German submarine U-475

Career (Nazi Germany)
Name: U-475
Ordered: 10 April 1941
Builder: Deutsche Werke, Kiel
Yard number: 306
Laid down: 5 September 1942
Launched: 28 May 1943
Commissioned: 7 July 1943
Fate: Scuttled, May 1945. Broken up, 1947
General characteristics [1]
Class and 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
Height:9.6 m (31 ft 6 in)
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:8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) 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 and ratings
Armament:
Service record[2]
Part of: 5th U-boat Flotilla
(7 July 1943–31 July 1944)
8th U-boat Flotilla
(1 August 1944–15 February 1945)
4th U-boat Flotilla
(16 February–3 May 1945)
Commanders: Kptlt. Otto Stoeffler
(7 July 1943–3 May 1945)
Operations: 1st patrol:
a. 11–29 July 1944
b. 31 July–5 August 1944
c. 16–21 August 1944
d. 25–31 August 1944
2nd patrol:
14 October–17 November 1944
3rd patrol:
22 November–4 December 1944
4th patrol:
23 January–17 March 1945
Victories: One warship sunk, 720 tons;
one warship damaged, 56 tons

German submarine U-475 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

She carried out four patrols. She sank one warship and damaged another.

She was scuttled in May 1945 and broken up in 1947.

Service history

The submarine was laid down on 5 September 1942 in the Deutsche Werke, Kiel as yard number 306, launched on 28 May 1943 and commissioned on 7 July under the command of Kapitänleutnant Otto Stoeffler.

She served with the 5th U-boat Flotilla from 7 July 1941 for training and was transferred to the 8th flotilla from 1 August 1944 for operations. She was reassigned to the 4th flotilla on 16 February 1945.

1st patrol

U-475‍ '​s first patrol was preceded by a short journey from Kiel in Germany to Helsinki in Finland. The patrol itself, split into four parts, commenced with her departure from Helsinki on 11 July 1944. On the 28th she damaged the Soviet patrol craft MO-107 in Viborg Bay.

2nd patrol

Her second foray was relatively uneventful - starting in Danzig (now Gdansk), on 14 October 1944 and finishing there on 17 November.

3rd patrol

The submarine steamed as far north as a point east of Stockholm before returning to Danzig (on 4 December 1944).

4th patrol

The boat's fourth sortie also started and finished in Danzig and at 54 days duration, was her longest.

Fate

U-475 had moved from Danzig to Kiel in March 1945. She was scuttled on 3 May 1945 at Kiel-Wik. The wreck was broken up in 1947.

Summary of raiding career

Date Name Nationality Tonnage
(GRT)		 Fate[3]
28 July 1944 MO-107  Soviet Navy 56 Damaged
31 October 1944 SB-2  Soviet Navy 720 Sunk

References

  1. ↑ Gröner 1985, pp. 72-74.
  2. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-475". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 25 September 2012.
  3. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-475". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 28 December 2014.

Bibliography

External links