German submarine U-463
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-463 |
| Ordered: | 15 August 1940 |
| Builder: | Deutsche Werke, Kiel |
| Yard number: | 294 |
| Laid down: | 8 March 1941 |
| Launched: | 20 December 1941 |
| Commissioned: | 2 April 1942 |
| Fate: | Sunk, 16 May 1943 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and type: | German Type XIV submarine |
| Displacement: | 1,688 t (1,661 long tons) surfaced 1,932 t (1,901 long tons) submerged |
| Length: | 67.1 m (220 ft 2 in) o/a 48.51 m (159 ft 2 in) pressure hull |
| Beam: | 9.35 m (30 ft 8 in) o/a 4.9 m (16 ft 1 in) pressure hull |
| Height: | 11.7 m (38 ft 5 in) |
| Draft: | 6.51 m (21 ft 4 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × Germaniawerft F46 supercharged 6-cylinder diesel engines, 3,200 hp (2,400 kW) 2 × SSW Gu343/388-8 double-acting electric motors 750 hp (560 kW) |
| Speed: | 14.9 knots (27.6 km/h; 17.1 mph) surfaced 6.2 knots (11.5 km/h; 7.1 mph) submerged |
| Range: | 12,350 nmi (22,870 km; 14,210 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 55 nautical miles (102 km; 63 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged |
| Test depth: | 240 m (790 ft) |
| Complement: | 53–60 men |
| Armament: | 2 × 37 mm AA guns 2 × 20 mm AA guns |
| Service record[2][3] | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
4th U-boat Flotilla (2 April–31 July 1942) 10th U-boat Flotilla (1 August–31 October 1942) 12th U-boat Flotilla (1 November 1942–16 May 1943) |
| Commanders: |
K.Kapt. Leo Wolfbauer (2 April 1942–16 May 1943) |
| Operations: |
1st patrol: 11 July–3 September 1942 2nd patrol: 28 September–11 November 1942 3rd patrol: 6 December 1942–26 January 1943 4th patrol: 4 March–17 April 1943 5th patrol: 10–16 May 1943 |
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-463 was a Type XIV supply and replenishment U-boat ("Milchkuh") of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
Her keel was laid down on 8 March 1941 by Deutsche Werke of Kiel. She was launched on 20 December 1941 and commissioned on 2 April 1942 with Korvettenkapitän Leo Wolfbauer in command. Wolfbauer remained in charge for the boat's entire career.[2]
Operational career
U-463 conducted five patrols. As a supply boat, she avoided combat.[2]
1st patrol
U-463 departed Kiel on her first patrol on 11 July 1942, arriving at St. Nazaire in occupied France on 3 September. She had gone the 'long' way round the British Isles, by way of the gap between Iceland and the Faeroe Islands, heading out into mid-Atlantic toward the Caribbean.
2nd, 3rd and 4th patrols
Her second foray took her into the middle of the Atlantic again, between 28 September 1942 and 11 November.
The submarine's next sortie was further south, passing the Azores on the outward journey to the north and to the south on the return. By now she was based at St. Nazaire once more.
Another uneventful patrol began on 4 March 1943, but when the U-boat returned to France on 17 April, she moved into Bordeaux.
5th patrol and loss
U-463 's fifth patrol began with her departure from Le Verdon, (north of Bordeaux): She had barely cleared the Bay of Biscay, when she was attacked and sunk on 16 May 1943 by depth charges dropped by a British Halifax from 58 Squadron RAF Coastal Command, piloted by Wing Commander Wilfred Oulton. All 57 of her crew died.[2]
Wolfpacks
U-463 took part in one wolfpack, namely.
- Delphin (11–14 January 1943)
References
- ↑ Gröner 1985, pp. 118-9.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type XIV boat U-463". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 2009-12-07.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-463". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 2009-12-07.
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.
- Edwards, Bernard (1996). Dönitz and the Wolf Packs - The U-boats at War. Cassell Military Classics. p. 178. ISBN 0-304-35203-9.
- 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.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type XIV boat U-463". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
- U-463 at ubootwaffe.net