German submarine U-321

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Career
Name: U-321
Ordered: 14 October 1942
Builder: Flender Werke, Lübeck
Yard number: 321
Laid down: 21 January 1943
Launched: 27 November 1943
Commissioned: 20 April 1944
Fate: Sunk by a Polish aircraft, southwest of Ireland, April 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 × GL RP 137/c 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][3]
Part of: 4th U-boat Flotilla
(20 January28 February 1944)
11th U-boat Flotilla
(1 March2 April 1945)
Commanders: Kplt. Ulrich Drews
(20 JanuaryAugust 1944)
Oblt.z.S. Fritz Berends
(August 19442 April 1945)
Operations: Two patrols:
19 March 1945
15 March2 April 1945
Victories: None

German submarine U-321 was a Type VIIC/41 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

She carried out two patrols, but did not sink any ships.

The boat was sunk in April 1945 by a Polish aircraft in the Atlantic Ocean.[4]

Service history

The submarine was laid down on 21 January 1943 by the Flender Werke yard at Lübeck as 'werk' 321, launched on 27 November 1943 and commissioned on 20 January 1944 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Ulrich Drews.

She served with the 4th U-boat Flotilla for training, from 20 January 1944 to 28 February 1945 and the 11th flotilla for operations until her sinking on 2 April 1945.

1st patrol

U-320 departed Kiel on 1 March 1945 and arrived in Horten (south of Oslo), on the 9th.

2nd patrol and loss

The boat left Horten on 15 March 1945. On 2 April she was sunk by a Polish Vickers Wellington of No. 304 Squadron RAF southwest of Ireland.[4]

Forty-one men died; there were no survivors.

References

Notes
  1. Kemp, Paul: U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars, 1997, Arms & Armour, ISBN 1-85409-515-3, p. 243
  2. "The Type VIIC/41 boat U-321 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 19 August 2012. 
  3. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-321 - Boats - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 19 August 2012. 
  4. 4.0 4.1 Kemp, p. 243
Bibliography

External links

See also

  • List of German U-boats
  • Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945)
  • Kriegsmarine



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