XXIII
submarines for training purposes and later on the large Type XXI U 2540 as test bed were
selected. They were salvaged, refitted and used in various configurations by the
Bundesmarine. U 2540 was christened "Wilhelm Bauer" after the German engineer who built
the first real submarine in 1849, the Brandtaucher. It was commissioned in 1960. The two
smaller submarines were called "Hai" and "Hecht" (shark and pike). These three and the large
U-freighters of WW 1 ("Deutschland" and "Bremen") are the only German submarines with
names instead of numbers I know of.

New subsystems such as engines, snorkel, compressors, mines, anchors, rescue devices,
steering systems, torpedoes, acoustic detection devices, a redesigned sail, decoys and much
more were tested aboard "Wilhelm Bauer"; later they were operationally deployed in the new
types such as 205, 206 and 209. The tests significantly shortened development time and
reduced teething troubles.

"Wilhelm Bauer" was turned over to a civilian crew in 1970 and conducted further tests, also
participating in manoeuvres as a target ship. But finally, fatigue and damage sustained in
several collisions rendered her unsafe, and it was decided to end her career in 1982.

"Wilhelm Bauer" had been very popular with her crews; her ship's arms was a white elephant
snorkelling with its trunk - she had been the largest submarine used in post-war Germany. A
group of enthusiasts assembled to save her from the scrapper's torch, and the non-profit
association Technikmuseum Wilhelm Bauer was founded.

The Walkaround

The boat was decommissioned and rebuilt as far as possible to resemble her wartime
appearance. In 1984, she was moored permanently in the museum dock at Bremerhaven next
to Germany's Maritime museum and its museum ships. So you have to pay extra to visit her
after your visit to this also very interesting museum, but it's worth it and you're supporting the
association with your fee.

Of course, the boat is not what it was when built; much has been dismantled and changed
when she was converted to a test bed, and some of those latter additions have remained; but
you do get a feeling of how it was like living aboard such a vessel.

When we toured the boat, we were inside for about half an hour, with about ten people; I
personally would not like living aboard her for weeks together with 58 men, least of all going
to war with it. As many times before, it intrigued me to what ends people go to design and
build ever more elaborate devices to kill others. My girlfriend's 13-year-old son remarked
about the difference between the boat's simplistic and sleek external appearance and the
overly complicated interior, with its myriads of valves, levers, switchboxes and pieces of
machinery squashed everywhere.
I've toured the very realistic replica of a Type VII boat interior built for the movie Das Boot
in Munich, and I've visited the Danish submarine at Aalborg Naval Museum. The Type XXI
looked the most spacious of those three to me, yet still more cramped than I would like.
Small things roused my imagination: The boxes of lime used to decrease the CO2-content in
an emergency, the flashlights mounted everywhere to give the crew light in case of an engine
failure. Claustrophobic Scenes from Das Boot rose to my mind, and I was glad to step out
into the open.

(Due to the large number the images in this photo essay, the material has been split into parts
presented below to facilitate faster downloads - Ed.)

U-Boot Type XXI in Detail: Part 1 - External views

U-Boot Type XXI in Detail: Part 2 - From torpedo room to officers' quarters

U-Boot Type XXI in Detail: Part 3 - From officers' quarters to sonar and radio rooms

U-Boot Type XXI in Detail: Part 4 - Control room

U-Boot Type XXI in Detail: Part 5 - From the galley to rear crew quarters

U-Boot Type XXI in Detail: Part 6 - From diesel to electrical engine room

U-Boot Type XXI in Detail: Part 7 - From electrical engine room to aft compartment

U-Boot Type XXI in Detail: Part 8 - Aft compartment

Type XXI Elektroboat U-Boat

The Type XXI reached the battlefield too late to have a profound effect on the course of the
war, but it was one of those weapon systems which had completely revolutionize the face of
submarine warfare. Had she been launched two years earlier, it would have caused
considerable problems to the Allies in the Battle of the Atlantic.

Before the Type XXI, submarines would have been more accurately termed as submersible
boats, as they were surface vessels with the special capability to submerge when threatened.
Underwater, they were slow and un-maneuverable and could remain submerged only for
limited periods of time. They had to surface to run their diesel engines in order to recharge
their batteries and replenish their compressed air supplies.
The Type XXI however, was designed from the beginning as a true submarine, whose natural
habitat was in the depths. Almost everything about the submarine was new and out of all
proportions, achieved unconventional underwater performance far beyond the capabilities of
any submarine then either in service or under development. She was designed to have a faster
speed submerged than when running on the surface. Equipped with air-conditioning, she was
designed to spend most of her time underwater and could remain submerged for up to 11 days
at a time, briefly surfacing for only 3 to 5 hours to recharge her batteries. For this, the Type
XXI had a full streamlined outer hull and complete absence of clutter on the deck. The
forward hydroplane retracted when not in use, there were no deck guns, the twin 20mm AA
flak were mounted in streamlined housings, and all extending devices such as schnorchel,
antenna, and DF loop retracted into the superstructure when not in use. Instead of the
traditional open conning tower, there were three small openings at the top of the bridge, one
for the watch officer and the other two for lookouts. Internally, the cross section of the
pressure hull was a figure of eight, with the upper section being of greater diameter than the
lower. The batteries were housed in the lower section. She had three times the battery
capacity and with her new creep motor, the Type XXI was very silent when running
underwater. By comparison, the Type XXI at 15 knots emitted the same noise as a US Navy
Balao class boat at 8 knots. Her pressure hull was fabricated from 1 inch thick steel
aluminum alloy, which allowed a maximum crush depth of 280 meters (919 feet); the deepest
of any military submarine at that time. The streamlined hull also offered a much smaller
sonar signature and with her silent running capability, and high underwater speed, she was a
much more difficult boat for enemy ASW vessels to find or detect. Equipped with a
sophisticated echo chamber, which could identify, track and target multiple vessels, the Type
XXI could fire blind from up a depth of 160 feet. Her firepower was also increased
significantly. With a new rapid reloading hydraulic system, the Type XXI could launch three
six torpedo salvos or eighteen torpedoes in just under 20 minutes; whereas it took over ten
minutes to reload just one tube on the Type VIIC. This meant that the Type XXI could attack
more vessels in a single engagement. The increased space also allowed more torpedoes to be
carried – 23 instead of 14 on the Type VIIC.

The new Type XXI. Note the streamlined hull and complete absence
of clutter on the deck. All external mountings retracted into the
superstructure when not in use.
The Germans had made a quantum leap in submarine design and development, but as with all
new technology, teething problems were encountered. Due to the desperate situation at sea,
the Type XXI was given the highest priority with orders for all other types cancelled. To
speed up production, the submarine was constructed on a modular basis, with different
modules built by different shipyards. The prime reason for this was to utilize shipyard
resources to the maximum, and to present the strategic Allied bombings with many smaller
scattered targets. In order to spur the scarce manpower to greater endeavors, tight deadlines
were set with production forecasts set to be deliberately over optimistic. As a result of this,
tremendous strain was placed on the production line and so great was the urgency, that in an
attempt to meet the schedule, improperly constructed modules were often sent forth, even
when they had not been thoroughly fabricated. These modules often did not meet the fine
tolerances required to be assembled by the next link in the chain, causing further confusion
and delays to the process. Constant allied bombings, logistical headaches and shortages of
material and labor added to the problem. On numerous occasions, politics had also influenced
the program with the more prominent occasion being that the first Type XXI was to be
launched in time for Hitler’s birthday. Although this was achieved, but the ill completed
submarine had to be kept afloat by buoyancy bags and immediately towed to the dry dock
after the presentation. The outcome of all the pressure and trimming of corners meant that the
completed boats had to be returned to dock to be reworked and repaired, resulting in further
delays in attaining full service status.

By 1945, the situation grew hopelessly worse for the Type XXI program. Massive allied
bombings resulted not only in the destruction of shipyards and construction facilities, but also
of completed submarines while fitting out or in some cases while undergoing trials.
Seventeen completed Type XXIs were destroyed while in harbor between December 1944
and May 1945.

The reality was that Germany could not afford to undertake such an ambitious project in such
a short space of time. Too much was demanded of those involved, that the system ultimately
collapsed under its own strain. The reasons were diverse, but in part it was due to the fact that
Germany did not have much time left. With every passing day, the U-boat force was being
defeated on the Battle of the Atlantic – and something had to be done, anything – to prevent
defeat.

Of the 120 submarines built, only two had entered operational status. Given their limited
deployment, the new submarines were quite successful, and would have caused the allies
serious problems. However it was a case of too late and there were never enough of these
new boats to make any real difference. After the war, the design of the Type XXI continued
to influence modern submarine development in many countries, including the Soviet Union
who based their W-Class on the Type XXI.

Combat Service

Only two war patrols were carried out in the Type XXI.
Adalbert Schnee -
Donitz had pinned his hopes on the
one of two skippers
Type XXI to restore the technical
who took a Type XXI
balance to the U-boat force.
into combat.

April 30 1945, the situation at sea was nearly hopeless for most U-boat captains. But for KK
(Korvettan Kapitan) Adalbert Schnee, his situation was different. Of the two new operational
Type XXIs, he was in command of one of them – U-2511. Schnee was under orders to sail
from Bergen, Norway, and to make his way to the Carribbean. His orders were not to attack
any ships on his outbound journey, but the boat was detected by an anti-submarine patrol
group. Traveling faster underwater than the escorts could on the surface, he easily outran the
escorts. He was in command of a new boat, one which would make hunting as easy as it had
been during the “Happy Time”. Then on May 3 1945, the unthinkable, but inevitable
happened. A message from BdU: Germany had surrendered. All U-boats were ordered to
cease hostilities and were to sail to the nearest allied port under a black flag. Nevertheless, U-
2511 had the British cruiser HMS Suffolk in its sights. Schnee carefully evaded the heavy
escort screen, closed in to 600 meters of the cruiser, and raised the periscope. The torpedoes
were primed, and he ordered the tube doors opened. As the British cruiser crossed the
targeting crosshair on his periscope - instead of giving the order to fire, he simply cursed,
lowered the scope, dived under the target and made off for Norway, unknown to those sailing
above him.

The other Type XXI, Kptlt. Helmut Manseck of U-3008 had just sailed from Wilhelmshaven
on May 3, 1945. Shortly after departing, the message of Germany’s surrender was received,
Manseck spotted a British convoy and carried out a dummy attack. He slipped away
undetected and returned to port.

Technical Specification

Type XXI Elektroboat

Role Long Range
Attack Submarine
Displacement
Surfaced 1,621 tons
Submerged 1,819 tons
Dimensions
Length 251.6ft (76.7m)
Beam 21.6ft (6.6m)
Draught 20.7ft (6.3m)
Top speed
Surfaced 15.7 knots
Submerged 17.2 knots
Maximum range
Surfaced at 12kt 11,150nm
Submerged at 6kt 285nm
Crush depth 919ft (280m)
Engines
Diesel Two MAN M6V 40/46; 2,200hp
Electric Two SSW 2 GU 365/30; 2,500hp
Creep motor Two SSW GW323/28; 323hp
Battery Three 124 cell batteries
Weapons
Bow tubes Six 21 inch
Stern tubes None
Torpedo capacity 23
Mines TMC mines
Guns 2 x 20mm Twin Flak
Crew 57
Total built 120 (2 operational)
First launch April 19, 1944