Saving the last Schnellboot

She started life under the Nazis and later played a crucial role in the Cold War. Now naval historians have come to the rescue of the last surviving German Schnellboot, which is languishing in a dockyard in Plymouth . . .

In her day the S130, right, was the fastest craft on the sea, and neither the Americans nor the Royal Navy had anything that could match her 55 knot top speed. After the war S130 was surrendered to the Royal Navy and used to drop agents on the Baltic coast.

From the Times of London. More on these fast torpedo boats here and here. There's a profile on the S-130 here, but rather confusingly it states that it was returned to the German navy in 1957 and is now in retirement in Wilhelmshaven.

Posted by David on December 17, 2006 12:12 PM