Norwegian K-class submarine

The Norwegian K class submarines are a class of three submarines the Royal Norwegian Navy received from Germany in 1948 as Allied war spoils. They were built as the Type VIIC/41 U-boat from 1940 to 1945. The ships were named HNoMS Kya (ex-U-926), Kinn (ex-U-1202), and Kaura (ex-U-995). Kaura was returned to Germany in 1971 as a museum ship. It is the only surviving Type VII in the world.

HNoMS Kaura at the Laboe Naval Memorial
HNoMS Kaura (U-995) at the Laboe Naval Memorial
Class overview
Operators Royal Norwegian Navy
Built1940–1945
In commission1948–1961
Preserved1
General characteristics
Class and typeGerman Type VII submarine
Displacement
  • 769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced
  • 871 tonnes (857 long tons) submerged
Length
Beam
  • 6.2 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a
  • 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height9.6 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draft4.74 m (15 ft 7 in)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced
  • 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged
Range
  • 14,500 nmi (26,900 km; 16,700 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
  • 125 nmi (232 km; 144 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth250 m (820 ft)
Complement44-52 men
Armament

Description edit

The German type VIIC/41 was a slightly modified version of the successful VIIC and had the same armament and engines. The difference was a stronger pressure hull and lighter machinery to compensate for the added steel in the hull, making them actually slightly lighter than the VIIC. A total of 91 were built.

Bibliography edit

  • Peterson, John (3 March 2015). The Norwegian K-Class. Vol. 3. ASIN B00U9U2BBC. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)