 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (September 2021) |
 Rendering of a Type XXIII submarine
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders |
|
| Operators | |
| Preceded by |
|
| Succeeded by | Type 201 coastal submarine |
| Built | 1944–1945 |
| In commission | 1944–1968 |
| Planned | 980 [1] |
| Completed | 61 |
| Lost | 7 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Coastal submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 34.68 m (113 ft 9+1⁄2 in) |
| Beam | 3.02 m (9 ft 11 in) |
| Draft | 3.66 m (12 ft 0 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 180 m (590 ft) |
| Complement | 14–18 |
| Armament |
|
German Type XXIII submarines were the first so-called elektroboote ("electric boats") to become operational. They were small coastal submarines designed to operate in the shallow waters of the North Sea, Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea, where larger Type XXI electric boats were at risk in World War II. They were so small they could carry only two torpedoes, which had to be loaded externally. As with their far larger sisters—the Type XXI—they were able to remain submerged almost all of the time and were faster than conventional U-boats, due to the improved streamlining of their shape, batteries with larger capacity and the snorkel, which allowed the diesel engines to be used while submerged. The Type XXI and XXIII U-boats revolutionized post-war submarine design. Nearly a thousand Type XXIII boats were projected towards the close of World War II, but most of these were either cancelled, scrapped incomplete, or only projected.[1]