Marder (submarine)

Marder on display at Brest naval museum
General characteristics
Length:	8.3 m

The Marder was a German miniature submarine developed from the Neger.^[1] The craft was 8.3 metres long and unlike the Neger included a flooding tank in the nose allowing it to dive.^[1] Another improvement was the dome through which the pilot viewed the outside world that also served as the craft’s entrance and exit was made openable from the inside.^[1] Maximum diving depth was about 25 metres.^[2]

The submarine’s first operations took place on the night of August 2,1944, when the German Navys Small Battle Units made their largest effort of the war. 58 human torpedoes^[3] of the Neger type and 22 Linsen vessels were launched against allied shipping off Normandy as part of a combined operation with Negers and explosive Linsen boats.^[1] One Royal Navy destroyer escort, HMS Quorn was sunk by a human torpedo along with one mineweeper, the HMS Gairsay and one Landing Craft by the German motor-boats; at a cost of 41 Neger and 22 Linsen craft.^[4]

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Paterson, Lawrence (2006). Weapons of Desperation German Frogmen and Midget Submarines of World war II. Chatham Publishing. pp. 49–51. ISBN 9781861762795. 
2. ^ Kemp, Paul (1996). Underwater Warriors. Arms & Armour Press. pp. 186–188. ISBN 1854092286. 
3. ^ Brown p. 116
4. ^ Brown p. 116

• Brown, David. Warship Losses of World War Two. Arms and Armour, London, Great Britain, 1990. ISBN 0-85368-802-8.