''Delphin'' (dolphin) was a
midget submarine created during
World War II. Designed in 1944, only three prototypes were created by
Nazi Germany's
Kriegsmarine
The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...
by the end of the war, all of which were destroyed. The ''Delphin'' was built for underwater speed attacks, as German engineers under the leadership of
Ulrich Gabler discovered that past midget submarines were too slow to match the speeds of large ships in the
English Channel.
''Delphin'' weighed and was easily recognizable due to its
tear-drop shape, which allowed the vessel to travel through the water at higher speeds. During trials, the submarine reached a speed of seventeen knots while submerged. On 19 January 1945, the first prototype was destroyed after a collision with a boat and resulted in further testing being abandoned. Two other prototypes under construction in
Berlin were moved to Pötenitz near
Trave, where they were blown up as
Allied
An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...
forces approached.
References
Bibliography
*
*Sieche, Erwin F.
External links
Information on the Delphin class and its operations on Uboat.net
{{Kriegsmarine midget submarines
Midget submarines
World War II submarines of Germany