German submarine U-296
Career | |
---|---|
Name: | U-296 |
Ordered: | 14 October 1941 |
Builder: | Bremer Vulkan Werft, Bremen-Vegesack |
Yard number: | 61 |
Laid down: | 23 January 1943 |
Launched: | 5 September 1943 |
Commissioned: | 3 November 1943 |
Fate: | Listed as missing, March 1945[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 50.5 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: |
15,725 km (8,491 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: |
250 m (820 ft) Crush depth: 275–325 m (902–1,066 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] | |
---|---|
Part of: |
8th U-boat Flotilla (3 November 1943–31 July 1944) 9th U-boat Flotilla (1 August–30 September 1944) 11th U-boat Flotilla (1 October–12 March 1945) |
Commanders: |
Oblt.z.S. Karl-Heinz Rasch (3 November 1943–12 March 1945) |
Operations: |
Three patrols: 16 August–29 September 1944 4 November–25 December 1944 28 February–12 March 1945 |
Victories: | None |
German submarine U-296 was a Type VIIC/41 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
She was laid down on 23 January 1943 by the Bremer Vulkan Werft (yard) at Bremen-Vegesack as 'werk' 61, launched on 5 September 1943 and commissioned on 3 November with Oberleutnant zur See Karl-Heinz Rasch in command.
In three patrols, she did not sink or damage any ships.
She was regarded as missing with all hands (42 men), in the approaches to the North Channel, (between Northern Ireland and mainland Great Britain), in March 1945.
Service history
The boat's service life began with training with the 8th U-boat Flotilla in November 1943. She was then transferred to the 9th flotilla for operations on 1 August 1944. She was reassigned to the 11th flotilla on 1 October.
She made the short journey from Kiel in Germany to Horten in Norway, arriving on 31 July 1944 and moving on to Bergen on 6 August.
1st patrol
U-296's first patrol between Bergen and Trondheim, took her through the 'gap' between the Shetland and Faroe Islands, both outbound and inbound.
2nd patrol
The boat's second sortie was similar to her first; starting in Trondheim and terminating in Stavanger. She reached northern Scotland, but this time she passed between Iceland and the Faroe Islands.
3rd patrol and fate
Having left Bergen in late February 1945, she was listed as missing on 12 March in the North Channel, a possible victim of a mine.[3][4][5]
Previously recorded fate
U-296 was originally thought to have been sunk by a torpedo from a British B-24 Liberator of No. 120 Squadron RAF.[3][4][5]
References
- Notes
- ↑ Kemp, Paul: U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars, 1997, Arms & Armour, ISBN 1-85409-515-3, p. 235
- ↑ "The Type VIIC/41 boat U-296 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://uboat.net/boats/u296/htm
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Kemp, p. 235
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 http://www.u-boot-archiv.de/dieboote/u0296html U-296 at u-boot-archiv.de
- Bibliography
External links
- U-296 at u-boot-archiv.de (German)
See also
- List of German U-boats
- Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945)
- Kriegsmarine
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