S-Boats of the US-Warloot in the Tirpitz-Locks Fall 1945 - Picture: Archives Erling Skjold

The boats sold to Denmark and Norway via OMGUS sailed partly in the Royal Danish Navy until 1965, first as T-Boats (1947 bis 1951) from 1951 onwards as Glenten-Class.

Ex German S-boats after arrival in Copenhagen - Picture: From R. Steensen "Vore Torpedobaade i 75 aar"

T 52 (ex S 107), from 1951 "Gribben" - P 552 - Picture: From R. Steensen "Vore Torpedobaade i 75 aar"

T 53 (ex S 117), from 1951 "Havørnen" - P 556 - Picture: L. Alring, Kongelig Dansk Marine

"Glenten" - P 551 (ex S 306) - Picture: Flemming Barsdorf (Archives Orlogsmuseum Copenhagen)

"Havørnen" - P 553 (ex S 216) - Picture: N.C. Pihl (Forsvarsmuseum Rønne)

"Høgen" - P 555 (ex S 206, ex T 55) - Picture: Wright and Logan

"Isfuglen" - P 556 (ex S 127, ex T 56) - Picture: Søren Laub (Archives Orlogsmuseum Copenhagen)

"Ravnen" - P 560 (ex S 97) - Picture: Archives Förderverein

"Skaden" - P 561 (ex S 207, ex T 61) - Picture: Archives Orlogsmuseum Copenhagen

"Stormfuglen" - P 562 (ex S 64, ex "Lyn") - Picture: Archives Orlogmuseum Copenhagen

"Hejren" - P 566 (ex S 117, ex T 53) Picture: Archives Förderverein Museums-Schnellboot

"Lommen" - P 567 (ex S 195, ex "Kjekk") - Picture: Archives Orlogmuseum Copenhagen

"S 706" in Washington US Navy Yard, Washington, DC - Picture: US National Archives, College Park, Maryland, USA

"S 225" in Brooklyn Navy Yard, New York - Picture: US National Archives, College Park, Maryland, USA

"S 216" with USN-Crew on the river Rhine - Picture: US National Archives, College Park, Maryland, USA

"UW 10" (ex S 130) and "UW 11" (ex S 208) in Navalbase Flensburg-Mürwik - Picture: Unknown

"W 49" (ex UW 10, ex S 130) at MUWS, later reconstructed as EF 3 (Y 840), today at Wheatcroft Collection, UK - Picture: Unknown

"W 50" (ex S 208, ex UW 11) at MUWS, later used up as targetboat - Picture: Unknown

Good pictures of the boats of "Glenten"-class (ex-KM-boats ofclass S 100) are to be found in teh movie "Sømand i Knibe" and at Youtube under the following Link:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=sVnMGsuyTv8

Delivery from Pola to Ancona on 03.05.1945

The whereabouts of S 30, S 36, S 61, S 151, S 155, S 156 are undetermined. From newspaperreports from La Valetta/Malta of the year 1947 it follows that the boats were towed to La Valetta and sunken there by the British. For boats S 61 (mermaid) and S 156 (lettercode "K") and the boat with the lettercode "D" (S 152 or S 155) it is proven by the pictures below from La Valetta.

S 30, S 36, S 61, S 151, S 152, S 155, S 156 in Ancona - Picture from : Dallies Labourdette "Deutsche Schnellboote"

S 156 in La Valetta/Malta Harbour, in the background boat with code "D" - Picture: Archives Ashley Gowing

S 61 in La Valetta/Malta Harbour - Picture: Archives Ashley Gowing

S 61 in La Valetta/Malta Harbour - Picture: Archives Ashley Gowing

S 61 being towed by MTB 670 in La Valetta/Malta Harbour - Picture: Archives Ashley Gowing

Times of Malta, 13th August 1947, Page 7 - Archives: Kevin Aquilina

Times of Malta, 13th August 1947, Page 12 - Archives: Kevin Aquilina

According to Kevin Aquilina, Malta, the boats S 30, S 36, S 61, S 151, S 152, S 155 und S 156 scuttled after the war are laying on a field of debries at a depth of about 40 m close Delimara lighthouse.  

Avaraged Boat "S 90"

 Das zur 1. S-Schul-Flottille gehörende Boot "S 90" (Lt.z.S. d.R. Gärbers) belonging to the 1. S-School-Flotilla run aground during the night to 17.02.1945 at a speed of 24 knots on the little island Hånesholmen near Bru north of Stavanger. She was salvaged and towed to Rosenberg-shipyard at Stavanger. There she was laying until the ende of war and broken up in 1947.

The avaraged "S 90" on 17. February 1945 - Picture: Archives Johan Aakre

Averaged Boats "S 116" and "S 304"

" S 116"  from the 3. S-School-Fltl averaged early January 1945 in Elbe estuaries and was laying at the end of the war in Brunsbüttel. It was brought to the USA by the US Army on a merchantship, there measured out, tested, and dokumented by the USN and then sold to the Intelligence Community for use in Europe, modified in Miami, Florida, USA, ferried to Bremerhaven. It was intended to be used by the LSU/B similarly as the boats of the "Group Klose", but that never happened.  It then was laying up at Lürssen-Werft until the cannibalized hulk was taken over by the Damage Control Training Group (Lehrgruppe Schiffssicherung) in Neustadt/Holstein on 13.06.1957 as training hulk for fire- and damagecontrol courses. It burned up on 15.05.1965.

The two motors of type MB 501still available at the take-over were given to Deutsches Museum, Munic.

"S 304" rammed a wreck in front of the harbour mouth of Ijmuiden on 08.05.1945. The boat ripped open the rear underwatership, propellers and ruderequipment became unuseable. It was orininally towed to Den Helder, before it was going to Wilhelmshaven on 30.06.1945, where it was cannibalized and broken up as British warloot. 

Non-operational S 112

"S 112" had taken part in the coup de main of VAdm Hüffmeier on Granville am 07.02.1945 based on St. Peter Port/Guernsey and had returned to St. Peter Port after the action had been broken of. With only one engine ready it sailed to St. Lorient. The commanding officer (Lt.z.S. Nikkelowski) had a deadly accident in April. The weary boat stayed at St. Lorient and was sold by the French Navy on 27.06.1951 for breaking up.

Fast Anti-Submarine Group (Schnelle Ujagd-Gruppe) in Norway

At the end of war the old boats "S 10", "S 11", "S 13", "S 15" and "S 16" were stationed at Bergen/Norway as "Schnelle-Ujagd-Gruppe". She had been operated in coatal protection. With a inadvertantly topredofiring by "S 13" was the little passenger-steamship "Kommandøren" (543 BRT, built 1891), laid up in Bergen after a stranding, sunken.

While the other boats were delivered to the Allies "S 10" stayed in Norway and was broken up in 1950.

Wreck " S 144"

In February 1945 during examination of wrecks and wreckparts, which could hemper the lifting of a dock, which had sunk in the harbour bassin Maree on 14.06.1944 during a bomb attack against the harbour of Le Havre, by divers of the USN a S-boat was detected which was jammed between the northern end of the dock and the concrete harbour wall. The boat was salvaged and completed by parts of other wrecks in the harbour and made porvisionally ready for sea.  It was towed to the Small Boats Repair Base at Plymouth to be brought from there to the USA. It was believed to "S 169", one source assumes it to have been "S 138". The boat was the only of its kin that fell into the hands of the Allies before the end of the war. It was measured out, teted, and documented and since enough operational boats came into posession of the USN after the end of the war the Chief of Naval Operations granted permission to break up the boat on 26.12.1945. The execution of the breaking up was reported in Mai 1946.

On the basis of the coat of arms on the above picture the boat could be identified as "S 144" by the Förderverein Museums-Schnellboot in June 2010. 

Unclarified Fate

The whereabouts of the boats which were at the Grado dockyard, S 621, S 626 und S 628 of the 24. S-Flotilla, are unclarified.

Whereabouts of the unfinished Boats

About the number of unfinished boats at the shipyards Friedrich Lürssen at Vegesack, Schlichting at Travemünde and Rasmussen at Gamle Hestehauge/Fyn there is no information to be found in the literature. 

From ENIGMA-signals decoded by the British it can be concluded that three attempts to tow seven newbuildings by S-boats on 12.04., 13.04., and 14.04.1945 were performed, which were broken off due to bad weather, whereby the newbuildt boat S 316 had to be scuttled in the German Bight on 15.04.1945. On 16.04.1945 obviously a successful attempt to tow six boats  which were packed with equipment to the Baltic was conducted. It is to be asssumed that they were towed to Rasmussen at Gamle Hestehauge in order to be fully equipped there. Five more unfinished boats were to be towed from Vegesack to the Baltic according to an attest of Prof. Ing. Schäfer. However, proven by decoded ENIGMA-signals only arrival of six boats at Brunsbüttel is confirmed. Lt.z.S. a.D. Kelm reports that unfinished boats were to be towed around the Skaw by S-boats. Literature  reports that thereof already seven boats sank in the Northsea.

Four unfinished boats, laying at Schlichting, were according to a statement of the son of the former yardowner towed to Pötenitzer Bucht, whether and at what time they were picked up by the Kriegsmarine is not to be determined. Possibly they became war loot of the approaching Soviet Army. 

But fact is that from Gamle Hestehauge eight boats were towed to the waters south of Fyn on the night 05./06.05.1945 by S-boats and that eight boats were sunk in the Lunkebugt. Thereof so far four boats in which no motors had been installed were located by Danish divers. Therefore, is must be assumed that they were Lürssen-newbuildings and no Schlichting-newbuildings, which already had been equipped with motors. 

Whereabouts of Loot-Boats

The whereabouts of the French loot-boats "SA 1" - "SA 7" after 1943 is uncertain. It can be assumed that they have been destroyed or have sunk during the war activities at the coast of the Channel.

Italian Loot-Boats

The whereabouts of several Italian loot-boats is uncertain. Many boats were use as sparepart depots and broken off. Of the boats commissioned by the Kriegsmarine the following boats have a uncertain fate:

After the 09.09.1943 also the following boats came into German ownership, their commissioning and operation for the Kriegsmarine is however not proveable:

MAS 423, MAS 430, MAS 431, MAS 437, MAS 518, MAS 424, MAS 542, MAS 550, MS 32.

MAS 500 in the Mediterranean 1942 - Picture: Unknown serviceman

"S 626" (ex MAS-Boat) - Picture from Storia Militare  Briefing No. 18

After the 09.09.1943 the folowing boats came into German posession and were turned ower to Republica Sociale Italiana, 10. MAS-Flotilla, Prince Borghese:

MAS 502, MAS 504, MAS 505, MAS 531, MAS 544, MAS 556, MAS 557, MAS 558, MAS 561, MAS 562, MS 16 (SA 1), MS 34 (SA 2).

 

Greek Loot-Boats

Durch the invasion of Greece in April 1941 the S-boats "T 1" and "T 2" fell into the hands of the Kriegsmarine. They were Thornycroft-55'-CMB (Coastal Motor Boat) with two Thornycroft 12 cylinder gasoline-engines with 375 PSe each and spiral propellers. They were armed with two stern-torpedotubes. Theboats were commissioned with the designators "SG 1" and "SG 2" (SG = S-boat Greece) and armed with one MG and 10 depth charges. Since 1943 the boats were operated by the Coastal Defence Flotilla (Küstenschutz-Flottille) Piraeus as "GA 08" and "GA 09". Both were sunk by bombs on 11.01.1944 at Piräus.

MTB of Type Thornycroft 55 Foot - Picture: Imperial War Museum

 

British Loot-Boats 

The British Motor Torpedo Boats (MTBs) and Motor Gun Boats (MGBs) were subordinate to the Coastal Forces in several flotillas. In  total seven MTBs rsp. MGBs were captured or brought in.

Thereof the following three boats were commissioned by  the Kriegsmarine:

"MTB 631" of type Fairmile D (Admirality design) was a lend-lease boat for the Norwegian Navy. She ran aground off Florø on 14.03.1943 and was given up. It belonged to the 30. MTB-Squadron, stationed at Lerwick and forcing their way into Norwegian waters some times for raids. The boats were manned with Norwegian officers, petty officers and ratings. Only the radio men were English. The crew evaquated to sister boats after destruction or taking away some but not all essential documents and equipment.

MTB 631 grounded off Florø 1943 - Picture: from WAr Diary Navy Supreme Command Norway

Towing off the rocks MTB 631 - Picture: Archives Urs Heßling

Towing MTB 631 alongside Traust - Picture: Archives Urs Heßling

MTB 631 on Slip at Florø - Picture: Archives Urs Heßling

On 18.03.1943 she was towed in to Bergen and brought back to sea as "S 631". She was assigned to Admiral Norwegian Westcoast. The whereabouts are uncertain.

MTB of Type Fairmile D - Picture: Imperial War Museum

"MGB 666" also of type Fairmile D was captured off Ijmuiden on 05.07.1944. On 08.07.1944 is was destroyed by a gasoline explosion.

"MTB 345" (Thornycroft experimental boat) was operated under Norwegian command from the Shetland Islands since March 1943 against the Norwegian coast. On 27.07.1943 she was captured after a fight with picket "V 5301 Seeteufel" off Ospa in Solund. The Crew (four Norwegians and one British) were shot by Gestapo. The boat came back to sea again in July 1943  as "SA 7" and burst to flames off the Shetland Islands in August 1943 and sank.

The following three boats were so badly damaged that they were not commissioned by the Kriegsmarine. Their whereabouts are uncertain:

"MTB 5" (BPB 60' - 25 t) was holed in a storm on 29.09.1940 and given up by her Norwegian crew in the Channel. It drifted ashore in the Seinebight.

MTB 5 of Type BPB 50 Foot - Picture: Imperial War Museum

"MTB 17" (BPB 60' - 22 t) was shot to a wreck on 21.10.1940 off Oostend by the German Navy Artillery and brought in on the 22.10.1940.

"MTB 335" (type Fairmile C) was shot to fire by the 2. SFltl during the night 10./11.09.1942 in the Northsea and brought in to Den Helder the 11.09.1942.

Q 326 of type Fairmile C leaving Lowestoft harbour - Picture: Imperial War Museum

MTB 314 (ex USS PT 56 = Typ ELCO 77'), which had been given over from USN to RN in February 1949, was captured by the Kriegsmarine heavily damaged off Toruk on 14.09.1942. She was repaired and commissioned as fast minesweeper "RA 10". She was sold to an English person  and got the name "Affitti e Prestitli".

Elco 77' PT-Boat of USN - Picture from Gorson L. Rottman: US Patrol Torpedo Boats

"RA 12" in the Shipyard at Palermo - Picture from Storia Militare No. 18

 

Russian Lootboats

Two Sovjet lootboats assigned to the 1. SFltl in 1942  (TKA-47 from the Baltic Sea and TKA-111 stranded and salvaged off Eupatrorija) of 17,8 t displacement (length: 19,1 m, beam: 3,3 m; draft: 1,2 m) armed with 2 x 53,3 cm torpedoes and 1 x 12,7mm-MG propelled by 2 GAM 34 BSF Gasoline-Enginges each of 800 - 850 PS were faster than 50 knots but had severe corrison-problems. The crew consisted of 6 to 8 men.

TKA-45 at high speed - Picture: Unknown

 

S-Boat-Types	Armament	Organization	Pictures
War Zones	Bearers of Knights Cross	Losses of S-Boots	Whereabouts of the S-Boats

 

 

 

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