Wilhelm Bauer Class Submarine Depot Ships Class Overview

Dimensions, Machinery and Performance
Length:
436'
Engines:
4 MAN diesels
Beam:
56' 6"
Boilers:
N/A
Draft:
16' (Full)
Shafts:
2
Displacement:
4,700 (Std.) 5,600(Full)
HP:
12,400
Speed:
20 knots
Complement: 289 (a) Range: 9,000 NM @ 15 knots
   
Notes
(a):
Accommodations for 423 U-boat men.


Armament (as built)
Number
Type
Arrangement
Range / Ceiling
4
10.5 cm L/45
2 twin mounts
N/A
1
40mm Bofors AA
Single mount
N/A
       
* Anti-aircraft armament later increased to include 2 dual 37mm and 3 quad mount 20mm.


Name
Builder
Launched
Commissioned
Wilhelm Bauer
Howaldtswerke
Hamburg, Germany
Dec. 20, 1938
Apr. 30, 1940
Fate
Sunk Apr. 8, 1945 at Travemünde, Lübeck, Germany by Allied air raid. Raised in 1950-51 and scrapped.


Name
Builder
Launched
Commissioned
Waldemar Kophamel
Howaldtswerke
Hamburg, Germany
May 15, 1939
Oct. 21, 1940
Fate
Sunk by RAF air raid on Dec. 18, 1944 at Gotenhafen (Gdynia) occupied Poland. Raised 1950-51 by the
Soviets, repaired and renamed Kuban. Scrapped in 1978.
 
* Alt. sources indicate the ships were built at Kiel.



Page published Feb. 25, 2021