German SEEHUND (KU-5075)

Class: German Seehund Midget Submarine

Length: 39 feet
Beam: 5 feet
Displacement: 15 tons
Complement: 2 men
Armament: Two 21-inch torpedoes mounted externally
Propulsion: One 60 hp diesel engine, one 25 hp electric motor; 6 knots

Address:
United States Naval Shipbuilding Museum
Massachusetts Military Research Center
739 Washington Street
Quincy, Massachusetts 02169
(617) 479-7900
Fax: (617) 479-8792
Email: jfahey@uss-salem.org
Email (for overnight encampments): jcwalsh@uss-salem.org
http://www.uss-salem.org
Latitude: 42.2442886035, Longitude: -70.9691951121
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The Seehund (seal) was the most successful of several Nazi attempts to perfect a midget submarine. Operated by two men and carrying two underslung torpedoes, the Seehund was used very effectively in the waning months of World War II, sinking over 120,000 tons of allied shipping. Their small size and rapid evasive action made them virtually undetectable and depth charges seemed to bounce off of their resilient hulls. In the final months of the war, the Seehunds were used as "butter boats" to replenish the dwindling supplies of German garrisons stranded along the coast.

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