The six Type 23 torpedo boats (also known as the Raubvogel (German:"Bird of prey") class) were developed from earlier designs shortly after World War I and came into service in 1926 and 1927.
All built by the Naval Dockyard at Wilhelmshaven, they were named Albatross, Falke, Greif, Kondor, Möwe and Seeadler.
Despite the innovations, and unlike contemporary German destroyers, the Raubvogels were successful sea-boats, although limited to coastal waters, and most remained in service until 1944, by which time all had been lost.
All six were again built by the Wilhelmshaven Naval Dockyard, and were named Iltis, Jaguar, Leopard, Luchs, Tiger and Wolf.
Speed and range were improved, but otherwise, they displayed the same good and bad points as the Raubvogels and experienced similar operational conditions and upgrades.
In practice these ships were overweight, though still too light to be seaworthy, while their high pressure turbines were unreliable and difficult to repair and maintain.
The 1939 Type (sometimes referred to as the Elbings) were classed as "Fleet torpedo boats" (Flottentorpedoboot) and were a radical design departure from their predecessors – being larger and with a more balanced mix of weapons, in order to accomplish multiple mission types not typically expected of traditional torpedo boats.
Twelve were ordered in 1940–1941, and numbered T61 to T72; but only eight were laid down by 1942 of which three were launched (the other five were destroyed on the slips); in 1944 these three incomplete ships (T61, T63 and T65) were transferred to the Baltic Sea to be completed, and T61 was torpedoed off the West Frisian Islands in September 1944, while the other two were captured by the Allies at Kiel and scuttled after the war.
The 1941 Type Fleet torpedo boat was an improvement of the 1939 class with more powerful engines and additional anti-aircraft artillery was added.
Additionally, some small destroyers and torpedo boats captured from Norway and Denmark were given names instead of TA prefixes.