Seeteufel
Encyclopedia
The Seeteufel or "Sea Devil
" was a tracked two-man amphibian midget submarine
which was designed to solve the vulnerability and technical problems associated with German
midget subs that had to be launched at sea- even midget subs as small as the Neger (Negro) one man piloted torpedo
.
The Seeteufel (a.k.a. "Elefant" or "Loedige Projekt")
was developed at Kiel
-Eckernförde
which was the German Navy's (Kriegsmarine
's) torpedo testing ground where Dipl Ing Alois Loedige was the project leader.
Seeteufel is also an epithet of Felix von Luckner
.
was available for testing in the summer of 1944. Since there were no diesel engines available, an 80hp gasoline
truck
engine had to be installed. It served for both surface propulsion (8kts) and land propulsion (10km/h). The Seeteufel was to be armed primarily with two torpedoes. Mines
and possibly either machine guns or flame throwers were also considered.
The trials at Eckernförde
showed the vessel
to have very good manoeuvering and handling abilities although underpowered. It was subsequently decided that the production series should have a 250hp diesel engine. lt was also discovered that the tracks were too small and would have to be refitted with larger ones.
The only existing experimental vessel was taken to a facility near Lübeck
, and destroyed at the end of the war.
Lophius piscatorius
The angler, also sometimes called fishing-frog, frog-fish or sea-devil, Lophius piscatorius, is a monkfish in the family Lophiidae. It is found in coastal waters of the northeast Atlantic, from the Barents Sea to the Strait of Gibraltar, the Mediterranean and the Black Sea...
" was a tracked two-man amphibian midget submarine
Midget submarine
A midget submarine is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to 6 or 8, with little or no on-board living accommodation...
which was designed to solve the vulnerability and technical problems associated with German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
midget subs that had to be launched at sea- even midget subs as small as the Neger (Negro) one man piloted torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
.
The Seeteufel (a.k.a. "Elefant" or "Loedige Projekt")
was developed at Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
-Eckernförde
Eckernförde
Eckernförde is a German city in Schleswig-Holstein, Kreis Rendsburg-Eckernförde at the Baltic Sea near Kiel. The population is about 23,000.All German submarines are stationed in Eckernförde....
which was the German Navy's (Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
's) torpedo testing ground where Dipl Ing Alois Loedige was the project leader.
Seeteufel is also an epithet of Felix von Luckner
Felix von Luckner
Felix Graf von Luckner was a German nobleman, navy officer, author and noted sailor who earned the epithet Der Seeteufel -- and his crew that of Die Piraten des Kaisers -- for his exploits in command of the sailing commerce raider SMS Seeadler in...
.
Development
The first and only prototypePrototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
was available for testing in the summer of 1944. Since there were no diesel engines available, an 80hp gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
engine had to be installed. It served for both surface propulsion (8kts) and land propulsion (10km/h). The Seeteufel was to be armed primarily with two torpedoes. Mines
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
and possibly either machine guns or flame throwers were also considered.
The trials at Eckernförde
Eckernförde
Eckernförde is a German city in Schleswig-Holstein, Kreis Rendsburg-Eckernförde at the Baltic Sea near Kiel. The population is about 23,000.All German submarines are stationed in Eckernförde....
showed the vessel
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
to have very good manoeuvering and handling abilities although underpowered. It was subsequently decided that the production series should have a 250hp diesel engine. lt was also discovered that the tracks were too small and would have to be refitted with larger ones.
Destruction
After testing was completed, a series of standard Seeteufels were ordered at the Borgward factory at Bremen but production never began.The only existing experimental vessel was taken to a facility near Lübeck
Lübeck
The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...
, and destroyed at the end of the war.
Technical data
- Description: Midget U-boat
- First launched: 1944
- Complement of Men: 2
- Displacement surface: circa 2.0 t
- Displacement submerged: 18.0 - 20.0 t
- Length: 13.5 m
- Beam, max: circa 2.0 m
- Depth: 2.9 m (5.5 m with schnorkel mast)
- Max speed surfaced: N/A
- Max speed submerged:
- 10 kt petrol/gas - with schnorkel
- 8 kt electric
- Radius surfaced:
- 30 hours at top speed
- 80 hours at cruising speed
- Radius submerged:
- 30 hours at top speed (petrol/gas)
- 10 hours at top speed (electric)
- 80 hours at cruising speed (petr/gas)
- 20 hours at cruising speed (electric)
- Max diving depth: 50.0 m (prototype made 20.0 m)
- Diving time, stationary: N/A
- Diving time, alarm moving: N/A
- Oil fuel carried: N/A
- Torpedo tubes, bow / stern: None
- Nr of torpedoes / mines: 2 or 2
- Guns fitted: None
Photo
- http://www.dataphone.se/~ms/ubootw/boats_type-seeteufel.jpg
- Seeteufel on Spiegel.de
Online Resources
- http://www.dataphone.se/~ms/ubootw/boats_type-seeteufel.htm
- http://uboat.net/types/steufel2.htm
- http://www.uboat.net/types/steufel.htm
- http://hera.mni.fh-giessen.de/~hg6339/data/de/submarines/1944_midget-submarines/css_xxxx_seeteufel.htm