German submarine U-1021
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-1021 |
| Ordered: | 13 June 1942 |
| Builder: | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
| Yard number: | 221 |
| Laid down: | 6 May 1943 |
| Launched: | 13 April 1944 |
| Commissioned: | 25 May 1944 |
| Fate: | Sunk, 14 March 1945 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Type VIIC/41 submarine |
| Displacement: |
769 long tons (781 t) surfaced 871 long tons (885 t) submerged |
| Length: |
67.23 m (220 ft 7 in) o/a 50.5 m (165 ft 8 in) pressure hull |
| Beam: |
6.2 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull |
| Draft: | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 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 × electric motors, totalling 750 shp (560 kW) and max rpm: 296. |
| Speed: |
17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged |
| Range: |
15,725 km (8,491 nmi) at 10 kn (19 km/h) surfaced 150 km (81 nmi) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h) submerged |
| Test depth: |
250 m (820 ft) Crush depth: 275–325 m (902–1,066 ft) |
| Complement: | 44–52 officers & ratings |
| Armament: |
5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 1 stern) 14 × torpedoes or 26 TMA mines 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun (220 rounds) Various AA guns |
| Service record[1][2] | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
31st U-boat Flotilla (25 May–30 November 1944) 11th U-boat Flotilla (1 December 1944–14 March 1945) |
| Commanders: |
Oblt.z.S. William Holpert (25 May 1944–14 March 1945) |
| Operations: | 1st patrol: 20 February–14 March 1945 |
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-1021 was a Type VIIC/41 U-boat of the German Navy (Kriegsmarine) during World War II.
Laid down on 6 May 1943 at the Blohm & Voss yard in Hamburg, the submarine was launched on 13 April 1944, and commissioned on 25 May 1944, under the command of Oberleutnant zur See William Holpert.
Service history
U-1021 served with 31st U-boat Flotilla, a training unit, and later with 11th U-boat Flotilla from 1 December 1944 until its disappearance in March 1945.
Patrol and loss
U-1021 sailed from Bergen on 20 February 1945 and headed for the waters around Land's End.[3]
U-1021 was presumed to have been sunk on 30 March 1945 in The Minch in the Hebrides, by depth charges from the British frigates Rupert and Conn.[4]
Discovery
However, the wreck of U-1021 was identified by nautical archaeologist Innes McCartney and historian Axel Niestle in December 2006, 7 nautical miles (13 km) off Newquay, Cornwall, at position 50°33.3′N 5°11.6′W / 50.5550°N 5.1933°WCoordinates: 50°33.3′N 5°11.6′W / 50.5550°N 5.1933°W, close to two other U-boats, U-325 and U-400. Further research by Innes McCartney led to the conclusion that all three submarines were sunk in the Bristol Channel by a deep-trap minefield.[4] Minefield "HW A3", which was fatal to the U-1021, was laid by HMS Apollo on 3 December 1944.[5]
The attack of 30 March 1945 previously assumed to have sunk U-1021 is now believed to have sunk U-965.[4]
References
- Notes
- ↑ "The Type VIIC/41 boat U-1021 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
- ↑ "War Patrols by German U-boat U-1021 - Boats - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
- ↑ "Patrol of U-boat U-1021 from 20 Feb 1945 to 14 Mar 1945 - U-boat patrols - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "War Mystery Solved". www.cix.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-01-06.
- ↑ "The loss of U 325, U 400 and U 1021: Re-assessment of German U-boat losses in World War II". uboat.net. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
- Bibliography
External links
- "Geheimes Minenfeld: Drei deutsche U-Boote vor britischer Küste gefunden". www.spiegel.de. Retrieved 2010-01-04. (German)
- "The loss of U-325, U-400 and U-1021". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 2010-01-04.
See also
- List of German U-boats
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