German submarine U-342
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-342 |
| Ordered: | 20 January 1941 |
| Builder: | Nordseewerke, Emden |
| Yard number: | 214 |
| Laid down: | 7 December 1941 |
| Launched: | 10 November 1942 |
| Commissioned: | 12 January 1943 |
| Fate: | Sunk by a Canadian aircraft, April 1944[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: |
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[2][3] | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
8th U-boat Flotilla (12 January 1943–28 February 1944) 7th U-boat Flotilla (1–17 March 1944) |
| Commanders: |
Oblt.z.S.. Albert Hossenfelder (12 January–17 April 1944) |
| Operations: | 3–17 April 1943 |
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-342 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
She was on her first patrol when she was sunk by a Canadian aircraft in April 1944.
She did not sink or damage any ships.
Service history
The submarine was laid down on 7 December 1941 at the Nordseewerke yard at Emden as 'werk' 214, launched on 10 November 1942 and commissioned on 12 January 1943 under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Albert Hossenfelder.
U-342 served with the 8th U-boat Flotilla, for training and then with the 7th flotilla for operations from 1 March 1944.
Patrol
U-342 had sailed from Kiel in Germany to Bergen in Norway in March 1944, but her patrol began when she departed Bergen on 3 April and headed for the Atlantic Ocean. She had passed through the 'gap' between Iceland and the Faroe Islands, but was attacked and sunk by a Canadian Canso (PBY Catalina) of No. 162 Squadron RCAF southwest of Iceland on 17 April.[4]
Fifty-one men died; there were no survivors.[5]
References
- Notes
- ↑ Kemp, Paul: U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars, 1999, Arms & Armour, ISBN 1-85409-515-3, p. 184.
- ↑ "The Type VIIC boat U-342 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
- ↑ "War Patrols by German U-boat U-342 - Boats - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 22 August 2012.
- ↑ Kemp, p. 184
- ↑ http://www.u-boot-archiv.de/dieboote/u0342html U-342 at u-boot-archiv.de
- Bibliography
External links
- U-342 at u-boot-archiv.de (German)
See also
- List of German U-boats
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coordinates: 60°32′N 29°20′W / 60.533°N 29.333°W