Biber No.90 midget submarine

The Biber (German for "beaver") was a German midget submarine of the Second World War. Armed with two externally mounted 21-inch (53 cm) torpedoes or mines, they were intended to attack coastal shipping. They were the smallest submarines in the Kriegsmarine.

The Biber was hastily developed to help meet the threat of an Allied invasion of Europe. This resulted in basic technical flaws that, combined with the inadequate training of their operators, meant they never posed a real threat to Allied shipping, despite 324 submarines being delivered. One of the class's few successes was the sinking of the the cargo ship Alan A. Dale.

A number have survived in museums including one example that has been restored to operational condition. * Biber No.90 This craft is displayed at the Imperial War Museum, London. It was one of three Bibers launched from the canal at Hellevoetsluis in late December 1944. It was found sinking 49 miles NE of Dover on 29 December 1944, its crewman had failed to properly close the engine exhaust system and died from resultant carbon monoxide poisoning. HMS Ready took it in tow and, even when it sank close to Dover harbour entrance, the Royal Navy still raised it and subjected it to extensive trials. One oddity discovered during the initial search of the boat was: a bottle hidden under the seat and inside was a document in English, which, romantic as it read, appeared to have some bearing :on upon the capture of the submarine, and possibly the explanation of why the pilot met his end. That is all that the report says about that finding, any further details appear to have been lost.

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[granskare]

amazing story!