Unterseeboot 2322
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| U-2322 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Type | XXIII
|
||
| Launch Date | April 30, 1944 | ||
| Commission Date | July 1, 1944 | ||
| Construction yard | Deutsche Werft, Hamburg | ||
| Patrols | |||
| Start Date | End Date | Assigned Unit | |
| No Patrols | 4th Flotilla | ||
| No Patrols | 32nd Flotilla | ||
| February 6, 1945 | March 3, 1945 | 11th Flotilla | |
| April 4, 1945 | April 30, 1945 | 11th Flotilla | |
| Commanders | |||
| March, 1944 | May, 1945 | Kptlt. Fridtjof Heckel | |
| Successes | |||
| Type of Ship Sunk | Number of Ships Sunk | Gross Registered Tonnage | |
| Commercial Vessels | 1 | 1,317 | |
| Military Vessels | None | 0 | |
Unterseeboot 2322, or more commonly U-2322 was a highly advanced German Type XXIII submarine built for the Kriegsmarine in 1944. U-2322 was one of just a few such boats to undertake an operational patrol, and one of just three to undergo two. During these patrols, she succeeded in sinking a single British freighter, one of just five ships sunk by this submarine class.
U-2321 was built at Hamburg in Just four months, being ready by July 1944. As a prototype of a new class of boats, she was not ready for active service until 1945, as there were numerous engineering difficulties to contend with and the crew had to be trained to manage the new boat and new operational tactics practised and decided on. When she was finally ready for a war patrol in February 1945, it was more as an experiment into the abilities of the boat than a real attempt to damaged allied shipping.
[edit] War Patrol
Leaving Horten in Norway on the 6 February, U-2322 proceeded to the East coast of [[{Scotland]], particularly in the area of St Abbs Head, where lone coastal shipping sometimes passed, believing that German U-boats would not bother waiting in such a dangerous spot for such insignificant prey. This plan finally worked on the 25 February, when the 1,300 ton coastal cruiser SS Egholm was sunk by a torpedo [1]. This first and only success for U-2322 was achieved in the dark off Holy Island. The rest of this patrol was unsuccessful.
The second patrol, off East Anglia in April was totally fruitless, powerful allied escorts and well-organised convoys effectively cutting off the small U-boats from their potential targets. The only advantage gained in these patrols was that no XXIII type boat was lost in the North Sea, all losses coming in German waters from indirect sources like accident, bombing raids and naval mines.
When Germany surrendered, U-2322 was at Stavanger in Norway, from where it sailed to Loch Ryan in Scotland for disposal in Operation Deadlight. Towed out to sea on the 27 November, the unmaintained and rusting boat was destroyed as a naval gunnery target.
[edit] Raiding career
| Date | Ship | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 February 1945 | SS Egholm | British | 1,317 | Sunk |
[edit] References
- Sharpe, Peter, U-Boat Fact File, Midland Publishing, Great Britain: 1998. ISBN 185780072.
- U-boat.net webpage for U-2322
See Also: List of U-boats
