View source for German torpedo boat T2

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{{Short description|German torpedo boat of the Type 35 class (1935–1946)}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}} 
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Torpedoboot1935-Erstzustand.svg
|Ship caption=Right elevation and plan of the Type 1935
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=[[Nazi Germany]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Nazi Germany|naval}}
|Ship name=''T2''
|Ship ordered= 16 November 1935
|Ship builder=[[Schichau-Werke|Schichau]], [[Elbing]], [[East Prussia]]
|Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number=1381
|Ship way number=
|Ship laid down=14 November 1936
|Ship launched=7 April 1938
|Ship sponsor=
|Ship christened=
|Ship completed=2 December 1939
|Ship commissioned=
|Ship fate=[[ship breaking|Scrapped]], 1946
|Ship notes= 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption= (as built)
|Ship class= [[Type 35 torpedo boat|Type 35]] [[torpedo boat]]
|Ship displacement=*{{convert|859|LT|t|lk=on}} ([[Displacement (ship)#Standard displacement|standard]])
*{{convert|1108|LT|t}} ([[deep load]])
|Ship length={{convert|84.3|m|ftin|abbr=on}} [[Length overall|o/a]]
|Ship beam= {{convert|8.62|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft= {{convert|2.83|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=2 × shafts; 2 × geared [[steam turbine]]s
|Ship speed= {{convert|35|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range= {{cvt|1200|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|19|kn}}
|Ship power=*4 × [[water-tube boilers]]
*{{cvt|31000|shp|lk=on}}
|Ship complement=119
|Ship armament= *1 × single [[10.5 cm SK C/32 naval gun|{{convert|10.5|cm|in|abbr=on}}]] gun
*1 × single [[3.7 cm SK C/30|{{convert|3.7|cm|1|abbr=on}}]] [[AA gun]]s
*2 × single [[2 cm FlaK 30/38/Flakvierling|{{convert|2|cm|1|abbr=on}}]] AA guns
*2 × triple {{cvt|533|mm|in|0}} [[torpedo tube]]s
*30–60 [[naval mine|mines]]
}}
|}
The '''German torpedo boat ''T2''''' was one of a dozen [[Type 35 torpedo boat]]s built for the ''[[Kriegsmarine]]'' (German Navy) during the late 1930s. Completed in 1939, she was not combat ready until mid-1940, when she spent several months escorting [[minelayer]]s as they laid [[minefield]]s. The boat returned to Germany after being damaged and supported operations in the [[Baltic Sea]] after the start of [[Operation Barbarossa]] in June 1941. ''T2'' returned to France at the end of the year, escorting a [[commerce raider]] through the [[English Channel]]. She then escorted a pair of [[battleship]]s and a [[heavy cruiser]] through the Channel back to Germany in early 1942 in the [[Channel Dash]]. The boat was placed in [[Reserve fleet|reserve]] upon her return and was transferred back to France in 1943, where she helped to escort [[blockade runner]]s through the [[Bay of Biscay]]. In mid-1943, she returned to the Baltic and briefly served as flagship of a [[submarine]] [[flotilla]] before being assigned to the Torpedo School. ''T2'' was sunk in an air raid in July 1944, but was [[Marine salvage|refloated]] several months later. She was never repaired and eventually [[ship breaking|scrapped]] in 1946.

==Design and description==
{{Main articles|Type 35 torpedo boat}}
The Type 35 was an unsuccessful attempt by the ''Kriegsmarine'' to design a fast, ocean-going [[torpedo boat]] that did not exceed the {{cvt|600|LT|t|adj=on}} displacement limit of the [[London Naval Treaty]] for ships that counted against the national tonnage limit.<ref>Whitley 1991, pp. 47–49</ref> The boats had an [[length overall|overall length]] of {{convert|84.3|m|ftin|sp=us}} and were {{convert|82.2|m|ftin|sp=us}} [[Length at the waterline|long at the waterline]]. After the [[bow (ship)|bow]] was rebuilt in 1941 to improve [[seaworthiness]], the overall length increased to {{convert|87.1|m|ftin|sp=us}}.<ref name=g3>Gröner, p. 193</ref> The ships had a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|8.62|m|ftin|sp=us}} and a mean [[draft (hull)|draft]] of {{convert|2.83|m|ftin|sp=us}} at [[deep load]]. They displaced {{convert|859|MT|LT|lk=on}} at [[Displacement (ship)#Standard displacement|standard load]] and {{convert|1108|MT|LT}} at deep load, exceeding the planned limit.<ref name=w2/> Their crew numbered 119 officers and sailors.<ref name=gc>Sieche, p. 237</ref> Their pair of geared [[steam turbine]] sets, each driving one propeller, were designed to produce {{convert|31000|shp|lk=on}}, using steam from four high-pressure [[water-tube boiler]]s<ref name=g3/> which would propel the boats at {{convert|35|kn|lk=on}}. They carried enough [[fuel oil]] to give them a range of {{convert|1200|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|19|kn}}.<ref name=w2>Whitley 1991, p. 202</ref>

As built, the Type 35 class mounted a single [[10.5 cm SK C/32 naval gun|{{cvt|10.5|cm|in}} SK C/32]] gun on the [[stern]]. Anti-aircraft defense was provided by a single [[3.7 cm SK C/30|{{cvt|3.7|cm|in}} SK C/30]] [[anti-aircraft gun]] [[superfiring]] over the 10.5&nbsp;cm gun and a pair of [[2 cm FlaK 30/38/Flakvierling|{{cvt|2|cm|1}} C/30]] guns on the [[bridge wing]]s. They carried six above-water {{cvt|533|mm|in|0}} [[torpedo tube]]s in two triple mounts and could also carry 30 [[naval mine|mines]] (or 60 if the weather was good).{{Clarification needed|reason=Why? Were the mines carried on-deck? Was there trouble with securing them in place?|date=June 2023}} Many boats exchanged the 3.7&nbsp;cm gun for another 2&nbsp;cm gun, [[depth charge]]s and [[Paravane (weapon)|minesweeping paravanes]] before completion.<ref>Whitley 1991, pp. 49–51; Whitley 2000, p. 71</ref> While the full extent of any modifications to ''T2'' are unknown, photographic evidence shows the ship was fitted with a quadruple mount for 2&nbsp;cm guns in lieu of the single 3.7&nbsp;cm gun and an additional 2&nbsp;cm weapon positioned on the bow before her loss in mid-1944. She is not known have been fitted with radar.<ref>Whitley n.d., p. 20</ref>

==Construction and career==
''T2'' was ordered on 16 November 1935 from [[Schichau-Werke|Schichau]], [[laid down]] at their [[Elbing]], [[East Prussia]], [[shipyard]] on 14 November 1936<ref name=w9>Whitley 1991, p. 209</ref> as [[yard number]] 1381,<ref name=g3/> [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 7 April 1938, and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 2 December 1939. The boat was [[Glossary of nautical terms (M-Z)#working up|working up]] until June 1940, when she began convoy escort duties in German waters.<ref name=w9/> Now assigned to the 5th Torpedo Boat Flotilla, ''T2'', her [[sister ship]]s {{ship|German torpedo boat|T7||2}} and {{ship|German torpedo boat|T8||2}}, and the torpedo boats {{ship|German torpedo boat|Kondor||2}}, {{ship|German torpedo boat|Falke||2}}, and {{ship|German torpedo boat|Jaguar||2}} escorted minelayers as they laid a minefield in the southwestern North Sea on 7–8 August and again on 14–15 August. Newly assigned to the 1st Torpedo Boat Flotilla with ''Kondor'' and her sisters {{ship|German torpedo boat|T1||2}} and {{ship|German torpedo boat|T3||2}}, ''T2'' escorted a minelaying mission in the English Channel on 6–7 September. Five days later, ''T2'', the torpedo boat {{ship|German torpedo boat|Seeadler||2}}, ''T1,'' and ''T3'' were ordered to proceed to France. They were attacked enroute by a [[Bristol Blenheim]] [[light bomber]] that dropped a bomb {{convert|10|m|sp=us}} to one side of ''T2''. Splinters from the bomb badly damaged the torpedo boat and wounded six men. She stopped in [[Vlissingen]], [[Netherlands]], for emergency repairs and then sailed to [[Wilhelmshaven]], where she arrived on 25 September.<ref>Rohwer, pp. 35–36, 39; Whitley 1991, p. 109; Whitley n.d., pp. 7–8</ref>

[[File:T1 ONI-204-123.JPG|thumb|Photo of sister ship ''T1'' from the US [[Office of Naval Intelligence]] 1942 Ship Recognition Manual]]
Permanent repairs at Schichau's shipyard in Elbing lasted until May 1941, and ''T2'' was working up until July, when she began escorting convoys in the [[Skaggerak]]. Together with her sisters {{ship|German torpedo boat|T5||2}}, ''T8,'' and {{ship|German torpedo boat|T11||2}}, the boat supported [[Operation Beowulf]] in mid-September. ''T2'', ''T5'', ''T7'', ''T8,'' and ''T11'' were among the escorts for the Baltic Fleet, a temporary formation built around the battleship {{ship|German battleship|Tirpitz||2}}, as it [[sortie]]d into the [[Sea of Åland]] on 23–29 September to forestall any attempt by the Soviet [[Red Banner Baltic Fleet]] to breakout from the [[Gulf of Finland]]. Afterwards, ''T2'' became part of a decoy force used to distract the defenders. The ship was briefly refitted in November. On 2 December, ''T2'' and her sister {{ship|German torpedo boat|T12||2}} rendezvoused with the commerce raider ''[[German auxiliary cruiser Thor|Thor]]'' in the [[Schillig]] Roads; they were joined by {{ship|German torpedo boat|T4||2}}, ''T7,'' and the torpedo boat {{ship|German torpedo boat|T14||2}} the following day, and then began to escort ''Thor'' through the Channel. Delayed by heavy fog, the ships did not reach [[Brest, France]], until the 15th, while ''Thor'' continued onwards into the [[Atlantic]].<ref>Rohwer, pp. 99, 102, 108; Whitley 1991, pp. 117, 209</ref>

On the morning of 12 February 1942, the 2nd and 3rd Torpedo Boat Flotillas (with ''T2'', ''T4'', ''T5'', ''T11'', ''T12'' and {{ship|German torpedo boat|T13||2}}, {{ship|German torpedo boat|T15||2}}, {{ship|German torpedo boat|T16||2}}, and {{ship|German torpedo boat|T17||2}} respectively) rendezvoused with the battleships {{ship|German battleship|Gneisenau||2}} and {{ship|German battleship|Scharnhorst||2}} and the heavy cruiser {{ship|German cruiser|Prinz Eugen||2}} to escort them through the Channel to Germany in the Channel Dash. ''T2''{{'}}s gunners claimed to have shot down one British aircraft during the operation.<ref>Whitley n.d., p. 17</ref> Upon her arrival in Germany, ''T2'' was reduced to reserve until she was ordered to France in March 1943. Although escorted by ''T2'', ''T5'', ''Kondor,'' and the torpedo boats {{ship|German torpedo boat|T22||2}} and {{ship|German torpedo boat|T23||2}}, the Italian blockade runner ''Himalaya'' failed in her attempt to break through the Bay of Biscay when she was spotted by British aircraft and forced to return by heavy aerial attacks on 9–11 April. On 5–8 May, the 2nd Torpedo Boat Flotilla with ''T2'', ''T5,'' and the torpedo boats {{ship|German torpedo boat|T18||2}} and ''T22'' laid three minefields in the Channel. ''T2'' transferred to the Baltic and served as flagship of the 25th U-boat Flotilla from 10 July to September. The next month, she was assigned to the Torpedo School. In April 1944, the four oldest of the sisters, including ''T2'', were assigned to a training unit as they lacked radar and a reinforced anti-aircraft armament. This arrangement did not last long as the German situation in the east deteriorated and they began convoy escort duties throughout the Baltic a few months later. On 29 July 1944, the boat was sunk by American bombers attacking Bremen. ''T2'' was refloated on 4 September and was towed to [[Swinemünde]] on 9 December and then to Elbing for repairs on 31 January 1945. Advancing Soviet forces forced her to be towed back west, unrepaired, the following month. The [[hulk (ship)|hulk]] was reported at [[Brunsbüttel]] in May and was broken up at [[Cuxhaven]] in 1946.<ref>Rohwer, pp. 143, 241, 249; Whitley 1991, pp. 118, 209; Whitley n.d., p. 21</ref>

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
*{{Cite book |last=Gröner|first=Erich|title=German Warships 1815&ndash;1945|year=1990 |location=Annapolis, Maryland|volume=1: Major Surface Warships|publisher=Naval Institute Press|isbn=0-87021-790-9|author-link=Erich Gröner}}
* {{cite book|last=Rohwer|first=Jürgen|title=Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945: The Naval History of World War Two |publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland|year=2005 |edition=Third Revised |isbn=1-59114-119-2|author-link=Jürgen Rohwer}}
*{{cite book|author1-last=Sieche|author1-first=Erwin|editor1-last=Chesneau|editor1-first=Roger |title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1922–1946|year=1980|publisher=Conway Maritime Press |location=London |isbn=0-85177-146-7|name-list-style=amp|chapter=Germany}}
*{{cite book|last=Whitley|first=M. J.|title=Destroyers of World War Two: An International Encyclopedia |year=2000| publisher=Cassell & Co.|location=London|isbn=1-85409-521-8|author-link=Michael J. Whitley}}
*{{cite book|last=Whitley|first=M. J.|title=German Destroyers of World War Two|publisher=Naval Institute Press |date=1991|isbn=1-55750-302-8 |location=Annapolis, Maryland}}
*{{cite book |last1=Whitley |first1=M. J. |title=The "Type 35" Torpedoboats of the Kriegsmarine |date=n.d. |publisher=World Ship Society |location=Kendal, UK |isbn=0-905617-39-8}}

==External links==
*[http://www.german-navy.de/kriegsmarine/ships/torpedoboats/torpedoboot1935/index.html Type 35 on German Navy.de]

{{Type 35 torpedo boat}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:T2}}
[[Category:Type 35 torpedo boats]]
[[Category:1938 ships]]