350-020 BRITISH SUBMARINE HMS METEORITE

HMS Meteorite (another designation: U-1407) was a captured British submarine from the Second World War and the post-war period. The keel for the ship was laid in 1943, the launch took place in February 1945, and the entry into service in the Kriegsmarine - in March 1945. The length of the ship was 41.5 m, width 4.5 m, and the underwater displacement - about 350 tons. The maximum underwater speed was estimated at around 25 knots. The ship was armed with two 533 mm torpedo tubes. HMS Meteorite / U-1407 belonged to the U-boat type XVII, which were experimental units designed to operate mainly in coastal waters, but with an innovative propulsion system based on the so-called Walter's turbine, which was to give a very high underwater speed and a large swimming range. This turbine was based on the use of hydrogen peroxide. It was much lighter and smaller than the traditional diesel-electric drive, but it was very expensive to produce and generated a high risk of self-ignition. A ship with such a propulsion - U-1407 - was intercepted by the British in June 1945. Shortly thereafter, under the name HMS Meteorite, it was subjected to numerous tests by the Royal Navy in 1946. In the course of tests, the drive proved its great capabilities, but it also turned out to be highly dangerous for personnel and relatively unstable during prolonged operation. Finally, in 1949, HMS Meteorite was scrapped.