German submarine U-821
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-821 |
| Ordered: | 20 January 1941 |
| Builder: | Oderwerke, Stettin |
| Laid down: | 2 October 1941 |
| Launched: | 26 June 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 11 October 1943 |
| Fate: | Sunk by aircraft, 10 June 1944 |
| 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 & ratings |
| Armament: |
5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 1 stern) 14 × torpedoes or 26 TMA mines 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun (220 rounds) Various AA guns |
| Service record | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
4th U-boat Flotilla (11 October–1 November 1943) 24th U-boat Flotilla (1 November–31 December 1943) 4th U-boat Flotilla (1 January–29 February 1944) 1st U-boat Flotilla (1 March–10 June 1944) |
| Commanders: |
Ltn. Ludwig Fabricius (11 October–1 December 1943) Oblt.z.S. Ernst Fischer (2 December–31 December 1943) Oblt.z.S. Ulrich Knackfuss (1 January 1944–10 June 1944) |
| Operations: |
1st patrol: 19 March–12 April 1944 2nd patrol: 6 June–10 June 1944 |
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-821 was a short-lived Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine, built by Oderwerke in Stettin during World War II for service in the Battle of the Atlantic. She only participated in two brief combat patrols, one of which ended after four days when she was sunk by allied aircraft. U-821 was built in Stettin at a small shipyard, and thus took eighteen months to complete, being ready by October 1943. The boat was of the VIIC Type, which possessed long range cruising capabilities as well as five torpedo tubes.
War patrols
Following her sea trials and warming-up period, U-821 departed Bergen, Norway in March 1944 for her first war patrol, during which she spent 24 fruitless days in the North Atlantic before returning to Brest, France for resupply. Her second patrol was more eventful, as just four days out from Brest and not far from Ushant, Royal Air Force aircraft spotted and attacked the U-boat on the surface. Her captain made the decision to battle it out rather than dive, and engaged in a running firefight with three Mosquito aircraft of 248 Squadron and a large Consolidated Liberator bomber of 206 Squadron. One Mosquito was shot down in the clash, but rockets and depth charges took their toll on the submarine which soon sank, taking with her 50 sailors, in position 48°31′N 05°11′W / 48.517°N 5.183°W. One survivor was pulled from the sea by small German Naval units a few hours later.
References
- Sharpe, Peter, U-Boat Fact File, Midland Publishing, Great Britain: 1998. ISBN 1-85780-072-9.
- U-boat.net webpage for U-821
See also
- List of German U-boats
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