Type XI U-Boats
(Never built)

Among the many designs put forward in pre-war Germany for the new U-boat Arm was the Type XI, ordered to be built to a 1937 design. Based largely on the huge U-Cruisers of World War One the Type XI was designed to mount two large external turrets and carry a single seater Arado 231 reconnaissance aircraft, stored when not in use within a large vertical storage cylinder in the bow area. (The system to be used was similar in concept to another design for a large U-boat to carry two smaller S-oats within such vertical "hangars" for deployment elsewhere). Grossly impractical the huge Type XI was planned for construction within the AG Weser works at Bremen, the order finally placed for four boats numbered U112 to U115 on 17th January 1939. Construction was cancelled the following September - no doubt to the relief of prospective commanders and crew. 

However there has been a postscript..................

In June 1993 Edward Michaud, President of Trident Research & Recovery, Inc, Maine, discovered the remains of what appeared to be a large U-boat sunk off Cape Cod. After months of sonar scanning Michaud was convinced that he had found a U-boat of considerably larger dimensions than the standard Type IX, and also that it mounted two turrets(!). While opinion is divided on the likelihood of such a discovery - linked as it is to an interesting espionage tale involving Neo-Nazi movements and the establishment of a Fourth Reich in South America - it remains a subject of some curiosity and interest on my part. Personally in this writer's humble opinion, it is not likely, but, you never know.....

I have not done any real research on the question of whether or not these boats were ever built but according to the website that dealt with this "discovery" there are references within the military archive at Freiburgim-Breisgau, Germany, of a series of  "yard trials" in the Weser River for the Type XI U-Cruiser, and the report of it having attained a surface speed of 26 knots. Further to this the author of the site says that there is some element of coroboration from Eberhard Roessler's excellent work "The U-Boat". I myself can't find any such corroboration.

UPDATE.Rumours continue to circulate about this remarkable claim - most of them focussing on an alleged 'lack of character' with Mr Michaud. Again, I am not in a position to comment on these claims, but it all adds to the overall picture of a hoax.

The projected specifications of the Type XI U-Cruiser were:
Length (oa):115 meters
Width: 9.5 meters
Draught: 6.2 meters
Displacement: 3 630 tons.
Propulsion: 2-shaft diesel/electric motors,(eight 12cyl. diesel engines in two separate engine rooms plus two electric motors in a seperate compartment).

 Armament: 4 bow TT.
                  2 stern TT.
                  4 X 12.7cm cannon in two twin armored turrets.
                  2 X 3.7cm AA cannon.
                  2 X 2 cm AA mounted in Wintergarten.
                  1 X Arado reconnaissance seaplane. 

 Crew: 110 men, plus capacity to carry approximately 60 Brandenburgers.

LINK: Sub-Sea Recovery, Inc. of Portland, Maine