U 1228
|
U 1228 ( previous / next - all submarines ) |
|
|---|---|
 U 1228 is escorted to the Portsmouth Navy Yard by harbor tugs after its surrender |
|
| Type : | IX C / 40 |
| Field Post Number : | M-55 286 |
| Shipyard: | Deutsche Werft AG, Hamburg-Finkenwerder |
| Construction contract: | October 14, 1941 |
| Build number: | H 391 |
| Keel laying: | February 16, 1943 |
| Launch: | October 2, 1943 |
| Commissioning: | December 22, 1943 |
| Commanders: |
|
| Flotilla: |
|
| Calls: | 3 patrols |
| Sinkings: |
|
| Whereabouts: | Delivered to the US Navy on May 13, 1945 in Portsmouth . Sunk on February 5, 1946 in the Gulf of Maine as part of Operation Scuppered. |
U 1228 was a German class IX C / 40 submarine which crossed the North and Central Atlantic at the end of World War II .
history
The construction contract for U 1228 , U 1227 , U 1229 , U 1230 , U 1231 , U 1232 , U 1233 , U 1234 and U 1235 was awarded to Deutsche Werft AG in Hamburg-Finkenwerder on October 14, 1941. The boat was given the construction number 391 and the temporary designation "New building 391" before the keel-laying on February 16, 1943 finally began. The launch took place on October 2, 1943, and the commissioning under the experienced Lieutenant for the Sea Friedrich-Wilhelm Marienfeld took place on December 22, 1943, two days before Christmas . U 1228 then went to the UAK in Kiel for 14 days , where there was a diamond on the star and port side for identification, with two so-called “shipyard beams” under the diamond.
Events from December 23, 1943 to September 4, 1944
- Test drives on the Elbe from December 23rd to December 27th
- Trials at UAK, Kiel from December 30th to January 3rd
- Special tests at Aabenraa from January 4th to January 6th
- Listening tests at UAG-Schall , Sonderburg from January 7th to January 8th
- Further tests at UAK, Kiel from January 9th to January 14th
- Flak training at the Flak School, Swinoujscie from January 17th to January 19th
- Repair of the torpedo muzzle flaps in the Holmwerft, Gdansk from January 21st to January 22nd
- Standard port training for the 20th U-Flotilla , Pillau from January 23 to January 30
- Training and trials at TEK, Gotenhafen from February 1st to February 4th
- Repair of the damaged main rudder in the Holmwerft, Gdansk from February 5th to February 7th
- Front boat training at the AGRU Front , Hela from February 9th to March 6th
- Pre-tactical training with the 20th U-Flotilla in Pillau from March 8th to March 17th
- Further front boat training at the AGRU Front, Hela and replacement of the chief engineer from March 19 to March 29
- Repair of damage to torpedo tube IV in the Holmwerft, Gdansk from March 30th to April 2nd
- Further front boat training at the AGRU Front, Hela from April 4th to April 6th
- Torpedo firing training with the 26th U-Flotilla , Pillau from April 8th to May 3rd
- Tactical training with the 27th U-Flotilla , Gotenhafen from May 5th to May 15th
- Remaining work and installation of a snorkel system at Howaldtswerke AG , Hamburg from May 20th to July 28th
- The 3.7 cm anti-aircraft guns fired in Kiel on July 31
- Snorkeling trials at UAK, Kiel from August 1st to August 2nd
- Listening tests at UAG-Schall, Sonderburg on August 3rd
- Flak training at the Flak School, Swinoujscie from August 4th to August 9th
- Tower reconstruction at the Oderwerke , Stettin from August 11th to August 24th
- Equipment for the 1st company at the Oderwerke, Stettin from August 24th to August 28th
- Remaining equipment in Kiel from August 29th to September 4th
commitment
1. patrol
After completing the snorkeling exercises in the Oslofjord, U 1228 called Kristiansand on September 12, where fuel and provisions were added. A few days later, however, the boat had to call at the Bergen underground base to repair the rudder , the echo sounder and the GHG , where it arrived on September 15. The repair did not take long and U 1228 finally left for the first patrol. The BdU ordered U 1228 , U 218 and U 858 to the area northwest of Bergen, where the boats were supposed to drag the badly damaged and broken U 867 to the port, but when only U 858 reached the destination, U 867 had already been sunk itself. On the way to U 867 , U 1228 was attacked by a British Liberator bomber and badly damaged. As a result of the attack, one of the diesel engines failed completely and the snorkel valve remained closed. This gave Oberleutnant Marienfeld the reason to break off the journey. In addition, one of the crew members, Corporal Matthias Mittler, was killed by CO 2 poisoning. After this patrol, the boat received a tower emblem: a ladybird that clings to U 1228's snorkel head.
2. Patrol
On October 12, U 1228 left for its 2nd patrol. On this 79-day voyage, the boat operated, without an air attack or a depth charge, in the western Atlantic , off the Canadian east coast and in Cabot Strait , where Lieutenant Marienfeld was the Canadian Flower-class corvette on November 25th at 2:30 a.m. HMCS Shawinigan (K 136) torpedoed and destroyed without leaving a survivor. On the way back, U 1228 moved via Bergen, Stavanger , Farsund and Kristiansand to the shipyard in Kiel, where the boat probably received a type A or B quick dive bake.
Relocation trip
At the beginning of April the newly overtaken U 1228 , U 481 under Kapitänleutnant Klaus Andersen, U 541 under Kapitänleutnant Kurt Petersen, U 926 under Oberleutnant zur See Hellmut Rehren and U 2328 under Kapitänleutnant Peter Lawrence via Kiel to Horten , where U 481 , U 541 and U 1228 were equipped for patrol.
3. Patrol
On April 9, U 1228 left Horten for the last time and moved to Kristiansand to make some additions. The North and Central Atlantic were intended as areas of operation, but no sinkings could be achieved. After the capitulation of the Reich on May 8th, Lieutenant Marienfeld decided to call at the USA and capitulate there.
Whereabouts
The boat was hauled to the Portsmouth Navy Yard, where the Type XB boat U 234 , the Type IX D2 boat U 873 and the Type IX C / 40 boat U 805 were also moored at the time. U 1228 , U 805 , U 873 , U 858 and U 234 were finally awarded to the US Navy as spoils of war and put into service for test purposes as USS U 1228 , USS U 805 , USS U 873 , USS U 858 and USS 234 . However, U 1228 was destroyed in a controlled test during "Operation Scuppered" in the Gulf of Maine by a torpedo from the US submarine USS Sirago during a test at the beginning of February 1946 . The wreck is still at the position 42 °, 32 'N - 69 °, 37' W in the former naval grid square CA 3253.
Web links
literature
- Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 1: The German submarine commanders. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 1996, ISBN 3-8132-0490-1 .
- Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 2: U-boat construction in German shipyards. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0512-6 .
Individual evidence
- ^ Georg Högel: Emblems, coats of arms, Malings German submarines 1939-1945. 5th edition. Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Hamburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-7822-1002-7 , p. 227.
- ^ Georg Högel: Emblems, coats of arms, Malings German submarines 1939-1945. 5th edition. Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Hamburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-7822-1002-7 , p. 171.