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E Boats World Naval Ships Forums Archive

E Boats

Posts 1 to 26

Hi, My name is Syd Dobson. I'm 84 years old and served in Coastal Forces MGB's and ML's during the Second World War. I'm getting used to using my new computer and would like to ask if any members know if there is a veterans association for German E Boat crews. If I've posted this thread in the wrong place could someone let me know where the best place to do it is. Thanks Syd.

G'Day Syd! And welcome to the forum. You have posted this in exactly the right place. 84 years young! Well done.

Welcome Syd. For some reason we called them E Boats but in German they were S-boot (s = schnell = fast). There is a web site: [url]www.schnellboot.de[/url] , but it's all in German. Seems to be mostly post WWII though. What we need is a German speaker!

Who will ever forget the film: [B]Das Boot[/B]?

Hi! Syd, After the war a number of Schnell Boots were made available to the UK. as reparation. I served on one,as P.O.M.(E) Renamed ML6011. We were based at Rhinehaven not too far from Krefeld. The R.N.Rhine Squadron-H.M.S."Royal Prince" Two pictures are attached. Cheers, Stan
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Fantastic first photo of the former E-boat, Stan.

Another picture of an E-boat or as Commidore Armiger rightly pointed out an S-boat.
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Terry, The second picture was taken when we were in Paris for an International Nautical Exhibition. ML6011 on the inside. We were tied up on the Quay dor Sai .Note the Aircraft Carrier just behind us. Wonder how she got under those low bridges over the Seine? LOL, We tossed up for who would be Duty Officer each night. we were there from a saturday a.m. for 15 days altogether. There were seven of us who had to toss. I came out Duty every Saturday. They were the evenings that official free does were held. First the French then the American and then the British. I was given to understand that great evenings were had by all. The rotten B.......s. They did rub it in.LOL. Still, I did enjoy the runs ashore there.

I bet you did Stan. Takes me right back - great nights in Pigalle and Montmartre!

Hello Syd Have you tried this lot; [url]http://www.bmpt.org.uk/cvfa.htm[/url] They may be able to help. Stan's photos are superb, and show the FL-B's used by the Rhine Flotilla (as opposed to E-Boats). These boats were shorter and slower than E-Boats and were originally used by the Luftwaffe as Air-Sea Rescue launches. All the best, Christian.

[QUOTE=Commodore Armiger;9641]Welcome Syd. For some reason we called them E Boats but in German they were S-boot (s = schnell = fast). [/QUOTE] I believe the reason we called them E Boats was simply that E stood for 'Enemy' and so they were 'Enemy Boats'. Welcome to the forum Syd. But I could be wrong...... John

Reportedly, there is only one surviving S (or E) Boat (the S-130) which is privately owned but cared for by the British Military Powerboat Trust in Southampton. S-130 took part in the action action against 'Operation Tiger' off Slapton Sands in 1944. It seems she was also in action against the allied invasion forces on D-Day. John
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Plan of an E-boat and loads of other information about Op Tiger on this page: [url]http://www.mikekemble.com/ww2/tiger2.html[/url]

Don't know as it means anything, but there's a german sub on display at the Chicago museum of science and industry that's open to tours. Really is an awesome display. Well worth the 15 bucks for the tour.

What's that got to do with 'E Boats' ? Camaro you need to post this on a different thread to get the best results !!!

Sorry, Thought we were talking subs here. I'm on slow dialup, and had replied before the pictures opened.:o

'E' boats - 'U' boats... What's in a name ?? Camaro, suggest you start a thread on 'U' boats and I'm sure you'll get a big response !!

I understand some of these S-Boats got given to Norway after the war including S115, the one that was said to have sunk HMS Penylan and Gatinais. Check the link below for pictures of her after the war... [URL="http://www.bmpt.org.uk/boat%20histories/Eboats/index2.htm"]http://www.bmpt.org.uk/boat%20histories/Eboats/index2.htm[/URL]

Here's a link to the latest news about the last surviving S-boot (S-130). [URL="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/4045221/Nazi-E-boat-saved-by-military-enthusiast.html"]http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/defence/4045221/Nazi-E-boat-saved-by-military-enthusiast.html[/URL]

Here is another Schnellboat to keep the thread alive. Regards, Bob.
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[QUOTE=Batstiger;10020717]Here is another Schnellboat to keep the thread alive. Regards, Bob.[/QUOTE] I'm sure there used to be one of these boats mounted on concrete down at Haslar Creek in the 60s. Those distinctive cutaways at the bow, presumably for torpedos, seem very familiar, or did we have something similar? Steve

Hi Steve The D Class Fairmile MTB/MGB of WW2 (Dog Boats) also had cutaways for their torpedo tubes. They were about 115ft in length and that made them of similiar size to the later classes of E Boats Cheers John O'C.

[QUOTE]For some reason we called them E Boats but in German they were S-boot (s = schnell = fast). [/QUOTE]E-Boats were I believe a generic name ([B]E[/B]nemy Boats?) used to describe two classes of similar vessels - S Boats and R Boats. In an action off Cap D'Antifer in July 1944 HMS Forester and HMS Tyler chased what they initially reported as 6 'S' Boats. A correction signal was sent once they had closed with the enemy group to advise Channel HQ that the targets were 'R' Boats and that two were set on fire and the rest had beached themselves. I believe the distinction was that 'S' Boats were armed as torpedo boats and 'R' Boats were fast minelayers, both types having the same hull and machinery. I have the signal chit of the signal transmitted by my father. (Three of the Forester's crew were killed in this action and another died later in hospital.)

[QUOTE=John Brown;10576]Reportedly, there is only one surviving S (or E) Boat (the S-130) which is privately owned but cared for by the British Military Powerboat Trust in Southampton. S-130 took part in the action action against 'Operation Tiger' off Slapton Sands in 1944. It seems she was also in action against the allied invasion forces on D-Day. John[/QUOTE] John, S130 is currently in a small boatyard in Millbrook, Cornwall where she is being completely stripped and rebuilt - this project will cost £5M plus and when finished she will toured all over. I visited about six months ago and she is down to ribs and keel. every piece of timber is being replaced and the engines have been taken from P6099 "FGS HYANE" a Fast Patrol Craft which in the 1960's had the identical engines as the Schnellboats. Her full story appears in the website - "S130". I will be visiting her again in the near future and will post her progress. Dave H

Wut ! No mention of this site ? Despite the title, there is oodles of info on S-boats here. Just cursor down to [I]Schnellboote![I] and look around. Great reference if you are working on an Airfix or Revell 1/72 scale model. [url]http://prinzeugen.com/[/url]

Back in the 1960s I worked with an German ex sailor Harry Fuezl who was on the E-Boats in the English Channel. He told me that one Xmas Day they tied up alongside a Royal Navy MGB and shared drinks and a bit of food. I wonder how many times that happened. Cheers Bruce

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