NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw
Encyclopedia
NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw (Dutch: engineer-office for shipbuilding), usually contracted to IvS, was a Dutch
dummy company
set up by the Reichsmarineamt after World War I
in order to maintain and develop German
submarine
know-how and to circumvent the limitations set by the Treaty of Versailles
. The company designed several submarine types for paying countries, including the Soviet S class submarine
and the prototypes for the German Type II submarine
and the German Type VII submarine
.
The company was a joint venture by the German shipyards AG Vulcan and the Krupp
-owned Germaniawerft in Kiel
and AG Weser
in Bremen
. Design work was carried out at the facilities of these companies in Germany.
. IvS first constructed two submarines for Spain
, which were later sold to Turkey
, both of which were launched in 1927 and were closely based on the Type UBIII
of the Kaiserliche Marine
. In 1927-1933 five IvS submarine designs were built in Finland. One of them was CV 707, later Vesikko
, which was the prototype of type IIA.
The contracts were worded in such a way that IvS personnel were involved with crew training and selection, and were allowed to take part in boat service trials. The Germans — who were, at the time, tightly restricted from using their submarines for themselves — thus gained a first-hand knowledge of how their new prototypes worked in practice.
treaty of 1918. This treaty, among other terms, demanded that all of the German U-boats be destroyed or given to other nations. Thus the German Navy
was left without a submarine capacity, and IvS was created to get around these restrictions. IvS ultimately provided the foundations of the navy that Germany used in World War II
.
. This program involved provision for a small fleet of eight 500 ton submarines. This number was later doubled to 16.
Later, Germany developed plans for an actual navy. The projected designs for the boats that were to be the composition of this navy were referred to as 'Experimental Motor Boats'.
Deutsche Werke in Kiel was elected to build the new submarines, and a new U-boat base was to be built at Kiel-Dietrichsdorf. There component materials were gathered surreptitiously, in preparation for the order to begin production. The program foresaw the following submarine types being built:
From there, more boats were constructed, and further on World War II itself began.
s. Battlecruisers were deemed by some to be essential for the defence of the Dutch East Indies
against possible Japanese expansion, especially so because the Royal Netherlands Navy
lacked any large surface ships. The designs were heavily based on the German Gneisenau class and the final design was similar to the IvS design, because the Germans were expected to at least furnish the gun turrets for these ships, as constructing them was beyond Dutch capabilities. In the end, political disagreements slowed down the decision making process to April and none of the projected ships were laid down, as on May 10th 1940 the Germans invaded the Netherlands. Most likely, these ships would not have been completed even if they had been laid down sometime earlier.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
dummy company
Front organization
A front organization is any entity set up by and controlled by another organization, such as intelligence agencies, organized crime groups, banned organizations, religious or political groups, advocacy groups, or corporations...
set up by the Reichsmarineamt after World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in order to maintain and develop German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
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...
know-how and to circumvent the limitations set by the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
. The company designed several submarine types for paying countries, including the Soviet S class submarine
Soviet S class submarine
The S-class or Srednyaya submarines were part of the Soviet Navy's underwater fleet during World War II. Unofficially nicknamed Stalinets , boats of this class were the most successful and achieved the most significant victories among all Soviet submarines...
and the prototypes for the German Type II submarine
German Type II submarine
The Type II U-boat was designed by Germany as a coastal U-boat, modeled after the CV-707 submarine, which was designed by the Dutch dummy company NV Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag and built in 1933 by the...
and the German Type VII submarine
German Type VII submarine
Type VII U-boats were the most common type of German World War II U-boat. The Type VII was based on earlier German submarine designs going back to the World War I Type UB III, designed through the Dutch dummy company Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag which was set up by Germany after...
.
The company was a joint venture by the German shipyards AG Vulcan and the Krupp
Krupp
The Krupp family , a prominent 400-year-old German dynasty from Essen, have become famous for their steel production and for their manufacture of ammunition and armaments. The family business, known as Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th...
-owned Germaniawerft in Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
and AG Weser
AG Weser
Aktien-Gesellschaft Weser was one of the great German shipbuilding companies, located at the Weser River in Bremen. Founded in 1873 it was finally closed in 1983. Altogether, AG Weser built about 1400 ships of different types, including many war ships...
in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
. Design work was carried out at the facilities of these companies in Germany.
Submarine sales
The company was funded by the German NavyGerman Navy
The German Navy is the navy of Germany and is part of the unified Bundeswehr .The German Navy traces its roots back to the Imperial Fleet of the revolutionary era of 1848 – 52 and more directly to the Prussian Navy, which later evolved into the Northern German Federal Navy...
. IvS first constructed two submarines for Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, which were later sold to Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, both of which were launched in 1927 and were closely based on the Type UBIII
German type UB III submarine
The Type UB III submarine was a class of U-boat built during World War I by the Kaiserliche Marine.UB III boats carried 10 torpedoes and were armed with one 88 mm deck gun. They carried a crew of 34 and had a cruising range of around 9,000 miles...
of the Kaiserliche Marine
Kaiserliche Marine
The Imperial German Navy was the German Navy created at the time of the formation of the German Empire. It existed between 1871 and 1919, growing out of the small Prussian Navy and Norddeutsche Bundesmarine, which primarily had the mission of coastal defense. Kaiser Wilhelm II greatly expanded...
. In 1927-1933 five IvS submarine designs were built in Finland. One of them was CV 707, later Vesikko
Vesikko
Vesikko is a Vesikko-class submarine, which was launched on 10 May 1933 at the Crichton-Vulcan dock in Turku. Until year 1936 it was named by its manufacturing codename CV 707. Vesikko was ordered by a Dutch engineering company Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw in 1930 as a commercial submarine...
, which was the prototype of type IIA.
The contracts were worded in such a way that IvS personnel were involved with crew training and selection, and were allowed to take part in boat service trials. The Germans — who were, at the time, tightly restricted from using their submarines for themselves — thus gained a first-hand knowledge of how their new prototypes worked in practice.
Background information
At the time of IvS, the Germans were bound by the ArmisticeArmistice
An armistice is a situation in a war where the warring parties agree to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, but may be just a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace...
treaty of 1918. This treaty, among other terms, demanded that all of the German U-boats be destroyed or given to other nations. Thus the German Navy
Reichsmarine
The Reichsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Weimar Republic and first two years of Nazi Germany. It was the naval branch of the Reichswehr, existing from 1918 to 1935...
was left without a submarine capacity, and IvS was created to get around these restrictions. IvS ultimately provided the foundations of the navy that Germany used in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Later projects
In 1933 Germany established a school for training Unterseeboot crews, ironically under the title 'Anti-Submarine Defence School,' or in their tongue, Unterseebootsabwehrschule. This school was established in KielKiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
. This program involved provision for a small fleet of eight 500 ton submarines. This number was later doubled to 16.
Later, Germany developed plans for an actual navy. The projected designs for the boats that were to be the composition of this navy were referred to as 'Experimental Motor Boats'.
Deutsche Werke in Kiel was elected to build the new submarines, and a new U-boat base was to be built at Kiel-Dietrichsdorf. There component materials were gathered surreptitiously, in preparation for the order to begin production. The program foresaw the following submarine types being built:
- 1934 – two large, 800 ton boats and two small 250-ton boats.
- 1935 – four small 250 ton boats
- 1936 – two large 800 ton boats and six 250 ton boats
- 1937 – two large 800 ton boats and six 250 ton boats
From there, more boats were constructed, and further on World War II itself began.
Battlecruisers
The IvS was also involved in designing plans for a Dutch project to build battlecruiserBattlecruiser
Battlecruisers were large capital ships built in the first half of the 20th century. They were developed in the first decade of the century as the successor to the armoured cruiser, but their evolution was more closely linked to that of the dreadnought battleship...
s. Battlecruisers were deemed by some to be essential for the defence of the Dutch East Indies
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies was a Dutch colony that became modern Indonesia following World War II. It was formed from the nationalised colonies of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Netherlands government in 1800....
against possible Japanese expansion, especially so because the Royal Netherlands Navy
Royal Netherlands Navy
The Koninklijke Marine is the navy of the Netherlands. In the mid-17th century the Dutch Navy was the most powerful navy in the world and it played an active role in the wars of the Dutch Republic and later those of the Batavian Republic and the Kingdom of the Netherlands...
lacked any large surface ships. The designs were heavily based on the German Gneisenau class and the final design was similar to the IvS design, because the Germans were expected to at least furnish the gun turrets for these ships, as constructing them was beyond Dutch capabilities. In the end, political disagreements slowed down the decision making process to April and none of the projected ships were laid down, as on May 10th 1940 the Germans invaded the Netherlands. Most likely, these ships would not have been completed even if they had been laid down sometime earlier.