Walter-drive for submarines

The inventor Hellmuth Walter began in the 1930s to develop gas turbine propulsion systems that would enable submarines to operate without an external air supply, i.e. without snorkeling equipment. The German Navy tested various versions of this propulsion system, for example, the experimental submarine V 80 achieved a submerged speed of 28.1 knots. However, submarines with Walter propulsion were not used during the Second World War. After the war, the development moved towards slower and quieter submarines with other propulsion systems.

The "Technikmuseum U-Boot Wilhelm Bauer" here in the Old Harbour - well worth a visit - donated this interesting replica (1971) of a Walter drive to the German Maritime Museum, which has been showing it in the open-air exhibition area since 1994.