German submarine U-628
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-628 |
| Ordered: | 15 August 1940 |
| Builder: | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
| Yard number: | 604 |
| Laid down: | 7 August 1941 |
| Launched: | 29 April 1942 |
| Commissioned: | 25 June 1942 |
| Fate: | Sunk 3 July 1943 in the North Atlantic NW of Cape Ortegal in position 44°11′N 08°45′W / 44.183°N 8.750°WCoordinates: 44°11′N 08°45′W / 44.183°N 8.750°W, by depth charges from a RAF Liberator aircraft of 224/J Squadron. |
| 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 & ratings |
| Armament: |
|
| Service record[2] | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
5th U-boat Flotilla (25 June - 30 November 1942) - Training 1st U-boat Flotilla (1 December 1942 - 3 July 1943) |
| Commanders: |
Kptlt. Heinrich Hasenschar (25 June 1942 - 3 July 1943) |
| Operations: |
1st patrol: 28 November 1942 - 8 January 1943 2nd patrol: 1 February - 9 March 1943 3rd patrol: 8 April - 19 May 1943 4th patrol: 1–3 July 1943 |
| Victories: |
4 merchant ships sunk (21,896 GRT) 4 merchant ships damaged (25,531 GRT) |
German submarine U-628 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. She was laid down on 7 August 1941 by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg as yard number 604, launched on 29 April 1942 and commissioned on 25 June 1942 under Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Hasenschar.
Service History
The boat's service began on 25 June 1942 with training as part of the 5th U-boat Flotilla. She was transferred to the 1st Flotilla on 1 December 1942 for active service in the North Atlantic.
In four patrols she sank four merchant ships, for a total of 21,765 gross register tons (GRT), plus three merchant ships damaged.
Wolfpacks
U-628 took part in six wolfpacks, namely
- Ungestüm (11–30 December 1942)
- Hartherz (3–7 February 1943)
- Ritter (11–26 February 1943)
- No Name (15–18 April 1943)
- Specht (19 April – 4 May 1943)
- Fink (4–6 May 1943)
Fate
U-628 was sunk on 3 July 1943 in the North Atlantic NW of Cape Ortegal in position 44°11′N 08°45′W / 44.183°N 8.750°W; bombed and depth charged by RAF Liberator aircraft (FL963) of 224/J Squadron out of RAF St Eval in Cornwall. All 49 hands were lost.
Summary of raiding career
| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 December 1942 | Lynton Grange |  United Kingdom |
5,029 | Sunk |
| 23 February 1943 | Glittre |  Norway |
6,409 | Damaged |
| 23 February 1943 | Winkler |  Panama |
6,907 | Damaged |
| 24 February 1943 | Ingria | Norway |
4,391 | Sunk |
| 25 February 1943 | Manchester Merchant | United Kingdom |
7,264 | Sunk |
| 17 April 1943 | Fort Rampart | United Kingdom |
7,134 | Damaged |
| 5 May 1943 | Harbury | United Kingdom |
5,081 | Damaged |
| 5 May 1943 | Wentworth | United Kingdom |
5,212 | Sunk |
References
- ↑ Gröner 1985, pp. 72-74.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-628". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-628". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 10 June 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.
- Edwards, Bernard (1996). Dönitz and the Wolf Packs - The U-boats at War. pp. 138, 160, 161, 198, 199. ISBN 0-304-35203-9.
- 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-628". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 2014.