Brandtaucher

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A model of the Brandtaucher.

The Brandtaucher was a submersible designed by Wilhelm Bauer and built by the German Navy in 1850. In January 1850, Bauer, a cavalryman during the German-Danish War, designed the Brandtaucher as a way to end the Danish naval blockade of Germany.

Bauer's early sketch attracted the attention of the Minister of Marine, who allowed him to construct a 70 x 18 x 29 cm model. The model was demonstrated in Kiel harbour in front of naval dignitaries. Its satisfactory performance led to the construction of a full-scale model, which was funded by contributions from army personnel and local civilians. Due to the inadequate funding, the scale of the boat had to be downgraded, resulting in a reduced diving depth from 30 m to 9.5 m.

Built by Schweffel & Howaldt in Kiel, the Brandtaucher was 8.07 m long, 2.02 m at maximum beam and had a draught of 2.63 m. It was propelled by a crew if three turning large tread wheels connected to a propeller. The boat could reach a speed of 3 knots, but could not be maintained for long periods of time.

On February 1, 1851, the boat sank after a diving accident during acceptance trials in Kiel Harbour. In 1887, the wreck was discovered and was raised on July 5, 1887. The Brandtaucher was first placed on display at the Naval Academy in Kiel and then in 1906 it was moved to Museum für Meereskunde in Berlin. From 1963 to 1965, it was restored at Rostock and placed on display at the German Army Museum in Potsdam. The boat can now been viewed at the Army Museum in Dresden.

[edit] References

(English) Richard Compton-Hall (1984). Submarine Boats: The Beginnings of Underwater Warfare. New York: Arco Publishing.
(German) Eberhard Möller, Werner Brack (2002). Enzyklopädie deutscher U-Boote. von 1904 bis zur Gegenwart (The Encyclopedia of U-Boats. From 1914 to the Present.). Stuttgart: Pietsch Verlag Stuttgart.