German submarine U-486

Career (Nazi Germany)
Name:	U-486
Ordered:	5 June 1941
Builder:	Howaldtswerke, Kiel
Laid down:	8 May 1943
Launched:	12 February 1944
Commissioned:	22 March 1944
Fate:	Sunk 12 April 1945 in the North Sea north-west of Bergen, Norway.
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 kn (19 km/h) surfaced 150 km (81 nmi) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h) 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

German submarine U-486 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. She was laid down at the Deutsche Werke in Kiel as 'werk' 321, launched on February 12, 1944 and commissioned on March 22 with Oberleutnant zur See Gerhard Meyer in command.

The boat began training on March 22 with the 5th U-boat Flotilla but moved on to the 11th flotilla for operations.

She was one of nine Type VIIs that the Kriegsmarine fitted with an experimental synthetic rubber skin of anechoic tiles known as Alberich, which had been designed to counter the Allies' asdic/sonar devices.

Her remains were positively identified in March 2013 after they were found during oil exploration operations off the coast of Norway, not far from the remains of U-864.

Operational career

The submarine moved to Horten in Norway between 6 and 9 November 1944 and then Egersund, (also in Norway, on the southwest coast, between Stavanger and Kristiansand), arriving there on November 20.

1st patrol

She departed Egersund on her first patrol on 26 November 1944, taking a circuitous route around the British Isles to the Western Approaches. The U-boat claimed her first victim south of the Eddystone Lighthouse by sinking the Silverlaurel on 18 December. She then attacked the 11,509 GRT Leopoldville on 24 December five miles off the coast of Cherbourg, France. This resulted in the death of over 750 Allied soldiers (819 total deaths). The Leopoldville sank about two hours later.^[1] She crippled the US-built but British manned frigate HMS Affleck on the 26th. She also sank HMS Capel, another frigate, on the same day.^[2]
She was unsuccessfully attacked by a Canadian Vickers Wellington of 407 Squadron, RCAF on 30 December.

She returned to Norway, this time to Bergen, on 15 January 1945.

2nd patrol

The boat departed Bergen on 9 April 1945, but was sunk by torpedoes from the British submarine HMS Tapir on 12 April.

Summary of Raiding Career

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage (GRT)	Fate[3]
18 December 1944	Silverlaurel	United Kingdom	6,142	Sunk
24 December 1944	Leopoldville	Belgium	11,509	Sunk
26 December 1944	HMS Affleck	Royal Navy	1,085	Total loss
26 December 1944	HMS Capel	Royal Navy	1,085	Sunk

Discovery of wreck

In early 2013, the wreck of U-486 was discovered by the Norwegian petroleum company Statoil at a depth of 250 metres (820 ft), off the coast of Western Norway. The wreck of U-486 is located c. 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from that of the fellow German submarine U-864.^[4]

See also

• List of German U-boats

References

Coordinates: 60°44′N 4°39′E / 60.733°N 4.650°E / 60.733; 4.650

http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/hordaland/1.10962678