Trade U-Boat (Handels-U-Boot)

As a trade-submarines are non-military submarines designated by which goods or commodities that can be traded despite a naval blockade. Compared to conventional commercial vessels are distinguished trade submarines from the fact that they carried Tauchfahrt allow an unnoticed breaking a naval blockade. Since trading submarines are unarmed submarines, they are civilian vehicles with a civilian crew and enjoy get full protection under international law as a merchant ship .

World War

The design of commercial submarine was necessary because the German Empire in World War I was largely cut off because of the English naval blockade of overseas trade. The overarching goal was to strategically important raw materials that were helpful for the continuation of the war, sure to carry into the country. The payment of the required raw materials based indirectly on the principle of barter , as a consideration in Reichsmarks for America's trading partners would have been unfavorable.

On 8 November 1915 founded the Bremen merchant, Alfred Lohmann , the shipping company North German Lloyd and the German bank , the new German Ocean Shipping Company (DOR). At the foundation they gave a freight-carrying submarine, which Germany , in order. Underground Germany was 28th March 1916 entered into the commercial register. In Tonnage Certificate were 791  GRT or 414  NRT entered. There are six other trade submarines were ordered, but even before their first deployment as a commercial submarines due to the increased naval blockade of the Royal Navy and entered the war the United States in 1917 artillery submarines, called U cruisers , were rebuilt.

Plans to supply the colony of German East Africa , and perforation of the local naval blockade with the help of U-boats arrived in 1916 in the Imperial Colonial Office on. However, they were of the Imperial Navy because of his own submarine demand as a result of unrestricted submarine war not taken up and foreseeable technical hurdles. Other obstacles were the confusing situation in the East African theater of war and the withdrawal of German troops protection of the coastal areas.

World War II

During the Second World War , there were projects to build again trading submarines and deploy. It remained in the so-called "dairy cows" , which was used to supply the offshore submarines. Next regular combat submarines were charged several times with transportation problems. The selected for this purpose XB minelayer boats brought among other technical plans and materials from Germany to Japan. Bill belonged to, among other mercury , uranium oxide , V2 -rocket motors and documents relating to the Me-262 - and Me-163 fighters and various Jetantrieben . In exchange, commodities were as tin and rubber transported. Of the eight boats used only survived U 219 and U 234 commitment.

Postwar plans and current use

As part of the development of the oil fields in Alaska and Russia , there were also projects for transport submarines. For the transport of the oil under the Arctic ice giant submersible oil tankers were using nuclear propulsion have been provided.
From time to newspaper reports appear to smuggling submarines , by the customs were caught because they were allegedly used for drug smuggling.  It was here first mostly mini-submarines used by some one hundred kilograms drug can carry, current boat but have a Transportkapzität the ton scale.  Perhaps the greatest smugglers submarine was before its completion in an underground yard in Colombia discovered and had a carrying capacity of 200 tons. Most of these submarines are being built by Russian models.  is essential, however, that these smuggling submarines so far can not fully submerge and therefore also known as semi-submersibles are called.  This means in that the boat the surface of the water moved, but at least one tower or even a larger part of the top of the vessel is located above the water, and thus the control is simplified, and the drive can be carried out over normal diesel engines, as the air supply is ensured. It is common that these boats are used for single and transport are sunk at the destination. Meanwhile, it is estimated that just one-third of the drugs are transported to the U.S. in this way.

Known commercial submarines

Worldwide have been only two major commercial submarines were designed and used. These were the German Commercial submarines Germany and Bremen , which were made ​​at the time of the First World War service.

Submarine Germany

→ Main article : Germany (trade submarine)
The U-Germany was the only merchant U-boat that was able to complete two trading trips to the USA. It was rebuilt after the war, the United States entered the Submarine.

Submarine Bremen

The sister ship of Germany , the Bremen , was lost on its maiden voyage. Their fate was not cleared up yet. Upon completion, it was on the 8th In July 1916 and handed over to the DOR in the ship register of Bremen entered. captain was Karl Schwartzkopf. He was a reserve officer in the Navy , formed on submarines and before acquisition of Bremen been discharged from active service. On 21 August 1916 left the Bremen the port of Kiel and was briefly in Helgoland harbor station, and then to begin the journey. On this trip, she remained missing. Even after the end of hostilities, the fate of this boat has not been clarified, although reported the British cruiser Mantua a collision with a submarine-like object south of Iceland . Another theory, which included the naval historian Anthony Preston represents assumes a mine hit out.