German torpedo boat T35

	T35 in US service, August 1945
History
Nazi Germany
Name	T35
Ordered	20 January 1941
Builder	Schichau, Elbing, East Prussia
Yard number	1517
Laid down	20 April 1943
Launched	12 December 1943
Completed	7 October 1944
Fate	Transferred as war reparations, 1946
United States
Name	T35
Renamed	DD-935
Fate	Transferred to France, 1947; stricken 3 October 1952
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type	Type 39 torpedo boat
Displacement	1,294 t (1,274 long tons) (standard); 1,754 t (1,726 long tons) (deep load);
Length	102.5 m (336 ft 3 in) o/a
Beam	10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Draft	3.22 m (10 ft 7 in)
Installed power	4 × water-tube boilers ; 32,000 shp (24,000 kW);
Propulsion	2 × shafts; 2 × geared steam turbine sets;
Speed	33.5 knots (62.0 km/h; 38.6 mph)
Range	2,400 nmi (4,400 km; 2,800 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Complement	206
Sensors and ; processing systems	S-Gerät sonar ; FuMO 21 radar ;
Armament	4 × single 10.5 cm (4.1 in) guns; 2 × twin, 2 × single 3.7 cm (1.5 in) AA guns ; 1 × quadruple, 2 × twin 2 cm (0.8 in) AA guns; 2 × triple 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes ; 30–60 mines ; 4 × depth charge launchers;

Last updated November 16, 2022

The German torpedo boat T35 was one of fifteen Type 39 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine (German Navy) during World War II. Completed in late 1944, she was assigned to convoy escort duties and supporting German forces in the Baltic. The ship escorted a heavy cruiser in January 1945 as she bombarded Soviet troops and helped to evacuate troops and refugees from advancing Soviet forces in May. T35 was allocated to the United States after the war, but was turned over to the French Navy in 1947 to be used as a source of spare parts. She was stricken from the Navy List in 1952 and subsequently sold for scrap.

Design and description

The Type 39 torpedo boat was conceived as a general-purpose design, much larger than preceding German torpedo boats.^[1] The boats had an overall length of 102.5 meters (336 ft 3 in) and were 97 meters (318 ft 3 in) long at the waterline. They had a beam of 10 meters (32 ft 10 in), a draft of 3.22 meters (10 ft 7 in) at deep load and displaced 1,294 metric tons (1,274 long tons ) at standard load and 1,754 metric tons (1,726 long tons) at deep load.^[2] Their crew numbered 206 officers and sailors.^[3] The Type 39s were fitted with a pair of geared steam turbine sets, each driving one shaft, using steam from four high-pressure water-tube boilers. The turbines were designed to produce 32,000 shaft horsepower (24,000 kW ) which was intended give the ships a maximum speed of 33.5 knots (62.0 km/h; 38.6 mph). They carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of 2,400 nautical miles (4,400 km; 2,800 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph).^[4]

At war's end T-35 mounted four 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK C/32 guns in single mounts protected by gun shields; one forward of the superstructure, one between the funnels, and two aft, one superfiring over the other. Anti-aircraft defense was provided by four 3.7 cm (1.5 in) AA guns of unknown types in two twin-gun mounts on platforms abaft the rear funnel and two shielded single-gun mounts on the bridge wings, together with eight 2 cm (0.8 in) C/38 guns. One quadruple mount was positioned on the aft superstructure and two twin-gun mounts were fitted on platforms in front of the bridge. The torpedo boat carried six above-water 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes in two triple mounts amidships and could also carry 30 mines; the full complement of 60 mines made the ships top-heavy which could be dangerous in bad weather. For anti-submarine work she was fitted with a S-Gerät sonar and four depth charge launchers. By the end of the war, T-35 was equipped with a FuMO 21 radar ^{[Note 1]} on the foremast, a FuMO 63 K Hohentwiel radar on the searchlight platform and various FumB^{[Note 2]} radar detectors.^[5]

Construction and career

T35 was ordered on 20 January 1941 from Schichau, laid down at their Elbing, East Prussia, shipyard on 20 April 1943 as yard number 1517, launched on 12 December 1943 and commissioned on 7 October 1944. After working up for the next several months, the boat was one of the escorts for the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen as the latter ship supported a German counterattack against advancing Soviet forces near Cranz, East Prussia, on 29–30 January 1945. On 5 May, T35 helped to ferry 45,000 refugees from East Prussia to Copenhagen, Denmark, and returned to transport 20,000 more to Glücksburg, Germany, on the 9th. The boat was allocated to the United States when the Allies divided the surviving ships of the Kriegsmarine amongst themselves in late 1945. T35 was taken to the United States for testing and renamed DD-935. She was towed to France in 1947 where she was cannibalized for spare parts. The ship was stricken from the Navy List on 3 October 1952 and subsequently scrapped.^[6]

Notes

↑ Funkmess-Ortung (Radio-direction finder, active ranging)
↑ Funkmess-Beobachtung (Passive radar detector).

Citations

↑ Whitley 1991, p. 52
↑ Gröner, p. 195
↑ Sieche, p. 239
↑ Whitley 1991, pp. 54, 203
↑ Friedman, p. 205; Whitley 1991, pp. 52–55; Whitley 2000, p. 73
↑ Rohwer, pp. 387, 414; Whitley 1991, pp. 188–189, 191, 199, 213

Related Research Articles

The German torpedo boat T25 was one of fifteen Type 39 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during World War II. Completed in late 1942, she was transferred to France in July 1943. T25 was unsuccessfully attacked by Allied motor torpedo boats and aircraft during her voyage down the English Channel and then came to the aid of a convoy being attacked by Allied destroyers. Later that year she escorted blockade runners and Axis submarines through the Bay of Biscay. T25 also helped to lay minefields in the English Channel in mid-1943. She participated in the Battle of Sept-Îles in October and was sunk two months later by British light cruisers during the Battle of the Bay of Biscay.

The German torpedo boat T26 was one of fifteen Type 39 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during World War II. Completed in early 1943, the boat was transferred to France in August. T26 helped to lay a minefield in the English Channel the following month, and later escorted a blockade runner through the Bay of Biscay. She participated in the Battle of Sept-Îles in October and was sunk two months later by a British light cruiser during the Battle of the Bay of Biscay.

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The German torpedo boat T3 was one of a dozen Type 35 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during the late 1930s. Completed in 1940, she was assigned to escort minelayers as they laid their minefields in the North Sea and English Channel in July. The boat was sunk in France by British bombers in September and was refloated the following year. T3 was assigned to the Torpedo School when her repairs were completed in 1943. She returned to active duty a year later and escorted German ships as they bombarded Soviet positions. The boat sank a Soviet submarine in early 1944 and she struck a mine in March 1945 and sank with heavy loss of life.

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The German torpedo boat T15 was one of nine Type 37 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during World War II. Completed in mid-1941, the ship was transferred to Occupied France in December. She helped to escort a pair of battleships and a heavy cruiser through the English Channel back to Germany in February 1942 in the Channel Dash and then was ordered to Norway for escort work. T15 returned to Germany in August where she was assigned to the Torpedo School and U-boat Flotillas as a training ship. The ship was sunk by American bombers in December 1943.

The German torpedo boat T16 was one of nine Type 37 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during World War II. Completed in mid-1941, the ship arrived in France in January 1942. She helped to escort a pair of battleships and a heavy cruiser through the English Channel back to Germany in February in the Channel Dash and then was ordered to Norway for escort work. T16 returned to Germany in May to begin a lengthy refit and briefly returned to Norway in May 1943 before going back to Germany. She was assigned to a U-boat Flotilla as a training ship in September. The ship was damaged by a mine in February 1944 and completed her repairs in August. T16 was then assigned to the Baltic Sea where she screened German ships as they bombarded Soviet positions for the rest of the year. The torpedo boat was assigned convoy escort duties in the Skagerrak around the beginning of 1945. During one such mission in April, T16 was badly damaged by British bombers and was deemed a constructive total loss. The ship was scrapped in Denmark beginning in September 1946.

The German torpedo boat T17 was one of nine Type 37 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during World War II. Completed in mid-1941, the ship arrived in France in December. She helped to escort a pair of battleships and a heavy cruiser through the English Channel back to Germany in February 1942 in the Channel Dash and then was ordered to Norway for escort work. The ship returned to Germany in March for a refit before redeploying back to France. T17 began another refit in Germany in early 1943 and was then assigned as a training ship for U-boat flotillas.

The German torpedo boat T18 was one of nine Type 37 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during World War II. Completed in mid-1941, she was later assigned to the Baltic Sea for convoy escort duties. The boat briefly became a training ship in 1942 before she was transferred to France where she laid minefields and escorted Axis blockade runners and U-boats through the Bay of Biscay into the Atlantic Ocean. T18 returned to Germany in mid-1943 and became a training ship again for the Torpedo School and U-boat Flotillas. The boat returned to active duty in mid-1944 and assigned to the Baltic where she was sunk by Soviet aircraft in September.

The German torpedo boat T19 was one of nine Type 37 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during World War II. Completed in late 1941, she served as a training ship in the Torpedo School until mid-1942 when she was transferred to France. There she laid minefields in the English Channel and escorted Axis blockade runners and U-boats through the Bay of Biscay into the Atlantic Ocean. T19 returned to Germany in late 1943 and became a training ship again for the Torpedo School. She returned to active duty a year later and supported German forces operating in the Baltic Sea. The boat was then assigned escort duties in the Skagerrak around the beginning of 1945, which included covering minelaying missions. In May T19 helped to evacuate troops and refugees from advancing Soviet forces. The boat was allocated to the United States after the war, but she was sold to Denmark a few years later. Unused by the Royal Danish Navy, T4 was scrapped in 1951–1952.

The German torpedo boat T20 was one of nine Type 37 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during World War II. Completed in mid-1942, she was transferred to Norway in March 1943 for escort duties. The ship returned to Germany in October and was assigned to the Torpedo School. T20 returned to active duty a year later and supported German forces operating in the Baltic Sea. She was then assigned escort duties in the Skagerrak around the beginning of 1945, which included covering minelaying missions. The ship was allocated to the British after the war, but she was transferred to France in 1946. Unused by the French Navy, she was stricken from the Navy List in 1951 and subsequently scrapped.

The German torpedo boat T21 was one of nine Type 37 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during World War II. Completed in mid-1942, she was transferred to Norway in March 1943 for escort duties. The ship returned to Germany in October and was assigned to the Torpedo School. T21 returned to active duty in May 1944 and supported German forces operating in the Baltic Sea. The boat began a major refit in December which had not been completed when the war ended in May 1945. She was allocated to the United States after the war, but was only used to dispose of gas munitions by scuttling her in deep water in 1946.

The German torpedo boat T34 was one of fifteen Type 39 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during World War II. Completed in mid-1944, the boat was still working up in the Baltic when she struck a mine in November and sank.

The German torpedo boat T33 was one of fifteen Type 39 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during World War II. Completed in mid-1944, the boat was assigned to convoy escort duties and supporting German forces in the Baltic. She escorted a heavy cruiser in January 1945 as she bombarded Soviet troops and helped to evacuate troops and refugees from advancing Soviet forces in May. T33 was allocated to the Soviet Union after the war and was renamed Primerny. She served with the Baltic Fleet until 1954 when the ship was converted into an accommodation ship and renamed PKZ-63. She was turned over to be scrapped on 9 November 1956 and subsequently broken up.

The German torpedo boat T32 was one of fifteen Type 39 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during World War II. Completed in mid-1944, the boat was assigned to convoy escort duties and supporting German forces in the Baltic. On 18 August 1944, a navigational error led her to enter a German minefield as she was preparing to lay another minefield in the Gulf of Finland off the Estonian coast. T32 struck two mines that crippled her. She was sunk by Soviet aircraft with the loss of 137 crewmen later that morning.

The German torpedo boat T31 was one of fifteen Type 39 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during World War II. Completed in early 1944, the boat was assigned to convoy escort duties and supporting German forces in the Baltic. She was sunk in combat with Soviet motor torpedo boats on 20 June off the Finnish coast on 20 June with 82 men killed.

The German torpedo boat T30 was one of fifteen Type 39 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during World War II. Completed in late 1943, the boat was assigned to support German operations in the Baltic Sea. She laid minefields in the Gulf of Finland, off the Estonian coast, in mid-April, before she was tasked to support Finnish forces in June. The following month, T30 helped to sink a Soviet patrol boat. After a navigational error caused her to enter a German minefield as she was preparing to lay one herself in August, the boat sank after striking several mines with the loss of 137 crewmen.

The German torpedo boat T29 was one of fifteen Type 39 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during World War II. Completed in mid-1943, the boat was transferred to France in January 1944. She fought in the Action of 26 April off the coast of Brittany, and was sunk by four Allied destroyers with the loss of 137 crewmen.

The German torpedo boat T28 was one of fifteen Type 39 torpedo boats built for the Kriegsmarine during World War II. Completed in mid-1943, the ship was transferred to France in January 1944 and slightly damaged by British aircraft en route. She attacked Allied ships during the Invasion of Normandy in June 1944 and returned to Germany the following month. T28 was assigned to support German operations in the Baltic Sea. She escorted convoys and larger warships bombarding Soviet troops as well as bombarding them herself. In May T28 helped to evacuate troops and refugees from advancing Soviet forces. The ship was allocated to Great Britain after the war, but she was transferred to France in 1946. The French Navy renamed her Le Lorrain and recommissioned her in 1949. After serving with different units of the Mediterranean Squadron, she was condemned in 1955 and subsequently sold for scrap.

References

Friedman, Norman (1981). Naval Radar. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-238-2.
Gröner, Erich (1990). German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 1: Major Surface Warships. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-790-9.
Rohwer, Jürgen (2005). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two (Third Revised ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-59114-119-2.
Sieche, Erwin (1980). "Germany". In Chesneau, Roger (ed.). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-146-7.
Whitley, M. J. (2000). Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia. London: Cassell & Co. ISBN 1-85409-521-8.
Whitley, M. J. (1991). German Destroyers of World War Two. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-302-8.

External links

T35 at german navy.de

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[5] Funkmess-Ortung (Radio-direction finder, active ranging)

[6] Funkmess-Beobachtung (Passive radar detector).

[1] Whitley 1991, p. 52

[g3-2] Gröner, p. 195

[3] Sieche, p. 239

[w2-4] Whitley 1991, pp. 54, 203

[7] Friedman, p. 205; Whitley 1991, pp. 52–55; Whitley 2000, p. 73

[8] Rohwer, pp. 387, 414; Whitley 1991, pp. 188–189, 191, 199, 213

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[Note 1]

[Note 2]

[5]

[6]

v t e Type 39 torpedo boats
Kriegsmarine	T22 T23 T24 T25 T26 T27 T28 T29 T30 T31 T32 T33 T34 T35 T36
French Navy	L'Alsacien (ex-T23) Le Lorrain (ex-T28) (ex-DD-935)
Soviet Navy	Primerny (ex-T33)
United States Navy	DD-935 (ex-T35)
Preceded by: Type 37 Followed by: Type 40
German torpedo boats of World War II

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in May 1945
Shipwrecks	1 May: Argo , TA 43 , U-3006 , U-3009 2 May: Admiral Hipper , USS Thornton, U-8 , U-14 , U-60 , U-61 , U-62 , U-71 , U-72 , U-120 , U-121 , U-137 , U-139 , U-140 , U-141 , U-142 , U-146 , U-148 , U-151 , U-152 , U-316 , U-552 , U-554 , U-612 , U-717 , U-929 , U-1007 , U-1308 , U-2327 , U-2359 , U-2510 , U-2526 , U-2527 , U-2528 , U-2531 , U-3002 , U-3016 , U-3018 , U-3019 , U-3020 , U-3021 , U-3504 , U-3516 , U-3517 , U-3521 , U-3522 3 May: Arcona, Cap Arcona, Deutschland, Emden , USS Lagarto, USS Little, USS LSM(R)-195, Medusa, Nordland , Schlesien , Thielbek, UA , UB , UD-1 , UD-2 , UD-3 , UD-4 , U-48 , U-52 , U-57 , U-58 , U-59 , U-101 , U-328 , U-339 , U-428 , U-446 , U-475 , U-560 , U-704 , U-708 , U-747 , U-748 , U-795 , U-822 , U-828 , U-876 , U-903 , U-922 , U-924 , U-958 , U-1166, U-1170 , U-1192 , U-1196 , U-1201 , U-1205 , U-1210 , U-1227 , U-1275 , U-2330 , U-2332 , U-2355 , U-2371 , U-2501 , U-2503 , U-2504 , U-2508 , U-2512 , U-2519 , U-2520 , U-2521 , U-2524 , U-2533 , U-2534 , U-2535 , U-2536 , U-2539 , U-2543 , U-2545 , U-2546 , U-2548 , U-2552 , U-3001 , U-3005 , U-3010 , U-3011 , U-3012 , U-3013 , U-3014 , U-3023 , U-3024 , U-3025 , U-3026 , U-3027 , U-3028 , U-3029 , U-3031 , U-3032 , U-3037 , U-3038 , U-3039 , U-3040 , U-3507 , U-3509 , U-3511 , U-3513 , U-3518 , U-3525 , U-3530 , U-4705 , U-4712 , Z43 4 May: USS LSM(R)-190, USS LSM(R)-194, USS Luce, USS Morrison, Orion , USS PGM-17, U-30 , U-46 , U-267 , U-393 , U-711 , U-721 , U-792 , U-793 , U-904 , U-1132 , U-1161 , U-1168 , U-1303 , U-1304 , U-2338 , U-2540 , U-3033 , U-3034 , U-4709 , U-4711 5 May: T36 , U-17 , U-38 , U-236 , U-290 , U-349 , U-351 , U-370 , U-397 , U-534 , U-579 , U-733 , U-746 , U-750 , U-794 , U-827 , U-999 , U-1008 , U-1016 , U-1025 , U-1056 , U-1162 , U-1193 , U-1204 , U-1207 , U-1223 , U-1234 , U-1306 , U-1405 , U-2333 , U-2339 , U-2343 , U-2346 , U-2347 , U-2349 , U-2352 , U-2357 , U-2358 , U-2360 , U-2362 , U-2364 , U-2366 , U-2367 , U-2368 , U-2369 , U-2507 , U-2517 , U-2522 , U-2525 , U-2541 , U-2544 , U-2551 , U-3015 , U-3022 , U-3044 , U-3501 , U-3510 , U-3524 , U-3526 , U-3527 , U-3528 , U-3529 , U-4701 , U-4702 , U-4703 , U-4704 , U-4707 , U-4710 6 May: U-853 , U-881 , U-3523 7 May: Avondale Park, Sneland I, U-1407 8 May: U-37 , U-320 , U-382 , U-2365 , U-2538 , U-3030 , U-3503 16 May: Haguro , Hatsutaka , U-287 18 May: USS Longshaw 20 May: U-963 24 May: HM Motor Gun Boat 2007, U-979 25 May: USS Bates, USS LSM-135 28 May: USS Drexler 29 May: Tenryo Maru 31 May: I-361, Uzbekistan
Other incidents	3 May: USS Aaron Ward 4 May: HMS Formidable, USS Sangamon 9 May: USS England, USS Oberrender 11 May: USS Bunker Hill, USS Evans, USS Hugh W. Hadley 19 May: HMS Terrapin 20 May: USS Chase, USS Thatcher 25 May: USS Barry, USS Spectacle, William B. Allison 26 May: USS PC-1603 29 May: USS Shubrick 31 May: Hebrides Unknown date: Nymphe, U-1197
1944 1945 1946 April 1945 June 1945

History
T35 in US service, August 1945
Nazi Germany
Name	T35
Ordered	20 January 1941
Builder	Schichau, Elbing, East Prussia
Yard number	1517
Laid down	20 April 1943
Launched	12 December 1943
Completed	7 October 1944
Fate	Transferred as war reparations, 1946
United States
Name	T35
Renamed	DD-935
Fate	Transferred to France, 1947; stricken 3 October 1952
General characteristics (as built)
Class and type	Type 39 torpedo boat
Displacement	1,294 t (1,274 long tons) (standard) 1,754 t (1,726 long tons) (deep load)
Length	102.5 m (336 ft 3 in) o/a
Beam	10 m (32 ft 10 in)
Draft	3.22 m (10 ft 7 in)
Installed power	4 × water-tube boilers 32,000 shp (24,000 kW)
Propulsion	2 × shafts 2 × geared steam turbine sets
Speed	33.5 knots (62.0 km/h; 38.6 mph)
Range	2,400 nmi (4,400 km; 2,800 mi) at 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Complement	206
Sensors and processing systems	S-Gerät sonar FuMO 21 radar
Armament	4 × single 10.5 cm (4.1 in) guns 2 × twin, 2 × single 3.7 cm (1.5 in) AA guns 1 × quadruple, 2 × twin 2 cm (0.8 in) AA guns 2 × triple 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes 30–60 mines 4 × depth charge launchers