| Career | |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-503 |
| Ordered: | 25 September 1939 |
| Builder: | Deutsche Werft, Hamburg |
| Yard number: | 293 |
| Laid down: | 29 April 1940 |
| Launched: | 5 April 1941 |
| Commissioned: | 10 July 1941 |
| Fate: | Sunk, 15 March 1942 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Type IXC submarine |
| Displacement: | 1,120 t (1,100 long tons) surfaced 1,232 t (1,213 long tons) submerged |
| Length: | 76.8 m (252 ft 0 in) o/a 58.7 m (192 ft 7 in) pressure hull |
| Beam: | 6.8 m (22 ft 4 in) o/a 4.4 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull |
| Height: | 9.4 m (30 ft 10 in) |
| Draft: | 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × MAN M9V40/46 supercharged 9-cylinder diesel engines, 4,400 hp (3,281 kW) 2 × SSW GU345/34 double-acting electric motors, 1,000 hp (746 kW) |
| Speed: | 18.2 knots (33.7 km/h) surfaced 7.7 knots (14.3 km/h) submerged |
| Range: | 24,880 nmi (46,080 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) surfaced 117 nmi (217 km) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h) submerged |
| Test depth: | 230 m (750 ft) |
| Complement: | 48 to 56 |
| Armament: | • 6 × torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern) • 22 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedoes • 1 × Utof 105 mm/45 deck gun (110 rounds) • AA guns |
| Service record[1][2] | |
| Part of: | 2nd U-boat Flotilla (10 July 1941–15 March 1942) |
| Commanders: | Kptlt. Otto Gericke (10 July 1941–15 March 1942) |
| Operations: | 1st patrol: 28 February–15 March 1942 |
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-503 was a Type IXC U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 29 April 1940 at the Deutsche Werft yard at Hamburg, launched on 5 April 1941, and commissioned on 10 July 1941 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Otto Gericke.
U-503's first and only active war patrol began at Bergen on 28 February 1942, following two previous port to port sailings.[2] The U-boat was sunk on 15 March by depth charges dropped by a PBO-1 Hudson of United States Navy squadron VP-82 south-east of Newfoundland, in position .[1]
The aircraft, from Argentia, was escorting Convoy ON-72. The PBO-1 Hudsons were twenty Hudson Mk.IIIA aircraft diverted from Lend-Lease to equip VP-82, and sank the first two U-boats sunk by US forces, U-656 on 1 March 1942 and then U-503.[1]
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