German torpedo boat T29

The Type 39 torpedo boat was conceived as a general-purpose design, much larger than preceding German torpedo boats.Whitley 1991, p. 52 The boats had an overall length of {{convert|102.5|m|ftin|sp=us}} and were {{convert|97|m|ftin|sp=us}} long at the waterline. They had a beam of {{convert|10|m|ftin|sp=us}}, a draft of {{convert|3.22|m|ftin|sp=us}} at deep load and displaced {{convert|1294|MT|LT|lk=on}} at standard load and {{convert|1754|MT|LT}} at deep load.Gröner, p. 195 Their crew numbered 206 officers and sailors.Sieche, p. 239 The Type 39s were fitted with a pair of geared steam turbine sets, each driving one propeller, using steam from four high-pressure water-tube boilers. The turbines were designed to produce {{convert|32000|shp|lk=on}} which was intended give the ships a maximum speed of {{convert|33.5|kn|lk=on}}. They carried enough fuel oil to give them a range of {{convert|2400|nmi|lk=in}} at {{convert|19|kn}}.Whitley 1991, pp. 54, 203

As built, the Type 39 ships mounted four 10.5 cm SK C/32 naval gun guns in single mounts protected by gun shields; one forward of the superstructure, one between the funnels, and two aft, one superfiring over the other. Anti-aircraft defense was provided by four 3.7 cm SK C/30 AA guns in two twin-gun mounts on platforms abaft the rear funnel, six 2 cm FlaK 30/38/Flakvierling guns in one quadruple mount on the aft superstructure and a pair of single mounts on the bridge wings. They carried six above-water {{cvt|533|mm|in|0}} torpedo tubes in two triple mounts amidships and could also carry 30 mines; the full complement of 60 mines made the ships top-heavy which could be dangerous in bad weather. For anti-submarine work the boats were fitted with a S-Gerät sonar and four depth charge launchers. The Type 39s were equipped with a FuMO 21{{refn|{{lang|de|Funkmess-Ortung}} (Radio-direction finder, active ranging)|group=Note}} radar and various FumB{{refn|{{lang|de|Funkmess-Beobachtung}} (Passive radar detector).|group=Note}} radar detectors were installed late in the war.Friedman, p. 205; Whitley 1991, pp. 52–55; Whitley 2000, p. 73

Originally ordered as a Type 37 torpedo boat on 30 March 1939, T29 was reordered on 10 November 1939 from Schichau. She was laid down at their Elbing, East Prussia, shipyard as yard number 1488, and commissioned on 21 August 1943. After working up, T29 and her sister {{ship|German torpedo boat|T28||2}} arrived in Western France during late January 1944. En route the two torpedo boats were shelled by British coastal artillery and attacked by a pair of British Fairey Albacore torpedo bombers that caused some minor damage to T28.Whitley 1991, pp. 156, 212

{{main|Action of 26 April 1944}}

On the night of 21/22 April 1944, the 4th Torpedo Boat Flotilla, now consisting of T29 and her sisters {{ship|German torpedo boat|T24||2}} and {{ship|German torpedo boat|T27||2}}, transferred from Cherbourg to Saint-Malo. After laying a minefield off the Sept-Îles on the north coast of Brittany on the night of 25/26 April, the flotilla was engaged by an Allied force that consisted of the light cruiser {{HMS|Black Prince|81|6}} and the destroyers {{HMS|Ashanti|F51|6}}, {{HMCS|Athabaskan|G07|6}}, {{HMCS|Haida|G63|6}} and {{HMCS|Huron|G24|6}} off the Île de Batz. The Allied ships were engaged by German coastal artillery without effect and {{lang|de|Korvettenkapitän}} Franz Kohlauf headed west in search of the Allied ships, but the Germans were spotted first by Black Prince{{'}}s radar at a range of {{convert|21000|yd}} at 02:07. They detected the Allied ships shortly afterwards and reversed course. The Allied ships were faster than the torpedo boats and had closed the range to {{convert|13000|yd}} by 02:20 when Black Prince began firing star shells. The destroyers began firing at T24 and T27 at a range of {{convert|9000|yd}} as Black Prince hung back in support until one of her forward turrets jammed. The Allied fire was accurate and one shell struck T27 at 02:31 and reduced her speed to {{convert|12|kn}}; Kohlauf ordered her into Morlaix Bay and the Allies lost her radar reflection among the rocks of the bay. T24 had fruitlessly fired her aft torpedo tubes at her pursuers and was then hit by two shells in her superstructure that started fires that were quickly doused. She fired her remaining torpedoes to no effect at 02:54 and, about that same time, a shell disabled T29{{'}}s rudder. Ashanti and Huron concentrated on T29, initially hitting her stern which caused her to veer off-course, while Haida and Athabaskan continued their pursuit of T24.Hervieux, p. 99; Rohwer, pp. 317–318; Whitley, pp. 156–157

Ashanti and Huron hit their target repeatedly at close range; these hits set T29 on fire, caused an explosion and blew the forward torpedo mount overboard. Haida and Athabaskan were unable to catch T24 and returned to help sink T29, but were initially unable to do so despite firing 15 torpedoes. The destroyers paused to allow the surviving crew to abandon ship around 04:00. When they moved in to recover survivors, a single 2 cm gun opened fire and damaged Huron and Haida. The Allied ships returned fire and sank T29 at 04:20 at {{Coord|48|53|N|03|33|W|display=inline,title}} with the loss of 137 crewmen. A patrol boat later rescued 73 men.Gröner, p. 195; Hervieux, p. 99; Rohwer, p. 318; Whitley, p. 157

{{reflist|group=Note}}

{{reflist|30em}}

• {{cite book|last=Friedman|first=Norman|title=Naval Radar|year=1981|publisher=Conway Maritime Press|location=London|isbn=0-85177-238-2|author-link=Norman Friedman}}
• {{Cite book |last=Gröner|first=Erich|title=German Warships 1815–1945|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|editor=Lambert, Andrew|title=Warship X|year=1986|publisher=Conway Maritime Press |location=London|isbn=978-0-85177-449-7|chapter=The Elbing Class Torpedo Boats at War |last=Hervieux |first=Pierre|pages=95–102}}
• {{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=Whitby |first1=Michael |editor1-last=Jordan |editor1-first=John |title=Warship 2022 |date=2022 |publisher=Osprey Publishing |location=Oxford|pages=29–46 |isbn=978-1-4728-4781-2 |chapter=The Challenges of Operation 'Tunnel', September 1943 — April 1944}}

• [http://www.german-navy.de/kriegsmarine/ships/torpedoboats/flottentorpedoboot1939/t29/index.html T29 at german navy.de]

{{Type 39 torpedo boat}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:T29}}

Category:Type 39 torpedo boats

Category:Ships built by Schichau

Category:Ships built in Elbing

Category:Maritime incidents in April 1944