U 1 (ship, 1935)
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U 1 (ship, 1935) ( previous / next - all submarines ) |
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 Pre-war photo of U 1 (still with number on the tower) |
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| Type : | II A |
| Field Post Number : | M-27 893 |
| Shipyard: | German works , Kiel |
| Construction contract: | February 2, 1935 |
| Build number: | 236 |
| Keel laying: | February 11, 1935 |
| Launch: | June 15, 1935 |
| Commissioning: | June 29, 1935 |
| Commanders: |
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| Calls: | 2 patrols |
| Sinkings: |
no |
| Whereabouts: | probably ran into a British sea mine in the North Sea on April 8, 1940 |
U 1 was a German submarine from type II A , which in the Second World War by the Navy was used.
technology
U 1 was a Type II A submersible for use in coastal waters. It was a single-hull type boat and had a displacement of 254 t above and 303 t below the water. It had a length of 40.90 m, a width of 4.10 m and a draft of 3.83 m. With two 350 HP MWM six-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines RS 127 S without supercharging, a top speed over water of 13 knots could be achieved. At eight knots speed, 1600 nautical miles could be covered. The two 180 HP SSW double collector E-machines PG VV 322/36 had 32 battery cells AFA type 36 MAK 580. A top speed of 6.9 knots could be achieved under water . A distance of 35 nautical miles could be covered at four knots. The diving depth was 80 to 150 m. The quick dive time was 25 seconds. Five torpedoes or up to twelve TMA or 18 TMB mines could be ejected from three bow torpedo tubes . U 1 had a 2-cm C / 30 gun with 1200 rounds. The crew was three officers and 22 men. The cost of construction was 1.5 million Reichsmarks . The boats of this type were also called dugout canoes because of their small size .
history
The building contract for the boat was awarded to Deutsche Werke , Kiel , on February 2, 1935 . The keel was laid on February 11, 1935, the launch on June 15, 1935, the commissioning under Lieutenant Klaus Ewerth on June 29, 1935.
U 1 was originally used as a training boat from July 1935 to September 1939 with the school association of the U-Schule and the U-boat school flotilla in Kiel and Neustadt . From March 1940 to April 1940 it was used for submarine hunting in the North Sea and as a front boat for the Weser Exercise Company , the occupation of Norway and Denmark .
It completed two patrols on which no ships were sunk or damaged.
The boat has been missing since its last departure from Wilhelmshaven. It probably ran into a British mine lock in the North Sea on April 8, 1940 and sank with the entire crew.
Use statistics
First patrol
The boat left Kiel on March 15, 1940 at 6:05 a.m. and entered Brunsbüttel the same day at 4:30 p.m. to install the ice protection. The crew stayed overnight in Brunsbüttel and left there again at 5:55 a.m. the next day. U 1 expired on March 29, 1940 at 13.15 in Wilhelmshaven one. No ships were sunk or damaged during this 13-day and approx. 1,000 nm long undertaking in the North Sea , off Lindesnes and Terschelling . On March 26, 1940, it received an emergency call from U21 , who ran aground off the island of Odknuppen at the entrance to the Odfjord in Norway and was unable to escape on its own. U 1 then changed course. Despite an intensive search, they did not find the stuck submarine and abandoned their search the next morning.
Second patrol
The boat left Wilhelmshaven on April 4, 1940 at 12 p.m. and returned to Wilhelmshaven on the same day at 6 p.m. due to defects. After eliminating the disturbances, it ran out again on April 6, 1940. It has been considered lost since it ran out. U 1 should operate with U 2 , U 4 and U 6 in front of Norway at company Weserübungen . But it never got there. It probably ran into a British mine in the North Sea on April 8, 1940 .
Whereabouts
The boat was probably sunk by a sea mine on April 8, 1940 in the North Sea off Terschelling (mine field no. 7) at position 54 ° 14 ′ N , 5 ° 7 ′ E marine grid reference AN 6941 . There were no survivors, the entire crew of 24 sailors died. The mines were laid on March 3, 1940 by the destroyers HMS Express , Esk , Icarus and Impulse .
The pressure pot with the boat's anti-aircraft cannon was recovered and is on display in the German Naval Museum in Wilhelmshaven.
Web links
- U 1 in the uboat.net database(English)
- Photo of U 1 (English)
- U 1 on u-boot-archiv.de