When, during the "Battle of the Atlantic", German
U-Boats proved to be less capable than wanted, successors for the obsolete Types
Mark II, VII and IX were developed.
Absolute milestones in U-Boat develpoment were the
new Types Mark XXI (sea-going) and XXIII (costal), which had a much better
streamlining for seagoing operations and can be seen as the first "real"
submarines.
In spite of the enhancements incorporated in the a.m.
types, further develpoment research was initiated at the end of 1943/spring
1944, aiming towards even better hulls and novel propulsion
systems.
So, in April 1944, ordered by Forschungsanstalt der
Deutschen Reichspost (= Research Institute of German Postal Services) a 36m
long, tear-shaped U-Boat was projected, which was to have a nuclear drive. It is
to assumed that this boat was to be an unmanned, remotely controlled prototype,
since there would have been no space for a crew within the confines of this
slender craft.
After the war's end US-American authorities
transported the prototype to the US of A and it seems to be no mere coincidence,
that most post-war nuclear US submarines are tear-drop shaped. The further fate
of the prototype is unfortunately
unknown.