German submarine U-218

Career
Name: U-218
Ordered: 16 February 1940
Builder: Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft, Kiel
Yard number: 650
Laid down: 17 March 1941
Launched: 5 December 1941
Commissioned: 24 January 1942
Fate: Sunk, 4 December 1945
General characteristics
Type: Type VIID submarine
Displacement: 965 long tons (980 t) surfaced
1,080 long tons (1,097 t) submerged
Length: 76.9 m (252 ft 4 in) o/a
59.8 m (196 ft 2 in) pressure hull
Beam: 6.4 m (21 ft 0 in) o/a
4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Draft: 5 m (16 ft 5 in)
Propulsion: 2 × supercharged Germaniawerft, 6-cylinder, 4-stroke F46 diesel engines totalling 2,800–3,200 bhp (2,100–2,400 kW). Max rpm: 470-490
2 × AEG GU 460/8-276 electric motors, totalling 750 shp (560 kW). Max rpm: 285
Speed: 16.7 knots (19.2 mph; 30.9 km/h) surfaced
7.9 knots (9.1 mph; 14.6 km/h) submerged
Range: 20,720 km (11,190 nmi) at 10 kn (19 km/h) surfaced
130 km (70 nmi) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h) submerged
Test depth: 200 m (660 ft)
Crush depth: 220–240 m (720–790 ft)
Complement: 46–52 officers & ratings
Armament: • 5 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 1 stern)
• 14 × torpedoes or 26 × TMA or 39 × TMB tube-launched mines
• 5 × vertical launchers with 15 SMA mines
• 1 × C35 88mm gun/L45 deck gun (220 rounds)
• 2 × C30 20 mm AA (4,380 rounds)
Service record[1][2]
Part of: 5th U-boat Flotilla
(24 January–31 August 1942)
9th U-boat Flotilla
(1 September 1942–30 September 1944)
8th U-boat Flotilla
(1 October 1944–1 March 1945)
11th U-boat Flotilla
(1 March–8 May 1945)
Commanders: Kptlt. Richard Becker
(24 January 1942–August 1944)
Kptlt. Rupprecht Stock
(August 1944–8 May 1945)
Operations: 1st patrol: 28 August–29 September 1942
2nd patrol: 25 October–21 November 1942
3rd patrol: 7 January–10 March 1943
4th patrol: 20 April–2 June 1943
5th patrol: 29 July–6 August 1943
6th patrol: 19 September–8 December 1943
7th patrol: 12 February–7 May 1944
8th patrol: 13 June–10 July 1944
9th patrol: 10 August–23 September 1944
10th patrol: 22 March–8 May 1945
Victories: 2 commercial ships sunk (346 GRT)
1 auxiliary warship sunk (352 GRT)
1 commercial ship damaged (7,361 GRT)
1 auxiliary warship damaged (7,177 GRT)

German submarine U-218 was a Type VIID mine-laying U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II.

Commissioned on 24 January 1942, she served with the 5th U-boat Flotilla (U-boat flotilla), a training unit, 9th U-boat Flotilla from 1 September 1942 to 30 September 1944, 8th U-boat Flotilla, a training unit and finally with 11th U-boat Flotilla from 1 March 1945 to 8 May 1945.

Service history

U-218 completed 10 patrols (mostly mine-laying) sinking two ships totalling 552 gross register tons (GRT), damaged two ships (including one tanker) totalling 14,538 GRT, and damaged one auxiliary warship totalling 7,117 GRT. U-218 is also responsible for sinking the last British ship to be sunk as the result of World War II. The steam fishing vessel Kurd was sunk on 10 July 1945 after hitting a mine laid by U-218 in August 1944 off Lizard Head.

U-218 was damaged on her fifth patrol by an RAF Wellington bomber. U-218 surrendered in Bergen, Norway on 8 May 1945, and sank while under tow to the scuttling grounds of Operation Deadlight on 4 December 1945.

The wreck was identified by marine archaeologist Innes McCartney in 2001 off Malin Head.

References

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See also