keywords: world war II, wwII, sneak craft, midget submarine, underwater demolitions, limpet mine
Synopsis: In WWII Germany and Italy used four types of “sneak craft” to deliver explosive warheads to destroy Allied ships in a harbor and to destroy waterway locks. The types of sneak crafts included a swimmer, human torpedo, midget submarine, torpedo boat and explosive boat... (read more)
Axis Sneak Craft - Attacking Allied Ships In Harbor
Swimmer: Using a tight fitting rubber suit as protection from the cold water, men would swim out to a target ship or inland waterway locks and place an explosive charge that would explode hours later. Images of swimmers in rubber suite, swim fins, and breathing device. Shows swimmer placing charge on hull of ship.
Human Torpedo: The Italian human torpedo was a modified torpedo that could carry two men and two detachable warheads. Shows operation of human torpedo vessel that could maneuver left and right, up and down and had electric ballast pumps. Only the pilot's eyes were visible when they cruised on the surface making detection difficult at night. Arriving at a ship the explosive warheads were attached to the keel of the ship, timers set, and the modified torpedo was used by the swimmers to escape. Shows one-man torpedo designed by the Germans. Shows later models that had the ability to dive.
Midget Submarine: Shows a Molch (Salamander), one-man, all-electric midget submarine or U-boat that did not prove successful. Shows a successor design named the Biber (Beaver) followed by the two-man Seehund (Seal).
Torpedo Boat: With a top speed of 35 knots, the MTSM Italian designed craft would deploy their torpedo, then turn sharply to make their escape. This theory didn't work out in practice as the ship's gun crews were able to shoot these vessels out of the water or drive off the attacks before damage was done. The German design Wendell boat, carried two stern mounted torpedoes, arranged so that one was fired on the run in and one on the retreat.
Explosive Boat: An Italian design, with speeds up to 33 knots, this design had a propeller that could rotate up allowing the boat to traverse torpedo nets with surprising ease. Easy to spot and extreme vulnerability to gunfire, they were categorized more as a nuisance craft than effective offensive ones. The Germans had their own design, the Linzer boat. The pilot would aim the boat at his target, lock the controls and at the last possible second, jump overboard. Near the end of the war the Germans developed a radio controlled boat and attacked with one pilot boat and two explosive boats. The guns of the escort ships blasted these craft out of the water with almost 100 percent success.
Images of the German Hai (Shark) one-man super torpedo and the Italian SSB, translated as a "St. Bartholomew Torpedo", an Italian submersible used for commando style operations. Shows how the SSB explosive warhead is detached from the Sneak Craft and attached to the hull of the ship.
Animation is used to illustrate how harbor protection and magnetic defense devices can detect a submarine and intrusion by a Sneak craft such as the Italian SSB. Shows how a channel defensive torpedo net stops a torpedo. Shows magnetic recording instrument.