1944 the S-Boats "S 701 - S 800" were ordered at Danziger Waggonfabrik to be built according to the plans of type " 219". The boats received additionally two torpedo tubes on the after deck firing astern, so that four torpedoes could be fired without need to reload. The plan was for 6 x 30-mm-Machineguns in three twin mountings. Since the 30 mm twin mounted guns did not get ready, the boats were armed with two 30 mm guns and one 20 mm twin mounted gun. 

"S 701" (Drawing from Steve Wiper: German S-Boats)

Similarly as with the boats "S 219" - "S 300" (Schlichting, finished "S 219" - "S 228") and "S 301" - "S 500" (Lürssen, finished "S 301" - "S 307") also from the boats ordered at Danzig only a few ("S 701" - "S 709") were finished and handed over to the navy.

"S 701" in Formation (Picture from Dallies-Labourdette: Deutsche Schnellboote)

By the two additional torpedo tubes and the higher fuel capacity the operational displacement was increased to 121 - 124 ts. At a speed of  35 knots a range of 750 nm was achieved.

Midget-Torpedoboats (Leicht-S-Boote)

AT the outbreaqk of war the midget S-boats "LS 1" and "LS 2" had been decommissioned. From 1940 on the interest in the boats were revived. The aluminium boat developed by Dornier "LS 2" were to be finished and to be braught on board Hilfskreuzer "Komet" (HSK 7) as "Meteor". Since the planned for 45 cm torpedo tubes could not be realised the boat was fitted with the minelaying installations at the stern, so that it could be used as fast minelayer, to drop mines in habour entrances.

LS 2 (Drawing from Connelly/Krakow: Schnellboot in Action)

The installed aircraft engines caused problems, so that "Meteor" could not be employed by "Komet". In spring 1940 four more boats were ordered at Dornier. For "LS 3" and "LS 4" newly developed Daimler-Benz light Diesel engines MB 507 were available. The boats got a minelaying installation for four instead of hitherto three mines. "LS 3" was delivered on 14.10.1940 and was employed by auxilliary cruiser "Kormoran" (HSK 8). "LS 4" received two aft torpedo tubes.  As the first unit it received the newly develloped propellers and achieved 42,5 knots. She was given on board of auxilliary cruiser "Michel" (HSK 9). This boat was very successful with two sinkings and four involvements in sinkings with a total of 46.000 BRT. (Statiscly it was the most successful S-boat of the Kriegsmarine).

For boats "LS 5" and "LS 6" were only Junkers aircraft engines available. On orders of the OKM both units were fitted as submarine-chacers (depthcharge carriers) for the Aegean Sea and transported to the Mediterranean. Since the corresponding search and detection unit was moved to the Balck Sea, the boats never became operational.

For the series "LS 7" - "LS 12" the MB 507 engines again were available, so that they were built as torpedo carriers. "LS 7" was delivered on 08.10.1943, "LS 12" on 12.07.1944. "LS 7" - "LS 11" were yet transported to the Aegean Sea, "LS 12" was stopped in Jugoslavia and became testboat at the torped testing authority. It became a Soviet loot. 

LS 7 in the Aegean Sea (Pictures: Archives P. Schenk)

The series "LS 13" - "LS 34" yet ordered was stopped by the end of the war, the boats "LS 13" - "LS 18" were finished as French war loot. The order for the other boats was stipped. wurden als französische Kriegsbeute fertig gestellt . Der Auftrag für die restlichen Boote wurde nullified.                       

Little S-Boat "Hydra"

Hydra 1 - 39

In the end of 1944 the Konstruktionsamt (K-Amt = Construction Office) of Oberkommando der Marine (OKM = Supreme Command of the Navy) had comparing trials performed of types "Hydra", "Kobra", "Schlitten" and "Wal". Thereby the type "Hydra" came off best, although it did not meet the requirements of Kleinkampfverbände, since its length was too big for the required maximum of 10 m and thus reduced its transportability on a trailer.

The boat was equipped with two Avia-Hispano-Suza Otto-aircraftengines chocked down to 650 PS without gearbox, two 45,7cm-stern-torpedo-tubes for the aircraft-torpedo F 5b and one Flak-MG.

Type "Hydra" - Picture from Fock Bd. 2

On 04.12.1944 a series of 50 boats were contracted at different yards, among them Lürssen, Kröger, Danziger Waggonfabrik, Schlichting, Vertens. A second order for 115 boats were contracted on 08.02.1945. Until the end of war only 39 boats were finished. They were organized in the Sonderkommando Hydra, also called 1. Hydraflottille. The did not get employed any more.

KS-Boat

1943/44 was a part of the KM-boats built as offensive coastal minelayers reconstructed as small motortorpedoboats. The boats had been built by several shipyards. The boats designated as "KS-boats" were substituted to the 22. SFltl in the Adria before they were handed over to the Croatic Navy in fall 1944 and after its trying to go over to the partisans were taken back by the Kriegsmarine.

KS-Boat - Picture: From Gröner

Boat reconstructed as KS-Boat - Picture: Archives Gröner

Loot-Boats and Boats Bought

Netherlands Loot-Boats

S 151

At the occupation of the Netherlands in 1940 eight boats under construction at Gusto N.V. in Schiedam were confiscated and finished for the Kriegsmarine. They displaced 57 ts at a length of 28,3 m and a beam of 4,30 m. With these dimensions they could sail on european inland waterways, which permitted them to be moved into the Mediterranean. They were commissioned in 1942 as "S 151" - "S 158". The boats "S 159" - "S 166" ordered at Gusto V.V. in 1941 were stopped in April 1942.

"S 151" (Drawing from Connelly/Krakow: Schnellboot in Action) 

Boats of Type "S 151" (Picture from Connelly/Krakow: Schnellboot in Action) 

S 201

The two boats "TM 52" and "TM 53"(30,8 t, at length 21,40 m, beam 6,05 m, and draught 1,14 m) already finished by Gusto V.V., Schiedam, according to English Power Boats plans (type PV) in steel were conquered during the occupation of the Netherlands and commissioned and tested by the Kriegsmarine as "S 201" and "S 202". 

Their armament was reconfigured according to German conception to one 37 mm og two 20 mm kanons. Because of that and the building in steel the boats made only 37 to 38 knots. Being gliders with a flat bottom their seabehaviour was not up to the German wishes. Therefore the boats were given to Bulgaria in 1942. Five other boats built by Gusto N.V. under German direction were given to Rumania and Bulgaria. The transport to the Black Sea was performed the same way as for the boats of the 1. SFltl via Elbe - Autobahn Dresden-Ingolstadt - Danube.The type-boat "TM 51" built by British Powerboat Company, Hythe, was completed for the Royal Navy as "MTB 433" and took part in attacks against Willembrug occupied by Germany. 

"S 201" (TM 52) in Rotterdam - Picture from Hümmelchen: Die Deutschen Schnellboote im Zweiten Weltkrieg

Bought Italian Boats  

S 501

On 20.05.1943 the Kriegsmarine bought the Italian S-Boats "MAS 566" through "MAS 570" stationed in the Black Sea as well as "MAS 574" and "MAS 575" which got the designation "S 501" through "S 507" and formed the newly installed 11. SFltl. Sparepart problems concerning the main engines, however, caused the boats "S 501", "S 506", and "S 507" soon were assigned to the 1. SFltl, while the other boats were decommissioned. Staff and surplus personnel were transferred to the newly formed 24. SFltl in the Adriatic Sea.

Drawing from H. Fock: Schnellboot Band 1 (SK 68)

"MAS 500" in the Mediterranean 1942 - Picture: Unknown serviceman

German loot-boat "S 621" (ex "MAS 561") - Picture from H. Fock: Schnellboote Bd. 2

Italian Loot-Boats

In the Mediterranean numerous Italian S-Boats fell into Kriegsmarine hands after the Italian capitulation on 09.09.1943. Most of them were cannibalized as sparepart stocks, although from 19 modern boats the 24. SFltl was formed.

"S 601" - "S 604", "S 511" - "S 512"

"MAS 30" (ex "Orjen") 1942 later "MAS 522", in the KM "S 511" - Picture: Regia Marina

"S 621" - S 630"

French Loot-Boats

At the German invasion in France 1940 seven boats under a Spanish-Republican export-order from the year 1937 were discovered as well as two boats (SA 8 -9) under a contract for French patrol boats at the shipyards Jouett & Cie., Sartrouville (SA 1), Chantiers Romano, Antibes (SA 2 - SA 4, SA 6 - SA 7), Chantiers Navales de Meulan (SA 5) and Chantiers de la Loire, St. Nazaire (SA 8 - SA 9).

They were stageless V-beam-boats from playwood and the constructions were continued under the indication SA  = Schnellboote Ausland (S-boats abroad) and were commissioned in the years 1941 - 1942. The design of the boats were from M. Picker, Chantiers de Meulan und wurde as Vedette Lance-Torpilles (VLT)  planned with two torpedotubes 45 cm, one 3,7 cm rapid-firing gun and a MG.

S-Boat Type K 40, Design M. Picker - Picture from H. Fock: Schnellboote Band 1

The boats were propelled by four "Petrel" gasoline motors. Since the furthermore had two 100 PS-Marchmotors, they had a clutch-system susceptible to interference. Due to missing torpedotubes SA 8 and SA 9 were completed as submarine-chasers without torpedotubes. The boats were not employed as S-boats but as follows: