German submarine U-545
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-545 |
| Ordered: | 5 June 1941 |
| Builder: | Deutsche Werft, Hamburg |
| Yard number: | 366 |
| Laid down: | 6 August 1942 |
| Launched: | 3 March 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 19 May 1943 |
| Fate: | Scuttled,10 February 1944 west of the Hebrides after an attack by Allied aircraft[1][2] |
| General characteristics [3] | |
| 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 (19 May–30 November 1943) 2nd U-boat Flotilla (1 December 1943–10 February 1944) |
| Commanders: |
Kptlt. Gert Manesmann (19 May 1943–10 February 1944) |
| Operations: | 9 December 1943–10 February 1944 |
| Victories: | One ship damaged, 7,359 GRT |
German submarine U-545 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 366 on 1 August 1942, launched on 3 March 1943 and commissioned on 19 May with Kapitänleutnant Gert Mannesmann in command.
U-545 began her service career with training as part of the 4th U-boat Flotilla from 19 May 1943. She was reassigned to the 2nd flotilla for operations on 1 December.
She carried out one patrol and damaged one ship. She was a member of five wolfpacks.
She was scuttled 10 February 1944 west of the Hebrides after an attack by Allied aircraft.
Operational career
Patrol and loss
The boat departed Kiel on 9 December 1943, moved through the North Sea, negotiated the 'gap' between Iceland and the Faroe Islands and entered the Atlantic Ocean.
She damaged Empire Housman on 31 December. This ship was later sunk on 3 January 1944 by U-744.
The first Watch Officer (1WO), Oberleutnant zur See Hans Wilkening, was swept overboard on 26 January 1944.
On 10 February 1944 U-545 was scuttled following damage from an attack by a Vickers Wellington of No. 612 Squadron RAF. A Canadian Wellington from 407 Squadron RCAF was also involved, but was shot down.[2]
One man died in the U-boat; there were 56 survivors.[2] They were picked up by U-714 and taken to St. Nazaire in France.[1]
Summary of raiding career
| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 December 1943 | Empire Housman |  United Kingdom |
7,359 | Damaged |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kemp 1997, pp. 168-169.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-545". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
- ↑ Gröner 1985, pp. 105-7.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-545". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 January 2014.
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-545". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
- U-545 at Ubootwaffe
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