German submarine U-531
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-531 |
| Ordered: | 15 August 1940 |
| Builder: | Deutsche Werft AG, Hamburg |
| Laid down: | 22 December 1941 |
| Launched: | 12 August 1942 |
| Commissioned: | 28 October 1942 |
| Fate: | Sunk 6 May 1943 in the North Atlantic.[1] |
| General characteristics [2] | |
| Class and type: | Type IXC/40 submarine |
| Displacement: | 1,144 t (1,126 long tons) surfaced 1,257 t (1,237 long tons) submerged |
| Length: | 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in) o/a 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in) pressure hull |
| Beam: | 6.86 m (22 ft 6 in) o/a 4.44 m (14 ft 7 in) pressure hull |
| Height: | 9.6 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draft: | 4.67 m (15 ft 4 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged 9-cylinder diesel engines, 4,400 hp (3,281 kW) 2 × SSW GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors, 1,000 hp (746 kW) |
| Speed: | 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) surfaced 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph) submerged |
| Range: | 13,850 nmi (25,650 km; 15,940 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 63 nautical miles (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged |
| Test depth: | 230 m (750 ft) |
| Complement: | 4 officers, 44 enlisted |
| Armament: |
|
| Service record | |
|---|---|
| Commanders: | Oblt.z.S. Herbert Neckel |
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-531 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine built for service during World War II. She was laid down at Deutsche Werft in Hamburg as yard number 346 on 22 December 1941, launched on 12 August 1942 and commissioned on 28 October with Oberleutnant zur See Herbert Neckel in command.
Her service began with training as part of the 4th U-boat Flotilla; she then joined the 2nd flotilla for operations on 1 April 1943.
Operational career
U-531 's operational career commenced with her departure from Kiel on 13 April 1943. Heading for the Atlantic, her route took her between Iceland and the Faeroe Islands. On 22 April, in the afternoon, she was attacked southeast of Iceland by a Catalina flying boat of 120 Squadron RAF. That evening, she was attacked again, this time by a British Flying Fortress of 206 Squadron.[3]
On 6 May, the boat was attacked northeast of Newfoundland by depth charges from HMS Vidette and sunk with all hands (54).
Previously recorded fate
The destruction of U-531 had been attributed to the destroyer HMS Oribi and the Flower-class corvette HMS Snowflake.
Wolfpacks
U-531 took part in three wolfpacks, namely.
- Meise (25–27 April 1943)
- Star (27 April - 4 May 1943)
- Fink (4–6 May 1943)
References
- ↑ Kemp 1997, p. 114.
- ↑ Gröner 1985, pp. 105-7.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-531". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
Bibliography
- Edwards, Bernard (1996). Dönitz and the Wolf Packs - The U-boats at War. Cassell Military Classics. p. 199. ISBN 0-304-35203-9.
- 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.
- Kemp, Paul (1997). U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
External links
- ubootwaffe.net webpage for U-531
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-531". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
Coordinates: 52°48′N 45°18′W / 52.800°N 45.300°W
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