Die Schnellboot-Seite
S-Boats in the Kriegsmarine 1935 - 1945
S-Boats - Technical Data
"S 38" - "S 53"
"S 62" - "S 66"
| Shipyards | Lürssen | |||
| Length | 34,94 m | |||
| Bream | 5,28 m | |||
| Draught | 1,67 m | |||
| Displacement | 92,5/115 ts | |||
| Propulsion | 3 x Daimler-Benz MB 501 Diesel engines 1500/2000 HP | |||
| Speed | 39 kts | |||
| Complement | 21 | |||
| Armament |
|
The Commandcentre was on/in the bridge. From S 68 the boats got a scull (kalotte) bridge.
Boats of Type "S 38" of the 2. SFltl 1941 in the Bight of Pensar/Finnland - Picture: From Bürger "Schnellboote vor!"
"S 42" in the Black Sea - Picture from heritage of Kpt. z.S. K.F. Künzel
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Boat of Class S 38 in camouflage-painting - Picture: Archives Förderverein
On the picture below four boats of type "S 38" are to be seen at Schlichting-shipyard at Travemünde. The three boats in a pack are of interest and show different states of equipping. The boat at the pier ("S 115") has already a 20mm-Flak on the forecastle, the boat in the middle ("S 112") is just getting a antenna for the FuMO "Lichtenstein" (radar) and the outer boat ("S 116") has still a big hole in the forecastle to take up the well for the 20mm-gun. The fourth boat on the other side of the pier is probably the unfinished boat "S 117".
Four Boats of Type "S 38" at Schlichting at Travemünde May 1942 - Picture: Archives Förderverein
The command-position was on/in the Bridgehouse.
Boats up to and including "S 46" did originally not have a 20mm gun on the forecastle. Some of the boats of type "S 38" were retrofitted rsp. fitted from summer 1943 onwards with a skull-cap bridge (Kalotte) and a MG amidships. Boats "S 124" - "S 126" which were handed over to Spain together with "S 723", "S 78" and "S 134" had the old bridge-form. Boats "S 127" - "S 133" were commissioned in 1943 already with skull-cap bridge.
"S 99" (Oblt.z.S. Knapp) - Picture: Archives Förderverein
| Shipyards | Lürssen, Schlichting: "S 101" - "S 133" | ||||
| Length | 34,94 m | ||||
| Bream | 5,28 m | ||||
| Draught | 1,67 m | ||||
| Displacement | 92,5/115 ts | ||||
| Propulsion | 3 x Daimler-Benz MB 501 Diesel engines 1500/2000 HP | ||||
| Speed | 39 kts | ||||
| Complement | 21 - 30 | ||||
| Armament |
|
Retrofitted boats with skull-cap-bridge (Kalottenbrücke) were:
"S 39", "S 40", "S 47", "S 48", "S 49", "S 52", "S 62", "S 65", "S 68", "S 72", "S 74", "S 76", "S 77", "S 79", "S 81", S 83", "S 85", "S 91", "S 95", "S 96", "S 97", "S 98", "S 99" "S 110", "S 112", "S 114" and "S 116".
Special: On the standard type "S 38" three armament variants were retrofitted after fall 1943 corresponding to availability of weapon:
|
astern |
midships |
bow |
| 1 x 40 mm | 1 x 20 mm twin mounted | 1 x 20 mm |
| 1 x 37 mm | 1 x 20 mm twin mounted | 1 x 20 mm |
| 1 x 20 mm quad. mounted | 1 x 20 mm twin mounted | 1 x 20 mm |
The German Reich (Deutsches Reich) in 1943 sold six boats of type S 38 in 1943 to Spain:
| Boat |
Date |
Whereabouts |
| S 73 | 16.08.1943 | LT 21, decommissioned 19.06.1956 |
| S 78 | 16.08.1943 | LT 22, decommissioned 19.06.1956 |
| S 124 | 28.08.1943 | LT 23, decommissioned 19.06.1956 |
| S 125 | 28.08.1943 | LT 24, decommissioned 18.06.1955 |
| S 126 | 28.08.1943 | LT 25, decommissioned 18.06.1955 |
| S 134 | 28.08.1943 | LT 26, decommissioned 23.11.1957 |
As augmentation of their S-boat-fleet the Spanish Navy in 1955/59 ordered six boats to be built by E.N. Bazán with assistance of Lürssen and Mercedes according to the plans of type S 38.
| Number | Commissioned | Decommissioned |
| LT 27 | 10.07.1953 | 21.01.1963 |
| LT 28 | 10.07.1953 | 24.01.1963 |
| LT 29 | 10.07.1953 | 04.08.1961 |
| LT 30 | 26.09.1953 | 31.07.1977 |
| LT 31 | 21.07.1956 | 31.07.1977 |
| LT 32 | 06.11.1959 | 12.08.1974 |
The boats LT 30 - LT 31 were used up as target-boats.
Spanish S-Boat LT 31 - Picture: Prof. Dr. G. Mourente
Spanish S-Boat LT 32 - Picture: Prof. Dr. G. Mourente
| S-Boat-Types | Organization | Pictures | |
| War Zones | Bearers of Knights Cross | Losses of S-Boots | Whereabouts of the S-Boats |