S-38b

S-38b

S-38

S-100

S-38b

S-38

S-100

Germany

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.7	1.7	1.7

Class:

Motor torpedo boat

Boat

Research:7 900

Purchase:10 000

Show in game

Description

The S-38b is a rank II German motor torpedo boat with a battle rating of 1.7 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.79 "Project X" as part of the fleet closed beta test.

General info

Survivability and armour

Armourfront / side / back

Hull40 mm (wood)

Superstructure4 mm (steel)

Number of section3

Displacement115 t

Crew31 people

The S-38b is nearly identical to the S-38 in terms of survivability. The S-38b has the same hull construction and composition, yet the bridge is constructed of 10 mm thick anti-fragmentation armour. This means the bridge is more resilient to damage on the S-38b than S-38.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB106 / 33 km/h

RB76 / 24 km/h

The S-38b is quick and agile. It is also nearly identical to the S-38 in terms of mobility: the difference is that the S-38b is slightly quicker forwards at 106 km/h (66 mph) compared to the S-38's top speed of 101 km/h (63 mph).

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode	Upgrade Status	Maximum Speed (km/h)		Turn Time (s)	Turn Radius (m)
		Forward	Reverse
AB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	106	33
RB/SB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	76	24

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB340 → 426

RB505 → 633

Total cost of modifications6 910

6 730

Talisman cost530

Crew training3 000

Experts10 000

Aces125

Research Aces160 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

40 / 50 / 100 %

112 / 112 / 112 %

Modifications

Seakeeping	Unsinkability	Firepower
Dry-Docking Research: 460 Cost: 450 90 Rudder Replacement Research: 310 Cost: 300 60 Propeller Replacement Research: 580 Cost: 560 115 Engine Maintenance Research: 560 Cost: 550 110	Damage Control Division Research: 460 Cost: 450 90 Fire Division Research: 310 Cost: 300 60 Smokescreen Research: 310 Cost: 300 60 New Pumps Research: 560 Cost: 550 110	20 mm HET magazines Research: 460 Cost: 450 90 Auxiliary Armament Targeting Research: 310 Cost: 300 60 20 mm APT magazines Research: 310 Cost: 300 60 Primary Armament Targeting Research: 580 Cost: 560 115 Depth Charges Research: 580 Cost: 560 115 Torpedo Mode Research: 560 Cost: 550 110 Artillery Support Research: 560 Cost: 550 110

Armament

Primary armament

Turret2 cm/65 C/38 automatic cannon

Ammunition2000 rounds

Belt capacity40 rounds

Fire rate480 shots/min

Vertical guidance-4° / 60°

Turret2 cm/65 C/30 automatic cannon

Ammunition2000 rounds

Belt capacity20 rounds

Fire rate276 shots/min

Vertical guidance-5° / 50°

While good but not excellent, the 20 mm cannons are capable guns for shredding lightly-armoured boats and low-flying aircraft. However, the short clip capacity tends to be an issue. While using this guns, the aiming must be really accurate and you should fire in short bursts. Being lightweight guns, the turning speed and aiming speed are very fast and accurate. This should be used as an advantage as this reduces the risk of being flanked and surprised attacked by enemy boats and aircraft.

There are three ammunition types available:

• Universal: AP-T · AP · HEF-T · HEF
• 20 mm APT magazines: AP · AP-T · AP · HEF
• 20 mm HET magazines: HEF · HEF-T · HEF · AP

Penetration statistics
Ammunition	Penetration @ 0° Angle of Attack (mm)
	10 m	100 m	500 m	1,000 m	1,500 m	2,000 m
HEF-T	2	2	2	2	2	2
AP	36	35	27	20	15	11
AP-T	36	35	27	20	15	11
HEF	2	2	2	2	2	2

Shell details
Ammunition	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (kg)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
						0%	50%	100%
HEF-T	835	0.12	0	0.1	10.54	79°	80°	81°
AP	785	0.15	-	-	-	47°	60°	65°
AP-T	785	0.15	-	-	-	47°	60°	65°
HEF	835	0.12	0	0.1	10.54	79°	80°	81°

Secondary armament

Turret2 x 7.92 mm MG34 machine gun

Ammunition3000 rounds

Belt capacity150 rounds

Fire rate900 shots/min

The main difference between the S-38 and the S-38b is the presence of MG34 machine guns. These machine guns are more suited towards firing upon aircraft instead of ships; citing their meagre calibre. The machine guns are mounted behind the bridge and are initially aimed upwards. The location of these machine guns allows them to fire on either side of the ship, and fire upon aircraft.

Additional armament

Setup 12 x 533 mm G7a torpedo

Setup 26 x WBD depth charge

Setup 32 x 533 mm G7a torpedo

6 x WBD depth charge

The S-38b is armed with two torpedoes that have a max range of 6 km (14 km with torpedo mode). They can be used almost at point-blank, the torpedoes must travel 50 m at minimum to be armed (most of the time "point blank" engagements will be between 100-500 m). Depending on the map, game mode and captain's discretion, the torpedo depth can be adjusted in order to target specific ships.

1 meter depth:

This is the most universal depth used for all types of engagements, being in deep water or at shallow waters. This depth is capable of hitting all sorts of vessels, including PT boats. The main downside is that enemy ships can see the water trail made by the torpedo which can make enemy vessels evade or fire at the torpedo.

4 meter depth:

This is the recommended depth when trying to perform long range sneaky engagements of large ships in deep waters. This is one of the riskier techniques as there is no way to launch them in shallow waters (most shallow water maps have water depth of 2-3 m). Only the captain and the team will be able to see the torpedo symbol while travelling close to them, and it will not leave any visible water trail compared to the 1-meter depth torpedo.

Torpedo Characteristics
Torpedo Mode	Mass (kg)	Maximum speed in water (km/h)	Travel distance (km)	Depth stroke (m)	Arming distance (m)	Explosive type	Explosive mass (kg)	TNT equivalent (kg)
No	1528	81	6.00	1	50	SW39a	280	358.4
Yes	1528	55.8	14.00	1	50	SW39a	280	358.4

The S-38b can be armed with WBD depth charges. It is not recommended to load them in the ship as they do not have any practical use in-game besides being a last resort weapon.

Usage in battles

The S-38b has a similar playstyle to the S-38: a fast, agile, lightly-armoured but well-armed craft. The main purpose of this vessel is to rush capture points and support other boats. This ship should never face enemies alone due to its light armour that can be easily penetrated by the guns seen at the battle rating, specially the 3-in guns mounted on American and British sub-chasers. Instead, the S-38b should travel with other ships, essentially making the enemy engage in a single target while being engaged by 2-3 or more.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Very close to the S-38, one can switch from the S-38 with no special learning required
• Very mobile
• Cannons offer effective stopping power for single target engagements
• Torpedoes are very viable in combat, as they are mounted conveniently and deal significant damage
• Inexpensive to operate
• Good crew size

Cons:

• Hull offers minimal protection
• Key components are close together (ammo is near engines, radio room is near the bridge), meaning enemy fire will quickly tear it apart
• Cannons have limited capacity per magazine
• Does not do well in numerical inferiority
• Even with additional MG 34s, anti-air coverage is minimal
• The speed is not very fast

History

S-38b was a subclass of S-38 class Schnellboots (S-boots), these being later production ships. The S-38b class added an armoured bridge to the design due to the lack of protection for the bridge on the original S-38 class. It was known as the Kalotte (Eng: skull cap) because of its round shape. The S-38b class was eventually equipped with more powerful Daimler Benz MB 501 diesel engines, increasing the maximum speed.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the S-38b from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Related development

• S-38
• S-100
• S-100 (1944)
• S-204 Lang

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.

Lürssen Werft
Schnellboot
Type S-38	S-38 · S-38b · MC 485*
Type S-100	S-100 · S-147 · S-204 Lang
Fast Attack Craft
Jaguar-class	Jaguar
Albatros-class	Albatros · Bussard
	*S-67 in post-war Italian Service