German submarine U-231
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-231 |
| Ordered: | 7 December 1940 |
| Builder: | Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft, Kiel |
| Yard number: | 661 |
| Laid down: | 30 January 1942 |
| Launched: | 1 October 1942 |
| Commissioned: | 14 November 1942 |
| Fate: | Sunk in January 1944[1] by a British aircraft |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Type VIIC submarine |
| Displacement: |
769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced 871 t (857 long tons) submerged |
| Length: |
67.1 m (220 ft 2 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: |
15,170 km (8,190 nmi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 150 km (81 nmi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged |
| Test depth: |
230 m (750 ft) Crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft) |
| Complement: | 44–52 officers and ratings |
| Armament: |
• 5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern) • 14 × G7e torpedoes or 26 TMA mines • 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun(220 rounds) • Various AA guns |
| Service record[2][3] | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
5th U-boat Flotilla (14 November 1942–30 April 1943) 3rd U-boat Flotilla (1 May 1944–13 January 1944) |
| Commanders: |
Kplt. Wolfgang Wenzel (14 November 1942–13 January 1944) |
| Operations: |
1st patrol: 13 April–31 May 1943 2nd patrol: 27 September–22 November 1943 3rd patrol: 26 December–13 January 1944 |
German submarine U-231 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
The submarine was laid down on 30 January 1942 at the Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft yard at Kiel as 'werk' 661, launched on 1 October, and commissioned on 14 November under the command of Kapitänleutnant Wolfgang Wenzel.[2]
After training with the 5th U-boat Flotilla at Kiel, U-231 was transferred to the 3rd U-boat Flotilla on 1 May 1943 which was based at La Pallice in France, for front-line service. In three war patrols, the U-boat sank or damaged no merchant ships. She was a member of 11 wolf packs.
U-231 was sunk on 13 January 1944 in the North Atlantic northeast of the Azores by a British aircraft.
Operational career
1st patrol
U-231 departed Kiel on 13 April 1943. On the 22nd, she was attacked on two occasions by Catalina aircraft of No. 190 Squadron RAF. Both attacks caused no damage, although a man was lost overboard during the first. She was then attacked on the 23rd (twice), the first of which resulted in a flooded conning tower. She was also attacked on 21 May by American Avenger aircraft from the carrier USS Bogue. The result was a chlorine gas leak and both radio transmitters being knocked out.
The boat reached La Pallice in occupied France on 31 May.
2nd patrol
This foray commenced from Bordeaux, took her to the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and terminated in La Pallice.
3rd patrol and loss
U-231 was sunk northeast of the Azores by depth charges from a Vickers Wellington of 172 Squadron on 13 January 1944. Seven men died, there were 47 survivors.
See also
- List of German U-boats
References
- Notes
- ↑ Kemp, Paul: U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars, 1999, Arms & Armour, ISBN 1-85409-515-3, p. 164
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "The Type VIIC boat U-231 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". uboat.net. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
- ↑ "War Patrols by German U-boat U-231 - Boats - uboat.net". uboat.net. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
- Bibliography
External links
- U-231 at u-boot-archiv.de (German)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||