The A-class submarines were a class of three vessels of German design built by the Krupp Germania naval shipyard in

Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...

, Germany from 1913 to 1914 and deployed by the

Royal Norwegian Navy The Royal Norwegian Navy () is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for navy, naval operations of Norway, including those of the Norwegian Coast Guard. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 i ...

. The Norwegian government purchased four submarines that were almost completed in 1913 and received three of these before

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The fourth, ''A-5'', was seized by German authorities at the outbreak of war and commissioned as . It was used for coastal protection and from 1916 as a

training vessel A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is mostly used to describe ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house class ...

in the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by the countries of Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden, and the North European Plain, North and Central European Plain regions. It is the ...

.E.Gröner, Deutsche Kriegsschiffe, vol. III, p. 48

Fates

All three A-class submarines were lost in the first week following the German invasion of Norway, one in combat and the other two through

scuttling Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull, typically by its crew opening holes in its hull. Scuttling may be performed to dispose of an abandoned, old, or captured vessel; to prevent the vessel ...

. * (2 March 1914 – 9 April 1940) attacked and severely damaged by the two German

R boat The R boats (''Räumboote'' in German, literally "clearing boats", meaning minesweepers) were a group of small naval vessels built as minesweepers for the ''Kriegsmarine'' (German navy) before and during the Second World War. They were used for ...

minesweeper A minesweeper is a small warship designed to remove or detonate naval mines. Using various mechanisms intended to counter the threat posed by naval mines, minesweepers keep waterways clear for safe shipping. History The earliest known usage of ...

s ''R-22'' and ''R-23'' off the Vallø peninsula near

Tønsberg Tønsberg (), historically Tunsberg, is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city in Tønsberg Municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located about south-southwest of the capital city of Oslo on the western coast of the Oslofjord near ...

in the

Oslofjord The Oslofjord (, ; ) is an inlet in southeastern Norway. The fjord begins at the small village of Bonn in Frogn, Frogn Municipality and stretching northwards to the city of Oslo, and then curving to the east and then south again. It then flows s ...

on 9 April 1940. Her crew was captured and she drifted ashore at Vallø, a total wreck. * (1914 – 16 April 1940) scuttled by own crew in Verkbukta at Tønsberg on 16 April 1940 * (1914 – 16 April 1940) scuttled by own crew in Verkbukta at Tønsberg on 16 April 1940

Footnotes

Literature

* Submarine classes {{Norway-mil-ship-stub