German submarine U-1023
 The U-1023 in Plymouth harbour, May 1945 | |
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-1023 |
| Ordered: | 13 June 1942 [1] |
| Builder: | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg [1] |
| Yard number: | 223 [1] |
| Laid down: | 20 May 1943 [1] |
| Launched: | 3 May 1944 [1] |
| Commissioned: | 15 June 1944 [1] |
| Fate: | Surrendered to Allies at Weymouth [1] |
| 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 50.9 m (167 ft 0 in) pressure hull |
| Beam: |
6.85 m (22 ft 6 in) o/a 5 m (16 ft 5 in) pressure hull |
| Draft: | 5 m (16 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion: |
2 × supercharged Germaniawerft 6-cylinder, 4-stroke F46 diesels totalling 2,800–3,200 hp (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: |
15,170 km (8,190 nmi) at 10 kn (19 km/h) surfaced 150 km (81 nmi) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h) submerged |
| Test depth: |
230 m (750 ft) Calculated crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft) |
| Complement: | 44-52 officers & ratings |
| Armament: |
5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 1 stern) 14 × torpedoes 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun (220 rounds) |
| Service record | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
Kriegsmarine 31st U-boat Flotilla (Training), 16 September 1943–31 May 1944 |
| Commanders: |
Oberleutnant zur See Wolfgang Strenger, 15 June 1944–9 March 1945 |
| Operations: | 1 patrol[1] |
| Victories: |
1 warship sunk for 335 gross register tons (GRT) |
German submarine U-1023 was a Type VIIC/41 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine. She was laid down on 20 May 1943 by Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, Germany, and commissioned on 15 June 1944 with Oberleutnant Wolfgang Strenger in command. U-1023 sank one ship and damaged one more for a total of 7680 gross register tons. After the war she was sunk in Operation Deadlight.
Construction and design
U-1023 was ordered by the Kriegsmarine on 13 June 1942. She was laid down about one year later at Blohm & Voss, Hamburg on 20 May 1943. Almost a year later, U-1023 was launched from Hamburg on 3 May 1944. She was formally commissioned later that year on 15 July. U-1023 carried 5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (4 located in the bow, 1 in the stern) and had one 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun with 220 rounds. She could also carry 14 G7e torpedoes or 26 TMA mines and had a crew of 44–52 men. She was one of the U-boats that used the Schnorchel underwater breathing apparatus.[1]
Service history
After her redesignation as a front-line U-boat, U-1023 left port on her first and only patrol. By that time, she had moved from Kiel to her current location in Bergen via a stopover in Horten on two minor patrols. After she left on her first patrol, U-1023 intercepted the Riverton, a 7,345 tonnes (7,229 long tons) British steam merchant. She was damaged and beached off of St. Ives Bay. Later, U-1023 found the 335 ton Norwegian minesweeper NYMS 382, which was sunk with 22 dead. Three days later, the ship surrendered at Weymouth, England.[2] After the war she was paraded up the west cost of the UK visiting a number of ports including: Plymouth, Brixham, Falmouth, Bristol, Swansea, Liverpool, Holyhead, Manchester, Fleetwood, Belfast, Glasgow, Greenock, Rothsay, Oban. Several hundred thousand visitors were given a tour of the boat during this time.[3] U-1023 was then used in Operation Deadlight and sunk by the Allies.[1]
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 1.10 1.11 1.12 Helgason, Guðmundur. "U-1023". German U-boats of WWII. Uboat.net. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur (U-boat patrols). "Patrol of U-boat U-1023 from 1 March 1945 to 10 May 1945". uboat.net. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
- ↑ My Grandfather Bob Brown who was Chief engineer on board during the tour.
See also
- List of U-boats
- German U-boat bases in occupied Norway
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