The V-80 was a 1939 German Navy

Kriegsmarine

The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...

 76-ton experimental submarine

Submarine

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...

 and the only representative of the German Type V design.

The prototype was completed in 1940 in Germaniawerft

Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft

Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft was a German shipbuilding company, located in the harbour at Kiel, and one of the largest and most important builders of U-boats for the Kaiserliche Marine in World War I and the Kriegsmarine in World War II.-History:The company was founded in 1867 by Lloyd Foster, as...

 in Kiel. The 4 man vessel was designed to test the Walter

Hellmuth Walter

Hellmuth Walter was a German engineer who pioneered research into rocket engines and gas turbines...

 hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is the simplest peroxide and an oxidizer. Hydrogen peroxide is a clear liquid, slightly more viscous than water. In dilute solution, it appears colorless. With its oxidizing properties, hydrogen peroxide is often used as a bleach or cleaning agent...

-based turbine propulsion system. Its range was 50 nautical miles (93 km) at 28 knots (52 km/h).

The only earlier attempt in the use of anaerobic air-independent propulsion

Air-independent propulsion

Air-independent propulsion is a term that encompasses technologies which allow a submarine to operate without the need to surface or use a snorkel to access atmospheric oxygen. The term usually excludes the use of nuclear power, and describes augmenting or replacing the diesel-electric propulsion...

 system was in the 1864 Spanish Ictineo II

Ictineo II

Ictineo II was a pioneering submarine launched in 1864 by Spanish inventor Narcís Monturiol i Estarriol, and was the first combustion engine-driven submarine, propelled by an early form of air-independent propulsion...

submarine launched by Spanish inventor Narcís Monturiol i Estarriol

Narcís Monturiol i Estarriol

Narcís Monturiol Estarriol was a Spanish Catalan intellectual, artist and engineer. He was the inventor of the first combustion engine-driven submarine, which was propelled by an early form of air-independent propulsion....

, also pioneering the first combustion engine use.

This midget submarine

Midget submarine

A midget submarine is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to 6 or 8, with little or no on-board living accommodation...

 led to the design of the German Type XVII submarine.