German submarine U-616
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-616 |
| Ordered: | 15 August 1940 |
| Builder: | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
| Yard number: | 592 |
| Laid down: | 20 May 1941 |
| Launched: | 8 February 1942 |
| Commissioned: | 2 April 1942 |
| Fate: | Sunk 17 May 1944 in the Mediterranean in position 36°46′N 00°52′E / 36.767°N 0.867°E, by depth charges from USS Nields, USS Gleaves, USS Ellyson, USS Macomb, USS Hambleton, USS Rodman, USS Emmons and a RAF Wellington bomber. |
| 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 |
| 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 × BBC GG UB 720/8 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 & ratings |
| Armament: |
|
| Service record[2] | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
8th U-boat Flotilla (2 April - 31 December 1942) - Training 6th U-boat Flotilla (1 January - 31 May 1943) 29th U-boat Flotilla (1 June 1943 - 17 May 1944) |
| Commanders: |
Oblt.z.S. Johann Spindlegger (2 April - 7 October 1942) Oblt.z.S. Siegfried Koitschka (8 October 1942 - 17 May 1944) |
| Operations: |
1st patrol: 6 February - 26 March 1943 2nd patrol: 19 April - 17 May 1943 3rd patrol: 28 July - 18 August 1943 4th patrol: 8–18 September 1943 5th patrol: 3–15 October 1943 6th patrol: 20 November - 12 December 1943 7th patrol: 3–15 January 1944 8th patrol: 19 February - 15 March 1944 9th patrol: 30 April - 17 May 1944 |
| Victories: |
2 warships sunk (2,181 tons) 2 merchant ships damaged (17,754 GRT) |
German submarine U-616 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. She was laid down on 20 May 1941 by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg as yard number 592, launched on 8 February 1942 and commissioned on 2 April 1942 under Oberleutnant zur See (Oblt.z.S.) Johann Spindlegger.
On 8 October 1943, Spindlegger was replaced by Oblt.z.S. Siegfried Koitschka, who commanded her until she was sunk in 1944.
Service History
The boat's career began with training at 8th U-boat Flotilla on 2 April 1942, followed by active service on 1 January 1943 as part of the 6th Flotilla. On 1 June 1943 she transferred to operations in the Mediterranean as part of 29th Flotilla until her sinking in 1944.
In 9 patrols she sank 2 warships and damaged 2 merchant ships, for a total of 2,181 tons and 17,754 gross register tons (GRT), respectively.
Wolfpacks
U-616 took part in two wolfpacks, namely
- Burggraf (24 February – 5 March 1943)
- Westmark (6–11 March 1943)
- Stürmer (11–20 March 1943)
Fate
U-616 was sunk on 17 May 1944 in the Mediterranean in position 36°46′N 00°52′E / 36.767°N 0.867°ECoordinates: 36°46′N 00°52′E / 36.767°N 0.867°E, by depth charges from USS Nields, USS Gleaves, USS Ellyson, USS Macomb, USS Hambleton, USS Rodman, USS Emmons and a RAF Wellington bomber of 36 Squadron
Summary of raiding career
| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[3]|- | 9 October 1943 | USS Buck |  United States Navy |
1,570 | Sunk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 October 1943 | HMS LCT-553 |  Royal Navy |
6,409 | Sunk | |||||
| 14 May 1944 | Fort Fidler |  United Kingdom |
7,127 | Damaged | |||||
| 14 May 1944 | G S Walden | United Kingdom |
10,627 | Damaged |
See also
References
- ↑ Gröner 1985, pp. 72-74.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-616". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-616". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 16 August 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.
- Sharpe, Peter (1998). U-Boat Fact File. Great Britain: Midland Publishing. ISBN 1-85780-072-9.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-616". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 2014.