German submarine U-544
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-544 |
| Ordered: | 5 June 1941 |
| Builder: | Deutsche Werft, Hamburg |
| Yard number: | 365 |
| Laid down: | 8 July 1942 |
| Launched: | 17 February 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 5 May 1943 |
| Fate: | Sunk, January 1944 northwest of the Azores by American aircraft[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 | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
4th U-boat Flotilla (5 May–3 November 1943) 10th U-boat Flotilla (1 November 1943–16 January 1944) |
| Commanders: |
K.Kapt. Willy Mattke (5 May 1943–16 January 1944) |
| Operations: | 9 November 1943–16 January 1944 |
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-544 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
She was laid down at the Deutsche Werft (yard) in Hamburg as yard number 365 on 8 July 1942, launched on 17 February 1943 and commissioned on 5 May with Korvettenkapitän Willy Mattke in command.
U-544 began her service career with training as part of the 4th U-boat Flotilla from 5 May 1943. She was reassigned to the 10th flotilla for operations on 1 November.
She carried out one patrol and did not sink any ships. She was a member of five wolfpacks.
She was sunk in January 1944 northwest of the Azores by American aircraft.
Operational career
Patrol and loss
The boat departed Kiel on 10 April 1943, moved through the North Sea, negotiated the 'gap' between Iceland and the Faroe Islands and entered the Atlantic Ocean.
She was sunk on 16 January 1944 northwest of the Azores by American aircraft from the escort carrier USS Guadalcanal using rockets and depth charges.
Fifty-seven men died; there were no survivors.[1]
Wolfpacks
U-544 took part in five wolfpacks, namely.
- Coronel (4–8 December 1943)
- Coronel 1 (8–14 December 1943)
- Coronel 2 (14–17 December 1943)
- Föhr (18–23 December 1943)
- Rügen 6 (26–31 December 1943)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kemp 1997, pp. 164-165.
- ↑ Gröner 1985, p. 105-7.
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.
- Kemp, Paul (1997). U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-544". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
- U-544 at Ubootwaffe
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