S-38

This page is about the German motor torpedo boat S-38. For the other version, see S-38b.

S-38

LS 3

S-38b

S-38

LS 3

S-38b

Germany

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.3	1.7	1.7

Class:

Motor torpedo boat

Boat

Research:4 000

Purchase:2 100

Show in game

Description

The S-38 is a rank I German motor torpedo boat with a battle rating of 1.3 (AB) and 1.7 (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

Displacement112 t

Crew31 people

The S-38 is a wooden-hulled vessel with a steel superstructure. The S-38 offers little resistance to damage as a result of its construction. The S-38 has a crew of 31, which means the S-38 can absorb reasonable amounts of damage when fired upon. Fire is a tangible threat on the S-38 because of its wooden hull. Due to the long construction of the ship, the crew is fairly spaced out. However, it is worth mentioning the S-38's bridge and radio station are in proximity, meaning if one is damaged, it is likely the other will be damaged soon after.

Ammunition storage is near the main guns. The ammo racks are fairly large targets and, due to the limited protection offered by the hull, can easily be hit. The ammo is also near the ship's fuel tanks and radio room, meaning if an enemy vessel is firing upon either, they could easily strike the ammo racks.

Mobility

Speedforward / back

AB101 / 33 km/h

RB72 / 24 km/h

The S-38 is a quick boat, capable of achieving roughly 101 km/h (63 mph) forwards in arcade, and 33 km/h (21 mph) in reverse. The vessel's acceleration is good, and the S-38 has a tight turning radius. Due to the balanced distribution of the ship, it will not roll too far when turning. The boat has a shallow draft that makes fighting in shallow waters and littorals possible.

It is fair to say the ship is capable of getting itself into and out of combat quickly.

Mobility Characteristics
Game Mode	Upgrade Status	Maximum Speed (km/h)		Turn Time (s)	Turn Radius (m)
		Forward	Reverse
AB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	101	33
RB/SB	Stock	___	___
	Upgraded	72	24

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB166 → 204

RB251 → 308

Total cost of modifications4 450

2 680

Talisman cost300

Crew training600

Experts2 100

Aces45

Research Aces110 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

20 / 30 / 100 %

100 / 100 / 100 %

Modifications

Seakeeping	Unsinkability	Firepower
Dry-Docking Research: 300 Cost: 180 65 Rudder Replacement Research: 250 Cost: 150 55 Propeller Replacement Research: 370 Cost: 220 80 Engine Maintenance Research: 360 Cost: 220 75	Damage Control Division Research: 300 Cost: 180 65 Fire Division Research: 250 Cost: 150 55 Smokescreen Research: 250 Cost: 150 55 New Pumps Research: 360 Cost: 220 75	20 mm HET magazines Research: 300 Cost: 180 65 20 mm APT magazines Research: 250 Cost: 150 55 Depth Charges Research: 370 Cost: 220 80 Primary Armament Targeting Research: 370 Cost: 220 80 Torpedo Mode Research: 360 Cost: 220 75 Artillery Support Research: 360 Cost: 220 75

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°

The S-38 carries two 20 mm automatic cannons. The S-38's weapons are, in proper hands, effective against enemy boats and aircraft. They have small magazines of 40 and 20 rounds respectively. The rearward cannon will run out of ammunition when the frontal cannon is halfway through its magazine. Overheating is not a concern with these cannons; they do not overheat. Being small cannons, the S-38's 20 mm traverse quickly, and offer decent angles of fire.

When upgraded, the S-38's 20 mm cannons are noteworthy. They should not be used beyond ranges of 800 m (0.5 mi). There are three ammunition types available:

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

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

Shell details
Ammunition	Type of warhead	Velocity (m/s)	Projectile mass (g)	Fuse delay (m)	Fuse sensitivity (mm)	Explosive mass (TNT equivalent) (g)	Ricochet
							0%	50%	100%
20 mm HEF-T	HEF-T	835	120	N/A	0.1	10.54	79°	80°	81°
20 mm AP	AP	785	150	N/A	N/A	N/A	47°	60°	65°
20 mm AP-T	AP-T	785	150	N/A	N/A	N/A	47°	60°	65°
20 mm HEF	HEF	835	120	N/A	0.1	10.54	79°	80°	81°

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-38 carries two G7a torpedoes, which are launched from tubes that are integrated into the front of the hull. The tubes are mounted at very shallow angles. The torpedoes are better used on slow targets, or at extreme ranges. These torpedoes have a slight blind spot in the front of the ship, but this blind spot is often negligible.

The G7a has a range of roughly 6 km (3.73 mi) and travel at a speed of 82 km/h (51 mph) when stock. The upgraded torpedo travels slower at 56 km/h (35 mph), yet travel up to 14 km (8.7 mi). The G7a is packed with the equivalent of 358.4 kg TNT (790.1 lb. TNT), and strike at the waterline, meaning the torpedo will deal fatal damage to most maritime targets.

The S-38 can carry 6 WBD depth charges, which carry 130 kg TNT (286 lb TNT) of explosive power. When used skilfully, these charges can be used to deal away with pursuers, or destroy inattentive enemies.

Usage in battles

The S-38 is frequently used for rushing capture points. This is one use for the boat. The S-38 can be used to deliver surprise attacks, and deal away with targets behind enemy lines; the vessel is quick enough to speed past enemies and take "long ways" around enemy vessels. Using the S-38 in frontal, or even close, combat is not advisable. Though the main cannons traverse quickly and deal notable damage, the hull is too fragile to support sustained frontal engagements. It is also not advisable to engage more than one target at once. The S-38's cannons are not suited for fighting in numerical inferiority. Either chose lone targets, or operate in larger groups.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• 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 of 31

Cons:

• Hull offers minimal protection
• Key components are close together (ammo is near engines, radio room is near the bridge)
• Cannons have limited capacity per magazine
• Does not do well in numerical inferiority
• No anti-air cover beyond the main cannons

History

The S-38 was developed and built by the German Lürssen Werft in 1938/1939. In total, 8 units of the standard S-38 were built, followed by 16 units of the improved -B variant (see S-38b). Its main use was to protect German convoys in the Baltic Sea, as well as attacking Soviet ships. The S-38's plans were later used for the development of the Silbermöwe class in 1952.

The information below comes from the interrogation of the crew after their capture.

The S-38 was the lead ship of the S-38 class of Schnellboots (S-boots).

S-38 was laid down at Lürssen Yards, Vegesack, as one of the series of S-boots laid down in 1937-1938 (S-32 to S-45). S-38 was commissioned in mid-October, 1940. Her first assignment was to the 1st S-Flotilla, operating out of Kiel, as a replacement for S-19; S-19 had struck a mine in August and had to be towed to Calais.

On 9 November 1940, S-38 left Kiel for Borkum, travelling unaccompanied through the Kiel Canal. The ship spent the night in Borkum, and was then towed through the North Sea Canal from Delfzijl and Groningen to Zuyder Zee. She had to be towed through the canal because her minimum speed (even on only one engine) was 9 knots. S-38 arrived at Amsterdam and then proceeded through more canals to Rotterdam, arriving on 14 November 1940. No patrols were carried out until 19 November.

On 19 November 1940, S-38 and several other S-boots left Rotterdam at approximately 1700, and they separated at 2000. On this mission, S-38 was equipped with only 2 torpedoes in the tubes and two more at the ready. The crew described the mission as a patrol, with orders to sink any merchantman they found. S-38 reached the patrol area at 2130. The moon was shining brightly, but visibility was hindered by mist.

At 0158 BST on 20 November, HMS Campbell and HMS Garth (destroyers) sighted S-38 approximately 12 miles east of Southwold.

The crew of the S-38 first spotted one of the British destroyers to the starboard side. It seemed far away through the mist, but it soon became clear that it was steaming right towards them and was only 400 m away. S-38 sent out a message to another S-boot, warning them of the British ships.

S-38's commanding officer ordered the ship to turn starboard in order to fire the starboard torpedo tube. For some reason, the torpedo was unable to be fired immediately, so the ship was turned to port, as was the tactic after an attempted torpedo attack. During that turn, a torpedo was launched without aim, and it is unknown which torpedo tube fired. At that point, the Germans first saw the second British destroyers off the port side.

According to the German crew, the British had not spotted S-38 up until that point. Once they had spotted the S-boot, Campbell opened fire with close range weapons, hitting S-38's port side. The bow and the starboard torpedo tube were damaged, while the steering gear, lighting system, engine room telegraph and fuel tank were also hit. According to the crew, S-38 was hit by seven or eight shells.

In an attempt, the smoke generating system was turned on, but S-38 could only turn in a slight curve due to the damaged steering gear. The fuel tank caught fire, and one of the engines was knocked out. A few of the crew jumped overboard after the fire started.

With the intention of dropping depth charges into the path of the destroyers, a crewman ran aft, but was forced to abandon that plan after the British opened up with machine guns. The crew was forced to hit the deck and take cover behind whatever they could - mostly using the spare torpedoes - to avoid the machine gun fire. Campbell passed only 20 m in front of the bow of the ship, continuing to rake it with machine gun fire. Under such heavy fire, the crew of S-38 did not attempt to return fire.

Pinned down and caught in the beam of a British searchlight, the German commanding officer ordered the German war flag to be hauled down. The crew attempted to pull the wounded to the stern, as the ship was at that time sinking bow-first.

The S-38 sank at 0225; the crew claimed that the ship did not capsize, contradicting the British account of the action. Out of the crew of 23, 5 men were killed, with the other 18 being rescued by the British destroyers. Seven crew members and all three officers were wounded, while the other eight sailors were unharmed.

Media

Skins

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

See also

Related development

• S-38b

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