German submarine U-268
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-268 |
| Ordered: | 20 January 1941 |
| Builder: | Bremer Vulkan, Bremen-Vegesack |
| Yard number: | 33 |
| Laid down: | 4 September 1941 |
| Launched: | 9 June 1942 |
| Commissioned: | 29 July 1942 |
| Fate: | Sunk by a British aircraft, February 1943 |
| 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). 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 × 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: |
8th U-boat Flotilla (29 July 1942–31 January 1943) 1st U-boat Flotilla (1–19 February 1943) |
| Commanders: |
Oblt.z.S.. Ernst Heydemann (29 July 1942–19 February 1943) |
| Operations: | 1st patrol: 10 January–19 February 1943 |
| Victories: |
One commercial ship sunk (14,547 GRT) Three warships sunk (lost aboard transport ship) (873 GRT) |
German submarine U-268 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during World War II.
Commissioned on 29 July 1942, she served with the 8th U-boat Flotilla for training and later served with the 1st U-boat Flotilla from 1 to 19 February 1943.
Service history
U-268 departed Bergen on 10 January 1943 on her first and only patrol. She sank the 14,547 GRT ship Vestfold, which was laden with 17,386 tons of fuel oil, and three British landing craft - HMS LCT-2239, LCT-2267 and LCT-2344 (each 291 tons) - as deck cargo. Before sinking, Vestfold, which had been abandoned with her engines still running, steamed in circles, almost colliding with another ship.[3]
U-268 was sunk with all 44 hands on 19 February 1943 in the Bay of Biscay, west of Nantes, at position 47°03′N 05°56′W / 47.050°N 5.933°WCoordinates: 47°03′N 05°56′W / 47.050°N 5.933°W by depth charges dropped from a Vickers Wellington bomber of No.172 Squadron RAF.[1]
Summary of Raiding Career
| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Displacement | Fate[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 January 1943 | HMS LCT-2239 |  Royal Navy |
291 | Sunk* |
| 17 January 1943 | HMS LCT-2267 | Royal Navy |
291 | Sunk* |
| 17 January 1943 | HMS LCT-2244 | Royal Navy |
291 | Sunk* |
| 17 January 1943 | Vestfold |  Panama |
14,547 | Sunk |
* Being carried aboard the Vestfold
References
- Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "The Type VIIC boat U-268 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 2009-12-30.
- ↑ "War Patrols by German U-boat U-268 - Boats - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 2009-12-30.
- ↑ "Vestfold (Whale factory ship) - Ships hit by U-boats - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 2009-12-30.
- ↑ http://uboat.net/boats/successes/u268.html
- Bibliography
- U-268 at uboat.net
- U-268 at ubootwaffe.net
- Bishop, C. Kriegsmarine U-Boats, 1939-45. Amber Books, 2006.
External links
- U-268 at u-boot-archiv.de (German)
See also
- List of German U-boats
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