German submarine U-281
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-281 |
| Ordered: | 5 June 1941 |
| Builder: | Bremer Vulkan, Bremen-Vegesack |
| Yard number: | 46 |
| Laid down: | 7 May 1942 |
| Launched: | 16 January 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 27 February 1943 |
| Fate: | Surrendered, May 1945. Sunk November 1945 as part of Operation Deadlight |
| 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[1][2] | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
8th U-boat Flotilla (27 February 1943–31 July 1943) 7th U-boat Flotilla (1 August–9 November 1944) 33rd U-boat Flotilla (10 November 1944–8 May 1945) |
| Commanders: |
Kptlt. Heinz von Davidson (27 February 1943–8 May 1945) |
| Operations: |
Four patrols: 6 October–26 November 1943 5 January–5 March 1944 6 June–15 June 1944 4 September–29 October 1944 |
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-281 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
The submarine was laid down on 7 May 1942 at the Bremer Vulkan yard at Bremen-Vegesack as 'werk' 46. She was launched on 16 January 1943 and commissioned on 27 February under the command of Kapitänleutnant Heinz von Davidson.[1]
Service history
U-279 served with the 8th U-boat Flotilla for training from February to July 1943 and operationally with the 7th flotilla from 1 August.[1] She carried out four patrols, but sank no ships. She was a member of 11 wolfpacks.
1st patrol
After two short voyages in Norwegian waters, the boat headed for occupied France, departing Kiel on 6 October 1943, the 'long' way round the British Isles. She passed between Iceland and the Faroe Islands and into the Atlantic Ocean. She was attacked by a B-24 Liberator east of Cape Farewell (Greenland) on the 17th. The aircraft's depth charges fell short, but three men were wounded by machine gun fire. The submarine arrived at St. Nazaire on 26 November.
2nd patrol
U-281's second patrol was to mid-Atlantic and at 61 days, was to be her longest.
3rd patrol
By contrast, her third patrol was the shortest; she did not get out of the Bay of Biscay.
Return to Germany and surrender
She then made the short journey from St. Nazaire to La Pallice, further south along the French Atlantic coast in August 1944, before undertaking the longer voyage to Kristiansand in Norway, again negotiating the 'gap' between Iceland and the Faroes, but in the other direction. She did not stay in Norway long, arriving at Flensburg on 5 November 1944.
The submarine surrendered at Kristiansand-Sud on 9 May 1945. She was transferred to Loch Ryan in Scotland via Scapa Flow[3] for Operation Deadlight. She was sunk on 30 November 1945.
References
- Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "The Type VIIC boat U-281 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ↑ "War Patrols by German U-boat U-281 - Boats - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ↑ http://www.u-boot-archiv.de/dieboote/u0281html U-281 at u-boot-archiv.de
- Bibliography
External links
- U-281 at u-boot-archiv.de (German)
See also
- List of German U-boats
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Coordinates: 55°50′N 10°05′W / 55.833°N 10.083°W