German submarine U-969
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-969 |
| Ordered: | 5 June 1941 |
| Builder: | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
| Yard number: | 169 |
| Laid down: | 29 May 1942 |
| Launched: | 11 February 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 24 March 1943 |
| Fate: | Sunk 6 August 1944 in Toulon in position 43°07′N 05°55′E / 43.117°N 5.917°ECoordinates: 43°07′N 05°55′E / 43.117°N 5.917°E, in an air raid by US Liberator bombers. |
| 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: |
5th U-boat Flotilla (24 March - 30 September 1942) - Training 7th U-boat Flotilla (1 October 1942 - 29 February 1944) 29th U-boat Flotilla (1 March - 6 August 1944) |
| Commanders: |
Lt.z.S. Max Dobbert (24 March 1943 - 6 August 1944) |
| Operations: |
1st patrol: 5 October - 6 December 1943 2nd patrol: 18 January - 26 February 1944 3rd patrol: 20 March - 28 April 1944 |
| Victories: | 2 merchant ships sunk (14,352 GRT) |
German submarine U-969 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. She was laid down on 29 May 1942 by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg as yard number 169, launched on 11 February 1943 and commissioned on 24 March 1943 under Leutnant zur See Max Dobbert.
Service History
The boat's career began with training at 5th U-boat Flotilla on 24 March 1943, followed by active service on 1 October 1943 as part of the 1st Flotilla for the next five months. She transferred to 29th Flotilla, on 1 March 1944, based in La Spezia, for Mediterranean operations.
In three patrols she sank two merchant ships, for a total of 14,352 gross register tons (GRT).
Wolfpacks
U-969 took part in seven wolfpacks, namely
- Siegfried (22–27 October 1943)
- Siegfried 1 (27–30 October 1943)
- Körner (30 October – 2 November 1943)
- Tirpitz 2 (2–8 November 1943)
- Eisenhart 3 (9–15 November 1943)
- Schill 2 (17–22 November 1943)
- Weddigen (22 November – 4 December 1943)
Fate
U-969 was sunk on 6 August 1944 in the Military port of Toulon in position 43°07′N 05°55′E / 43.117°N 5.917°E in an air raid by US Liberator bombers.
Summary of raiding career
| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 February 1944 | George Cleeve |  United States |
7,176 | Total loss |
| 22 February 1944 | Peter Skene Ogden | United States |
7,176 | Total loss |
See also
References
- ↑ Gröner 1985, pp. 72-74.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-969". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-969". 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-969". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 2014.