German submarine U-263
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-263 |
| Ordered: | 15 August 1941 |
| Builder: | Bremer-Vulkan-Vegesacker Werft, Bremen |
| Yard number: | 28 |
| Laid down: | 8 June 1941 |
| Launched: | 18 March 1942 |
| Commissioned: | 6 May 1942 |
| Fate: | Sunk, in January 1944 in the Bay of Biscay during a deep dive trial[1] |
| 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: |
Two × 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: |
8th U-boat Flotilla (6 May–31 October 1942) 1st U-boat Flotilla (1 November 1942–20 January 1944) |
| Commanders: |
Krvkpt. Kurt Nölke (6 May 1942–December 1942) (1943–20 January 1944) |
| Operations: |
Two patrols: 27 October–29 November 1942 19 January–20 January 1942 |
| Victories: | Two |
German submarine U-263 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 8 June 1941 at the Bremer-Vulkan-Vegesacker Werft (yard) in Bremen as 'werk' 28. She was launched on 18 March 1942 and commissioned on 6 May under the command of Kapitänleutnant Kurt Nölke.[2]
In two patrols, she sank two ships of 12,376 GRT. She was a member of one wolf pack.
She was sunk in January 1944 in the Bay of Biscay, during a deep dive trial.
Service history
After training with the 8th U-boat Flotilla, the boat became operational on 1 November 1942 when she was transferred to the 1st flotilla.
1st patrol
U-263's first patrol began when she departed Kiel on 27 October 1942. She entered the Atlantic Ocean after negotiating the 'gap' between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. There followed a series of attacks west of Gibraltar, first by the U-boat on two freighters, then on the submarine by surface ships (on 20 November), aircraft (on 24 November) and a submarine (on 26 November), all of which she was lucky to survive. Even so, the damage sustained needed 13 months of repairs. She arrived at La Pallice / La Rochelle in occupied France on 29 November.
2nd patrol and loss
The boat departed La Pallice on 19 January 1942. She was sunk the next day in the Bay of Biscay during a deep dive trial.
Fifty-one men died; there were no survivors.
Summary of Raiding Career
| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Displacement | Fate[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 November 1942 | Grangepark |  United Kingdom |
5,132 | Sunk |
| 20 November 1942 | Prins Harald |  Norway |
7,244 | Sunk |
References
- Notes
- ↑ http://uboat.net/boats/u263/htm
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "The Type VIIC boat U-263 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". uboat.net. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ↑ "War Patrols by German U-boat U-263 - Boats - uboat.net". uboat.net. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
- ↑ http://www.uboat.net/boats/successes/u263.html
- Bibliography
External links
See also
- List of German U-boats
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