H.M.S. Otus in Sassnitz City Harbour on Rügen

The decommissioned British submarine “HMS Otus – S 18” of the Oberon Class is now moored at Sassnitz city harbour. It is one of the largest non-nuclear submarines. When submerged it displaces 2,410 t water. HMS Otus was commissioned in 1963. It served for 28 years.

It was opened to the public as a museum boat in Sassnitz in 2002. Today, it houses an extensive exhibition about life aboard a submarine. Authentic, impressive and unspoilt: an evocative story all about the secret world of submarines awaits you in the 28 mm thick pressure hull.

The exhibition begins in the imposing torpedo room in the foreship. 21 Tigerfish torpedoes with a range of 5,939 NM = 11,000 m and a speed of 40 kn = 74 km/h were stored there ready to be discharged.

The boat is divided into 5 sections by sealable bulkheads. The narrow berths and the mess table in the team room illustrate how bustling it must have been in such a confined space. The crew comprised 68 experienced sailors who had to rely on each other and trusted each other blindly.

Each crew member had their own berth but had to share a small wooden cupboard with several other sailors for their private wares. Each sailor had a maximum of 3 l of water per day, mainly used for eating, drinking and washing.

The crew was subjected to considerable physical and mental strains. Shifts of between 6 and 12 hours, dives of up to 300 m and deployments of several weeks at a time posed very special challenges.

Two thirds of the boat are dedicated to machinery, the operations room, and the propulsion and dive systems. Original gauges and transport and communications technology exhibits in a historical atmosphere will leave everyone aghast and mystified.

Visitors can take a look at Sassnitz harbour themselves through the attack periscope, once operated by the commander, and the naval surveillance periscope.