German submarine U-868
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-868 |
| Ordered: | 25 August 1941 |
| Builder: | DeSchiMAG AG Weser, Bremen |
| Yard number: | 1026 |
| Laid down: | 11 March 1943 |
| Launched: | 18 August 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 23 December 1943 |
| Fate: | Sunk in Operation Deadlight on 30 November 1945 |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| 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 nmi (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: |
|
U-868 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine in the Second World War. The ship was ordered on 25 August 1941 and laid down on 11 March 1943. She was launched on 18 August 1943, at Bremen, Germany. She had two commanders over her operational lifespan, for the period from 23 December 1943 until 21 July 1944 it was Kapitänleutnant Dietrich Rauch, then Oberleutnant zur See Eduard Turre for the period from 22 July 1944 until 8 May 1945.[2]
Service History
In her operations, she sank a single warship, the 672 ton HMS Guysborough on 17 March 1945.[3]
Fate
U-868 was surrendered by her captain on 9 May 1945 at Bergen in Norway. She was then transferred to Loch Ryan 30 May 1945 for Operation Deadlight,[2] where a large number of U-boats were sunk in one operation.[2][4]
Summary of raiding career
| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) | Fate[5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 March 1945 | HMCS Guysborough |  Royal Canadian Navy |
672 | Sunk |
References
- ↑ Gröner 1985, pp. 105-7.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type XIC/40 boat U-868". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
- ↑
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Operation Deadlight - Fates". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-868". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 13 February 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.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-868". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
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