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F7 1940  

Ships

Name	No	Yard No	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Comp	Fate
F1		526	Germaniawerft, Kiel	8.1934	1.3.1935	12.1935	depot ship Libelle 5.1941
F2		527	Germaniawerft, Kiel	8.1934	2.4.1935	2.1936	torpedo recovery vessel 5.1940
F3		528	Germaniawerft, Kiel	8.1934	1.6.1935	3.1936	depot ship Königin Luise 8.1938
F4		529	Germaniawerft, Kiel	8.1934	2.7.1935	4.1936	surrendered 5.1945, to United Kingdom 1.1946, BU
F5		530	Germaniawerft, Kiel	9.1934	14.8.1935	5.1936	torpedo recovery vessel 4.1940
F6		531	Germaniawerft, Kiel	9.1934	1.10.1935	5.1936	depot ship Hai 8.1938
F7		498	Blohm & Voss, Hamburg	1.1935	25.5.1935	2.1937	torpedo recovery vessel 5.1940
F8		499	Blohm & Voss, Hamburg	1.1935	27.7.1935	4.1937	torpedo recovery vessel 5.1940
F9		126	MW Wilhelmshaven	11.1934	11.5.1936	8.1937	sunk 14.12.1939
F10		127	MW Wilhelmshaven	11.1934	11.5.1936	3.1938	torpedo recovery vessel 5.1940

Technical data

Displacement standard, t	712
Displacement full, t	1028
Length, m	73.5 wl 76.0 oa
Breadth, m	8.80
Draught, m	2.59 normal, 3.24 max
No of shafts	2
Machinery	F1 - 6: 2 sets Brown-Boveri geared steam turbines, 2 La Mont boilers F7: 2 sets Blohm & Voss geared steam turbines, 2 Velox-Benson boilers F8 - 10: 2 sets Blohm & Voss geared steam turbines, 2 La Mont boilers
Power, h. p.	14000
Max speed, kts	28
Fuel, t	oil 216
Endurance, nm(kts)	1500(20)
Armament	2 x 1 - 105/42 SK C/32, 2 x 2 - 37/80 SK C/30, 4 x 1 - 20/65 C/30, 4 DCR (36), 50 - 62 mines
Electronic equipment	presumably GHG hydrophone
Complement	121

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Project history

F-type escorts (Flottenbegleiter: fleet escort ship) were intended, first of all, for escort of Deutschland-class pocket battleships. According to it the basic requirements to design consisted anti-submarine and minesweeping abilities and 28kts speed. As diesels with demanded power were not gone into assigned displacement, it has been decided to apply turbines on high parameters steam. F7 and F8 received high-pressure direct-flow boilers of Benson design (110atm, 480°C) and Blohm und Voss turbines, remaining ships had Lamont boilers (70atm, 450°C).

In service conditions these ships, or "F-boats", have shown full discordance to requirements shown to them. Because of the unsuccessful hull form they had seaworthiness not maintaining to any criticism, and uneconomical and unreliable power plants could not ensure sufficient endurance. For aft deck release under minesweeping equipment aft 105mm gun has been lifted on a superstructure that has aggravated serious problems with top weight, nevertheless usage of ships as minesweepers was appeared as impossible because of a deep draught and impracticality of machinery to slow speed.

Poor qualities of "F-boats" have induced fleet command even prior to the beginning of war to convert them to auxiliaries. F1 (23.5.1941), F3 (5.3.1940) and F6 (20.9.1939) were re-classified to command ships and renamed Libelle, Hai and Königin Luise respectively.

Modernizations

1939, F1 - 4, 6: were lengthened: length 77.8m wl, 80.3m oa, displacement was 768 / 1147t, fuel stowage rose to 240t, maximal speed decreased to 21kts.

Naval service

F9 was sunk 14.12.1939 by British submarine Ursula in Helgoland Bight. F5 was lost 29.1.1945 on a mine at Swinemünde. Königin Luise (ex-F1) was lost 30.3.1945 during raid of American bombers to Wilhelmshaven. Hai (ex-F3) was sunk 3.5.1945 by British aircraft in Kiel Bight. F2 has sunk for unknown reason at Scapa Flow 30.12.1946.

F4 was transferred to United Kingdom, BU in 1949. F7 was transferred to the USSR as Buran, BU in 1959. Jagd (ex-F1), F8 and F10 were transferred to the USA, and sold for scrap in France and Netherlands in 1947-1949.