The 3. S-Boat-Squadron was put in order by "Organization Order No 70 - Navy" with an effective date of 01.10.1957 with preliminary homeport Flensburg-Mürwik. The final homeport was as per organization order to be Langballigau at Flensburger Außenförde (not before end of 1959). But Navy-Base Flensburg-Mürwik remained homeport of the squadron until its decommissioning because the Naval Base Langballigau was never realized.

10 boats of "Jaguar"-Class (S-Boat-Class 140) and a tender were assigned to the squadron. 

While the official coat of arms shows gold-coloured waves the was also a cot of arms with blue-coloured waves.

The first boat, S-"Jaguar" - P 6059, was commissioned 16.11.1957 and sailed to Flensburg with wooden dummies instead of the 40mm-guns. Also for the radar there was a dummy ("mattras") on board. The torpedo-tubes had no "spoons".

S-"Jaguar" on trails with wooden dummies instead of 40mm-guns - Picture: Archives Heinz Haag

Also boat S-"Iltis" - P 6058 - , commissioning 17.12.1957, sailed first with wooden dummies instead of the 40mm-guns. The first three boats, "Jaguar", "Iltis" and "Wolf" had the four torpedo-tubes at the time of their commissioning. The following boats, S-"Luchs" - P 6061 -, and S-"Leopard" - P 6069 -  were commissioned without weaponry and radars. In the meantime S-"Iltis" was fitted with two 20mm-guns, which were finally substituted by two 40mm-Bofors/L 70 MEL. Only from S-"Fuchs" - P 6066 - on, commissioned 17.03.1959, the boats were fully equipped with weaponry and radars.

S-"Iltis" - P6058 - with wooden dummies. In the background two boats of 1. S-Squadron- Picture: Archives Heinz Haag

S-"Iltis" - P 6058 - with 20mm-Guns and without radar - Picture: Archives Förderverein

S-Boats of  3. S-Squadron during Exercises - Picture: Archives Förderverein

Four boats, S-"Tiger", S-"Iltis", S-"Wolf", and S-"Löwe", were handed over to the 5. SGschw in 1971, in exchange four boats,  S-"Reiher", S-"Weihe", S-"Pinguin", and S-"Kranich", were handed over to the 3. SGschw, since 3. SGschw was to be equipped with the new boats of "Tiger"-Class (Class 148) as the first squadron, what happened from October 1972 to May 1975.

From 1972 onwards the squadron was retrofitted with 10 boats of the "Tiger"-Class (S-Boat-Class 148). 

The squadron was disbnded on 30.09.1998. The remaining boats "S 45 Leopard", "S 46 Fuchs", "S 47 Jaguar", "S 48 Löwe" and "S 50 Panther" were handed over to the 5. S-Boat-Squadron in Olpenitz. 

Squadron-Commanders:

"Jaguar"-Class, S-Boat Class 140

Boats of Class 140 and their Whereabouts

S-Boats Class 148 ("Tiger"-Class)

"Tiger"-Class, S-Boat Class 148

S-"Luchs" (Class 148) - Picture: Archives Förderverein

A first boat was "S 41" christened at Amoit-Shipyard ("Constructions Mecaniques de Normandie") at Cherbourgh by Miss Leni Kühnle on September 27th 1972.

The commissioning was performed with a big ceremony under presence of Admiral Marc de Joybert, Chief of the Leading Staff of the French Navy, as well as of the Inspekteur od the German Navy, Vizeadmiral Heinz Kühnle, and other VIPs as Commander S-Boat-Flotilla,  Kapitän zur See Rieve, and the German Naval Attaché, Kapitän zur See Hoffmann already October 30th 1972. Fregattenkapitän Meiburg, Commander 3. S-Geschwader, had ordered the Commanding Officer of the boat, Kapitänleutnant Struve, to commission the boat. He ordered "Upper Deck attention, set flag and pennant!". Flag and pennat were sat under intonation of the French and the German National Anthems.

For the festiveness Tender "Rhein" was present in the freame of an informal visit from October 27th to 31st 1972. On entering the harbour 21 rounds of country-salute and 15 rounds of honor-salute for the command sign of the Commander of 1. Marine-Region, Vizeadmiral Clotteau, were fired. On October 28th wreathes were laid down at the memorial in the Jardin Public of Cherbourgh and on the German Soldier-Cemetry of Orglandes.

The nine other boats were following in a two-moths-interval so that until May 3rd 1974 ten of these boats had been commissioned. 

Early in the 80s "S 41" was testboat for the decoy-system „Wolke“. It was installed on the boat in MArs Kiel, the test were conducted in Eckernförde Bight. In the device barrels of stanion were chopped and blown out from a pipe. The staniol-chaff were to withdraw the radarcross-section from the boat so that incoming missiles were not to hit the boat. Calculation of the firing course was performed with respect to threat-axis, wind and own speed. That was done by hand or on the plotting-table and was difficult because of the short reaction-time 

The heavy test-equipment was originally installed on the B-Deck behind the mast, because of weight-reasons it was later installed on the main-deck behind the bridge-house-superstructure. Cracks in the steel-hull in this area were resulting therof.

The boats were commissioned only with their numbers. On December 1st 1981 the got back their traditional names.

Boats of Class 148 and their Whereabouts

Decommissioning of ex-German Boats - Picture: Hellenic Navy

Ex-"S44 Marder" - ex-"P74 Plotarchis Vlahavas" laid up at Souda - Picture: Brian Shipman 23.09.2024

Ex-"S47 Jaguar" - ex-"P77 Plotarchis Salipis" laid up at Souda - Picture: Brian Shipman 23.09.2024