West Germany: Up Periscope

Down the ways of a Kiel shipyard last week slid a pocket-sized new version of World War II’s most awesome vessel: West Germany’s first postwar submarine. Christened the U-1, it is the first of twelve such subs that will become part of the West German navy by 1963 to guard the Baltic approaches. Diesel-powered and snorkel-equipped, the U-1 can run submerged for prolonged periods; its teardrop shape gives it an underwater speed equal to the fastest World War II submarines. Carrying a crew of 20, the U-1 is 145 ft. long, has eight torpedo tubes and a maximum permissible displacement of 350 tons (nonnuclear U.S. subs displace 1,750 tons). Although West Germany is now an ally, the NATO powers still recall that Hitler’s submarine fleet nearly won him World War II by sinking 23 million tons of Allied shipping; NATO restricts the range of West German submarines so that they can be used in the Baltic and not for long-range service in the Atlantic.