Information about Springeren

The SPRINGEREN was armed with eight torpedoes which could be fired through four 53 cm bow torpedo tubes. During the two World Wars the commander of a submarine had to aim with the boat, when firing torpedoes. It was a difficult operation where the speed of target as well as the speed of the torpedo had to be taken into consideration. The SPRINGEREN was supplied with a so-called TCI-firing-system – a wire guided system, by means of which the torpedoes could be guided en route and fired at a considerably longer distance.

Her crew consisted of 33 men: 8 officers and 25 petty officers and sailors.
To give our guests an impression of the life on board a submarine, all the technical installations on board the SPRINGEREN have been preserved with the exception of the 224 batteries (weighting 100 ton). The illusion of being in an operational submarine is supported by a soundtrack of the noise and communication normally occurring in a submarine. Every 15 minutes the diving alarm is sounded, the lights are extinguished, and the red night lighting is turned on.

Entering the submarine visitors come into the forward torpedo room, which also served as sleeping and living quarters for the crew. For the comfort of our guests, we have removed several bunks, tables and benches. Normally there would be 13 bunks (2 men shared one bunk, as half of the crew was on duty) and tables/benches for 26 men. In the room you will also see the equipment for emergency-supply of oxygen, to be used if the boat was wrecked, and flooded, ready for crew-escape.

Passing through a watertight door you enter a passage with the wardroom for 8 officers on the port side. The toilets and the galley are on the starboard side. Further on, you will find the sonar-, the radar- and the radio rooms. There is also a rack with suitcases in the passage. Submariners literally ”live in a suitcase” .The TCI-system and the radar mast are at the entrance to the combat room. In the combat room there are two periscopes, one for navigation and one for attacking. The plotting board is placed between the two helmsmen’s chairs. The vertical-helmsman is placed aft at the port side, while the horizontal-helmsman is in the front. Through the second watertight door you will enter the engine room and leave the boat from the starboard side.

During your visit you will have gained a first-hand impression of daily life on board a submarine. You have seen the rough and cramped conditions under which the crew had to live and work – sometimes for weeks. It requires a special attitude of mind and a lot of adaptability to work in a submarine, and the crew had to be very skilled and familiar with all installations. Training of submarine-officers and –commanders took considerably time.

It is obvious why we consider the SPRINGEREN to be the main attraction of the museum. With this submarine Springeren – Maritimt Oplevelsescenter has preserved a splendid example of Danish shipbuilding know-how. An expertise and know-how now disappearing, since the political defense agreements from 2005 definitively abolish the submarines from the Danish navy – regardless of the fact, that our coastal submarines have proved to fulfill the requirements of NATO´s fight against terror.