Type 23 torpedo boat

Class overview
The Albatross
Operators:	Reichsmarine Kriegsmarine
In commission:	1926–44
Completed:	6
Lost:	6
General characteristics ^[1]
Type:	Torpedo boat
Displacement:	923 tons (standard) 1,290 tons (full load)
Length:	87.7 m
Beam:	8.25 m
Draught:	3.65 m
Propulsion:	2 shaft geared steam turbines (all Blohm & Voss, except Albatros - Schichau), 3 boilers, 24,000 shp
Speed:	33.6 knots (62.2 km/h; 38.7 mph)
Range:	1,700 nmi (3,100 km; 2,000 mi) at 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph)
Complement:	120–129
Armament:	3 × 105 mm L/45 (3x1) 2 × 20 mm Flak L/65 (1×1) (4 or 7 from 1940) 6 × 500 (533 from 1931) mm torpedo tubes (2×3) 30 mines

The German Type 23 torpedo boat was a class of torpedo boat built for the Reichsmarine following World War I. They were built to replace vessels lost during, or surrendered at the end of, that conflict and were based on the H147 torpedo boat design from then. Six vessels were built in total, and with modifications all six served with the Kriegsmarine during World War II.

The ships were named for birds of prey and were referred to as the Raubvogel class.

They were developed into the Type 24 torpedo boat.

General characteristics

The six Raubvogel (German:"Bird of prey") class torpedo boats were developed from earlier designs shortly after World War I and came into service in 1926 and 1927.

All six vessels were built at Reichsmarinewerft ("Navy Yard"), Wilhelmshaven. They were the first to use electrical welding for hull construction to reduce displacement and they also introduced geared turbines. During the Second World War these ships were referred to as the Möwe class by the Royal Navy.

Despite the innovations, and unlike contemporary German destroyers, the Raubvogels were successful sea-boats, although limited to coastal waters, and most remained in service until 1944, by which time all had been lost. Well before this time, however, the deficiencies of their concentration on torpedoes became apparent: their anti-aircraft weaponry was wholly deficient, and had to be upgraded, and their guns were also minimal.

During the St. Nazaire Raid ("Operation Chariot"), the destroyer HMS Campbeltown was altered by the Royal Navy to look like a Raubvogel class torpedo boat.

Ships

Name	Launched	Completed	Fate
Möwe (Seagull)	1926	1926	Sunk by bombing in Le Havre 14 June 1944
Falke (Falcon)	1926	1926	Sunk by bombing in Le Havre 14 June 1944
Greif (Griffon)	1926	1927	Torpedoed by aircraft 24 May 1944
Kondor (Condor)	1926	1927	Mined 23 May 1944, decommissioned 1 August 1944
Albatros	1926	1928	Wrecked by accidental grounding on 10 April 1940 during the invasion of Norway
Seeadler (Sea Eagle)	1926	1927	Sunk by British MTBs during the Action of 13 May 1942 while escorting the auxiliary cruiser Stier

Notes

↑ Conway p237

References

Gardiner, Robert (1980). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships: 1922–1946. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.

German naval ship classes of World War II

Aircraft carriers	Graf Zeppelin I^X Jade ^X Seydlitz ^X II ^X

Capital Ships	Scharnhorst Bismarck H^X O^X

Pre-dreadnought battleships	Deutschland

Heavy cruisers	Deutschland Admiral Hipper D^X P^X

Light cruisers	Gazelle Emden^S Königsberg Leipzig M^X Spähkreuzer^X

Destroyers	Type 1934 Type 1934A Type 1936 Type 1936A Type 1936A / 1936A (Mob) / Narvik Type 1936B

Torpedo boats	Type 23 Type 24 Type 35 Type 37 Elbing Torpedoboot Ausland

U-boats (submarines)	Type I Type II Type VII Type IX Type X Type XIV Type XVII Type XXI Type XXIII Uncompleted projects

Other	E-boats R boats M-class minesweepers F-class escort ship Auxiliary cruisers Vorpostenboot Marinefährprahm Siebel ferry Sperrbrecher

S Single ship of class X Cancelled V Conversions

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 9/7/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.