German submarine U-233
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-233 |
| Ordered: | 7 December 1940 |
| Builder: | Germaniawerft, Kiel |
| Laid down: | 15 August 1941 |
| Launched: | 8 May 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 22 September 1943 |
| Fate: | Sunk 5 July 1944 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and type: | Submarine minelayer |
| Displacement: | 1,763 tonnes (1,735 long tons) surfaced 2,177 tonnes (2,143 long tons) submerged |
| Length: | 89.80 m (294 ft 7 in) o/a 70.90 m (232 ft 7 in) pressure hull |
| Beam: | 9.20 m (30 ft 2 in) o/a 4.75 m (15 ft 7 in) pressure hull |
| Height: | 10.20 m (33 ft 6 in) |
| Draught: | 4.71 m (15 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × supercharged GW F 46 a 9 pu 9 cylinder, four-stroke diesel engines, 4,800 bhp (3,600 kW) 2 × AEG GU 720/8-287 electric motors, 1,100 hp (820 kW) |
| Speed: | 16.4–17 knots (30.4–31.5 km/h; 18.9–19.6 mph) surfaced 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) submerged |
| Range: | 18,450 nautical miles (34,170 km; 21,230 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 93 nautical miles (172 km; 107 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged |
| Test depth: | Calculated crush depth: 220 m (720 ft) |
| Complement: | 5 officers, 47 enlisted |
| Armament: |
|
| Service record[2] [3] | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
4th U-boat Flotilla (training) |
| Commanders: |
Oblt.z.S. Hans Steen (22 September 1943 – 5 July 1944) |
| Operations: | 27 May 1944 – 5 July 1944 |
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-233 was a Type XB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was laid down on 15 August 1941, launched on 8 May 1943 and commissioned on 22 September of the same year. U-233 was commanded throughout her career by Oberleutnant zur See Hans Steen.
Service history
U-233 was assigned to the 4th U-boat Flotilla for training on 22 September 1943 and to the 12th U-boat Flotilla on 1 June 1944 for active service. Her first and only patrol commenced on 27 May 1944 when she departed Kiel to lay mines off Halifax.
Fate
On 5 July 1944 U-233 was intercepted by ships of the USS Card (CVE-11) hunter-killer group. She was identified by sonar, depth-charged to the surface and fired on by USS Baker (DE-190), before being rammed and sunk by USS Thomas (DE-102). 32 of her crew were killed in the action, 29 others being rescued by the escorts. Steen was also picked up, but died of wounds the next day. [4] [5] [6]
References
Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German) IV (Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler). ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Gröner, Erich (1985). U-Boote, Hilfskreuzer, Minenschiffe, Netzleger, Sperrbrecher. Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815-1945 (in German) III (Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe). ISBN 3-7637-4802-4.
- Clay Blair (2000-07-01). Hitler's U-boat War: The Hunted, 1942-45. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 978-0-304-35261-6.
- Paul Kemp (2000-03-01). U-Boats Destroyed: German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. Arms & Armour Press. ISBN 978-1-85409-515-2.
- Axel Niestlé (1998). German U-Boat Losses During World War II: Details of Destruction. ISBN 978-1-85367-352-8.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type XB boat U-233". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 2010-01-09.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 233". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 31 January 2015.