Marder (submarine)
 Marder on display at the Bundeswehr Military History Museum | |
| General characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Length: | 8.3 m (27 ft 3 in) o/a |
| Beam: | 0.533 m (21 in) |
| Propulsion: | AEG-AV 76 Eto, 12 metric horsepower (8.8 kW; 12 shp) |
| Speed: | 3.2–4.2 kn (5.9–7.8 km/h; 3.7–4.8 mph) |
| Test depth: | 40 m (130 ft) |
| Complement: | 1 |
| Armament: | 1 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo |
The Marder was a German miniature submarine developed from the Neger.[1] The craft was 8.3 metres long and unlike the Neger included a flooding tank in the nose allowing it to dive.[1] Another improvement was the dome through which the pilot viewed the outside world that also served as the craft’s entrance and exit was made openable from the inside.[1] Maximum diving depth was about 25 metres.[2]
The submarine’s first operations took place on the night of 2 August 1944, when Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine's Small Battle Units made their largest effort of the war. 58 human torpedoes[3] of the Neger-type and 22 Linse vessels were launched against allied shipping off Normandy as part of a combined operation with Negers and explosive Linse boats.[1] One Royal Navy destroyer escort, HMS Quorn (L66) was sunk by a human torpedo along with one mineweeper, the HMS Gairsay and one Landing Craft by the German motor-boats; at a cost of 41 Neger and 22 Linsen craft.[3]
References
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marder (Torpedo). |
Bibliography
- Brown, David. Warship Losses of World War Two. Arms and Armour, London, Great Britain, 1990. ISBN 0-85368-802-8.
- Prenatt, Jamie (2014). Axis Midget Submarines : 1939-45. Oxford: Osprey Publishing Ltd. ISBN 9781472801227.