Biber-class midget submarine, 1944 class of German submarines
The Biber submarine is a small warship from Germany that was used in World War II and is now displayed as a museum piece in Kristiansand. It measures roughly 9 meters (30 feet) in length and consists of three bolted steel sections with a small tower and armored windows.
The submarine was developed in early 1944 in less than six weeks after capturing a British mini-submarine in Norway. A total of 324 units were built, but most were lost during attacks on ships off Belgium, the Netherlands, and France.
The name comes from the German word for beaver, an animal that disappears quickly underwater. Visitors today can see how tight and simple the interior was, where a single pilot worked in constant danger.
Access to the exhibit is usually straightforward, and visitors can walk around the craft to see all sides. Information panels explain the technical features and operational history of the vessel.
Many crew members died from carbon monoxide poisoning because the cheap petrol engine inside produced deadly fumes. One of the preserved boats was discovered off Dover after the crew suffocated from these fumes.
Location: Kristiansund
Inception: 1944
Length: 9.035 m
GPS coordinates: 63.09950,7.89637
Latest update: December 5, 2025 13:25
These preserved submarines open their hatches to visitors who want to see where sailors lived and fought beneath the ocean surface. From World War II patrol boats that hunted across the Pacific to the first nuclear-powered vessel that changed naval history forever, each submarine reveals the cramped reality of underwater service. You walk through narrow steel corridors, peer into bunks stacked three high, and stand where officers once studied charts and gave orders in near silence. The collection includes vessels from harbors across the United States and around the world, each one a working museum where the instruments, torpedo tubes, and engine rooms remain as they were during active duty. Some of these submarines sank enemy warships and rescued Allied prisoners during the Second World War. Others served through the Cold War, carrying crews on patrols that lasted weeks without seeing daylight. A few pushed the limits of technology, proving that nuclear reactors could power a vessel across thousands of miles and even under the polar ice. Whether docked in a busy port or resting beside a quiet lake, these submarines bring you face to face with the men who descended into the deep, closed the hatch, and did their work in spaces smaller than a city bus.
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