NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw
NV Ingenieurskanntor voor Scheepsbouw (IvS), usually known as the latter in the brackets because of the unwieldy name, was a German firm that was set up in Holland in 1922. The firm was made for the sole purpose of covering Germany's violation of the Versailles Treaty, and was used to manufacture submarines for paying countries. It was developed, obviously, in secret.
Submarine Sales
The company was funded by the German Navy. IvS first constructed two submarines for Turkey, both of which were launched in 1927 and were closely based on the Type UBIII of the Kaiserliche Marine. The contracts were worded in such a way that IvS personnel were involved with crew training and selection, and were allowed to take part in boat service trials. The Germans — who were, at the time, tightly restricted from using their submarines for themselves — thus gained a first-hand knowledge of how their new prototypes worked in practice.
Background Information
At the time of IvS, the Germans were bound by a Treaty that they had signed and sworn to uphold as a result of the Armistice in 1918. This treaty, among its other onerous terms, demanded that all of the German U-boats were destroyed or given to other nations. Thus Germany was left without a navy, and that is how IvS came to be. IvS ultimately provided the foundations of the massive, thousands-strong navy that Germany developed for usage in World War II.
Later Projects
In 1933 Germany established a school for training Unterseeboot crews, ironically under the title 'Anti-Submarine Defence School,' or in their tongue, Unterseebootsabwehrschule. This school was established in Kiel. This program involved provision for a small fleet of eight 500 ton submarines. This number was later doubled to 16.
Later, Germany developed plans for an actual navy. The projected designs for the boats that were to be the composition of this navy were referred to as 'Experimental Motor Boats'. Deutsche Werke in Kiel was elected to build the new submarines, and a new U-boat base was to be built at Kiel-Dietrichsdorf. There component materials were gathered surreptitiously, in preparation for the order to begin production. The program foresaw the following submarine types being built:
- 1934 --- two large, 800 ton boats and two small 250-ton boats.
- 1935 --- four small 250 ton boats
- 1936 --- two large 800 ton boats and six 250 ton boats
- 1937 --- two large 800 ton boats and six 250 ton boats
From there, more boats were constructed, and further on WWII itself began.
See Also
References
- Williamson, G Wolf Pack - The Story of the U-boat in World War II Osprey Publishing Ltd, 2005