German Type X submarine
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Type X (XB) U-boats were a special type of
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
(
U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare role ...
). Although intended as long-range mine-layers, they were later used as long-range cargo transports, a task they shared with the Type IXD and Italian ''Romolo''-class submarines.


History

The Type X was originally designed specifically to accommodate the newly developed ''Schachtmine A'' (SMA) moored mine. The initial design provided dry storage for the mines, which needed their detonators to be individually adjusted before launch; this submarine was projected to have displaced up to 2,500 tonnes. A further variant, the Type XA was projected, which would have supplemented the main mine chamber with extra mine shafts in the saddle tanks. Neither type entered production. A total of eight Type XB boats were produced, which replaced the mine chamber of the projected Type XA with six vertical wet storage shafts in the forward section of the hull. Up to 18 mines could be carried in these shafts, with an additional 48 mines in a series of 12 shafts set into the saddle tanks on each side. They only had two torpedo tubes, both at the stern. When used as cargo-carrying submarines they carried freight containers in the mine shafts (or had the freight containers welded on top of the lateral shafts, preventing their use for mines). The first Type XB was launched in May 1941. At 2,710 tonnes submerged and fully loaded, they were the largest German U-boats ever built, and they had to sacrifice diving speed and agility.


Service history

Six of the eight boats built were sunk during the war (four with all hands) but two survived
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. One survivor was , which surrendered to US Navy ships on 14 May 1945 while en route for Japan with a cargo that included 560 kg
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, two
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jet fighters, and 10 jet engines. The other type XB to survive was which reached
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(present-day Jakarta) in December 1944 with a cargo including dismantled
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s for Japan. Following Germany's surrender, ''U-219'' was seized by the Japanese at Batavia on 8 May 1945 and on 15 July 1945 was placed into service with the
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as ''I-505''.


List of Type X submarines

There were eight Type X submarines commissioned. * * * * * * * *


Losses

Six Type XBs were lost to various causes. * was last heard of on 6 October 1942 in the North Atlantic and was presumed sunk. * was sunk on 7 August 1943 in the North Atlantic by aircraft from . * was sunk on 12 June 1943 near the
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by aircraft from . Sixteen crew survived. * was sunk on 24 June 1943 in the
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by ramming and depth charges from . * was sunk on 28 October 1943 in the North Atlantic by aircraft from . * was sunk on 5 July 1944 southeast of
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by
destroyer escort Destroyer escort (DE) was the United States Navy mid-20th-century classification for a warship designed with the endurance necessary to escort mid-ocean convoys of merchant marine ships. Development of the destroyer escort was promoted by th ...
s and . There were 29 survivors.


References


Bibliography

* *


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Type 010 Submarine classes World War II submarines of Germany German Type 010