Floating Torpedo Batteries of the Kriegsmarine

[Edward L. Hsiao]

Gentlemen,what are the purpose of the floating torpedo batteries? I know they were converted merchant ships of WWII. I got this curious information from home:fighting ships of the world.


Edward L. Hsiao

[danebrog]

I know of converted fishing trawlers at the Vorpostenflottillen. Their purpose was harbour protection.
Examples 65. Vorpostenflotille at Hammerfest and 66. Vorpostenflotille at Rörvik
see also:
viewtopic.php?t=80798&start=15

[hucks216]

I'd imagine it was just a cheap method of providing a degree of harbour, or coastal, security in much the same way as shore based torpedo batteries. I can't find very much information about them except a list and a couple of side view diagrams but I would imagine they would be situated in places like a fjord.

[Edward L. Hsiao]

I thought these ships armed with torpedo tubes were used for attacking Allied coastal ships or a flotilla of landing craft ships that were to land troops on the beach front. I think they were sometimes used on the Baltic Sea against the Soviets during WWII. I'll admit that not much was known about these German vessels at all.

Edward L. Hsiao

[hucks216]

I can't see them being used against a flotilla of landing craft as I'm sure the escorting ships and aircraft would of sunk them long before the landing operation began.
I doubt they had much in the way of speed or maneuverability so would of been more suited to defensive operations.

[danebrog]

Beaching assaults were not common until 1943. Torpedoes are mostly useless against vessels with low draft like landing craft.
Torpedo batteries were security measures against larger ships: Think of Oscarsborg/Oslo and what it did with the Blücher.

[Edward L. Hsiao]

I have to yet see a real picture of that interesting floating torpedo battery vessel.

Edward L. Hsiao

[fredleander]

Beaching assaults were not common until 1943. Torpedoes are mostly useless against vessels with low draft like landing craft.
Torpedo batteries were security measures against larger ships: Think of Oscarsborg/Oslo and what it did with the Blücher.

And during quite unfavourable conditions, too, except for the actual positioning of the battery. A retired naval officer, Andersen, living on the other side of the fjord took his boat over to the fortress the evening before to check if there was anything he could contribute with. He organized a crew for the torpedo battery and led its operation during the fight.

The torpedoes that sank the Blucher had been fired more than a hundred times during training exercises. There were similar batteries in the Bergen Approaches but they were never manned.

Fred
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[fredleander]

I'd imagine it was just a cheap method of providing a degree of harbour, or coastal, security in much the same way as shore based torpedo batteries. I can't find very much information about them except a list and a couple of side view diagrams but I would imagine they would be situated in places like a fjord.

The Japanese had an interesting version of it with the IJN Kitakami - a so-called "torpedo-cruiser". It sported no less than ten quadruple torpedo tube launchers. It was eventually relegated to troop transport in 1942.

Fred
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P.S.: If you know where it is it the Oscarsborg torpedo battery can still be seen when you pass the fortress. There are guided tours around the fortress.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayxoqVd3suU

[danebrog]

I have to yet see a real picture of that interesting floating torpedo battery vessel.

Torpedo attached to fishing trawler:
download/file.php?id=233110

[fredleander]

Hmm...what about this one…:

[Natter]

I thought these ships armed with torpedo tubes were used for attacking Allied coastal ships or a flotilla of landing craft ships that were to land troops on the beach front. I think they were sometimes used on the Baltic Sea against the Soviets during WWII

"Schwimmende torpedobatterie" (anchored in a fixed position) must not be mixed up with the "Q-ships" with hidden torpedotubes (not sure about the german term for these..).

[Natter]

Gentlemen,what are the purpose of the floating torpedo batteries? I know they were converted merchant ships of WWII

Some batteries were mounted on fishing vessels or similar, some were mounted on a floating barge, some were mounted on a motorized barge. Also, in some cases, a S-Boot would serve as a "schwimmende batterie".

The batteries were used for harbour-defence, defence of naval bases (they would for instance be included in the defence of the temporary bases in norwegian fiords for the large cruisers/battleships, like Tirpitz), or as temporary batteries in place while a permanent battery was being constructed (ref "Lilian" and "Drot" at Korshavn/Porsøy, "Wachtboot 1" at Herdla and "Wachtboot 2" at Lerøy).

The first german torpedobatteries established in Norway (Trondheimsfiord) in april 1940 where two "schwimmende batterien" with 8 tubes mounted on three barges (from two vierlingrohrsatze taken from the zerstörers Paul Jacobi and Theodor Riedel).

[Natter]

I doubt they had much in the way of speed or maneuverability so would of been more suited to defensive operations.

Yes, that was the purpose...

Torpedoes are mostly useless against vessels with low draft like landing craft.

That depends on the type of pistol used. A mechanical pistol (like the Pi1) would be effective on vessels with larger draft than 2m. Magnetic pistols (like the Pi2) would be optimal for such targets.
The main factor is the size and speed of the target: Large landing vessels would probably be a high valued target, but I can't actually think of any batteries located for such purpose though.

[hucks216]

It looks like Marine-Artillerie-Abteilung 516 had two such floating batteries, Lillian & Dorff.

Die Marine-Artillerie-Abteilung 516 wurde im August 1942 in Narvik mit der 6. / Marine-Artillerie-Abteilung 511 als Stamm zu fünf Batterien. Die Abteilung unterstand dem Kommandanten der Seeverteidigung Narvik und gliederte sich wie folgt:
Stab und Stabszug in Lödingen
Batterie Tjeldöy (4 x 15-cm)
Batterie Ramnes (3 x 15-cm)
Batterie Ramstad (2 x 10,5-cm)
Torpedobatterie Korshavn (2 x 50-cm)
Torpedobatterie Porsoy (2 x 50-cm)
Batterie Lödingen (4 x 30,5-cm)
Batterie Engelöy (3 x 40,6-cm)
Batterie Stranden (4 x 15-cm)
schwimmende bewegliche Torpedobatterie Lillian (2 x 50-cm)
schwimmende bewegliche Torpedobatterie Dorff (2 x 50-cm)

(Source: Lexikon der Wehrmacht)