German submarine U-2511
 U-2511 (center) in Bergen, Norway | |
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-2511 |
| Ordered: | 6 November 1943 |
| Builder: | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
| Yard number: | 2511 |
| Laid down: | 7 July 1944 |
| Launched: | 2 September 1944 |
| Commissioned: | 29 September 1944 |
| Fate: |
Surrendered, 8 May 1945 Scuttled, 7 January 1946 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Type XXI submarine |
| Displacement: | 1,621 t (1,595 long tons) surfaced 2,100 t (2,067 long tons) submerged |
| Length: | 76.7 m (251 ft 8 in) |
| Beam: | 8 m (26 ft 3 in) |
| Draught: | 5.3 m (17 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion: | Diesel/Electric 2 × MAN M6V40/46KBB supercharged 6-cylinder diesel engines, 4,000 PS (2.9 MW) 2 × SSW GU365/30 double-acting electric motors, 5,000 PS (3.7 MW) 2 × SSW GV232/28 silent running electric motors, 226 PS (0.166 MW) |
| Speed: | Surfaced: 15.6 knots (28.9 km/h; 18.0 mph) (diesel) 17.9 knots (33.2 km/h; 20.6 mph) (electric) Submerged: 17.2 knots (31.9 km/h; 19.8 mph) (electric) 6.1 knots (11.3 km/h; 7.0 mph) (silent running motors) |
| Range: | 15,500 nautical miles (28,700 km; 17,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 340 nautical miles (630 km; 390 mi) at 5 knots (9.3 km/h; 5.8 mph) submerged |
| Complement: | 57 officers and men |
| Sensors and processing systems: | Type F432 D2 Radar Transmitter FuMB Ant 3 Bali Radar Detector |
| Armament: |
|
| Service record[1][2] | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
31st U-boat Flotilla 29 September 1944 - 14 March 1945 11th U-boat Flotilla 15 March - 8 May 1945 |
| Commanders: |
K.Kapt. Adalbert Schnee[3] 29 September 1944 - 8 May 1945 |
| Operations: |
1st patrol 3–6 May 1945 |
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-2511 was a Type XXI U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The Elektroboote submarine was laid down on 7 July 1944 at the Blohm & Voss yard at Hamburg, launched on 2 September 1944, and commissioned on 29 September 1944 under the command of Korvettenkapitän Adalbert Schnee.[1]
Service history
After training with 31st U-boat Flotilla, U-2511 was transferred to 11th U-boat Flotilla at Bergen, Norway, for front-line service on 15 March 1945.[1]
According to the commander of U-977, Heinz Schaeffer, Kptlt. Schnee was in port in Denmark taking on stores when he started bragging about the wonders of the boat. After an extended period, Cpt. Schaeffer lost his temper and bet him a cask of champagne that he would reach Norway before Schnee. The bet was taken, Schnee believing that he would win easily. On the way to Norway, U-977 was having trouble with their Schnorchel while dived: the exhaust from the diesels kept filtering into the rest of the boat, the schnorkel head would shut as it dipped beneath the waves, and all the air would be sucked out of the boat. So the captain ordered the boat to surface. After airing it out, Schaeffer decided to continue to Norway on the surface. His reasoning was that no U-boats had been seen on the surface in those waters in some time, and he doubted the Allies would strain themselves carrying out extra checks now that the war was basically over. He beat Schnee by two days.
U-2511 conducted one patrol. On the evening of 30 April 1945 (coincidentally the date of Hitler's death), U-2511 set out from Bergen, Norway for the Caribbean, but on 4 May Schnee received the end-of-the-war cease-fire order.[1]
Fate
On 14 June 1945 U-2511 was transferred from Bergen, and arrived at Lisahally, Northern Ireland on 21 June for Operation Deadlight. The U-boat was scuttled on 7 January 1946 at 7:40 pm in position 55°33′N 07°38′W / 55.550°N 7.633°WCoordinates: 55°33′N 07°38′W / 55.550°N 7.633°W.[1] She was sunk by gunfire after her towing cable parted.
The wreck lies at a depth 69 metres (226 ft). She had been visited by divers at least three times, in 1999 and 2001, and circa 2012 for 'Dig WW2 with Dan Snow',[4] revealing she is largely intact except for a large blast hole caused by the shellfire that sank her.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type XXI boat U-2511". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-2511". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 23 March 2010.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Adalbart Schnee (Knight's Cross)". German U-boats of World War II - Uboat.net. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ↑ "Dig WW2 with Dan Snow". Dig WW2 with Dan Snow. Episode 3. 2012-08-29. BBC. Retrieved 2012-09-07.
- ↑ Innes McCartney. "Day Two: 15th July 2001". Operation Deadlight 2002 Expedition. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
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.
- Bekker, Cajus (1953). Kampf und Untergang der Kriegsmarine. Düsseldorf.
- Heinz Schaeffer. U-977.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type XXI boat U-2511". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
- Divers visit the scuttled U-2511
- Researched scale model representation of U-2511
- New U-Boats
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