German submarine U-391
German World War II submarine
History | |
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Name | U-391 |
Ordered | 20 January 1941 |
Builder | Howaldtswerke , Kiel |
Yard number | 23 |
Laid down | 9 January 1942 |
Launched | 5 March 1943 |
Commissioned | 24 April 1943 |
Fate | Sunk on 13 December 1943, by a British aircraft northwest of Cape Ortegal , Spain |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type VIIC submarine |
Displacement |
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Length |
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Beam |
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Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
Draught | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Range | |
Test depth |
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Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
Armament |
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Service record [1] | |
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Commanders: |
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Victories: | None |
German submarine U-391 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany 's Kriegsmarine during World War II .
She carried out one patrol. She did not sink or damage any ships.
She was sunk by a British aircraft northwest of Cape Ortegal in Spain on 13 December 1943. [1]
Design
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines . U-391 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged. [2] She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in) , a pressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in) , a beam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) , a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) , and a draught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) . The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of 2,800 to 3,200 metric horsepower (2,060 to 2,350 kW; 2,760 to 3,160 shp) for use while surfaced, two Garbe, Lahmeyer & Co. RP 137/c double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 metric horsepower (550 kW; 740 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m (4 ft) propellers . The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft) . [2]
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) . [2] When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) ; when surfaced, she could travel 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) . U-391 was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes , one 8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun , 220 rounds, and two twin 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft guns . The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty. [2]
Service history
The submarine was laid down on 9 January 1942 at the Howaldtswerke (yard) at Flensburg as yard number 23, launched on 5 March and commissioned on 24 April 1943 under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Gert Dültgen.
The boat was a member of three wolfpacks .
She served with the 5th U-boat Flotilla from 24 April 1943 and the 3rd flotilla from 1 October of the same year.
Patrol and loss
The boat departed Kiel on 23 October 1943. Passing through the gap that separates Iceland and the Faroe Islands , she was attacked by a Vickers Wellington of No. 179 Squadron RAF on 28 November.
On 13 December, she was attacked and sunk by depth charges dropped from a British B-24 Liberator of 53 Squadron on the western edge of the Bay of Biscay , northwest of Cape Ortegal in Spain.
51 men died in the U-boat; there were no survivors.
Wolfpacks
U-391 took part in three wolfpacks , namely:
References
- 1 2 Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-391" . German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net . Retrieved 9 September 2012 .
- 1 2 3 4 Gröner 1991 , pp. 43–46.
Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary . Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6 .
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [ German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945 ] . Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2 .
- Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels . German Warships 1815–1945 . Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4 .
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-391" . German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net . Retrieved 26 December 2014 .
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in December 1943
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