U 223
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U 223 ( previous / next - all submarines ) |
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| Type : | VII C |
| Field Post Number : | M-01 671 |
| Shipyard: | F. Krupp Germania shipyard , Kiel |
| Construction contract: | August 15, 1940 |
| Build number: | 653 |
| Keel laying: | July 15, 1941 |
| Launch: | April 16, 1942 |
| Commissioning: | June 6, 1942 |
| Commanders: |
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| Flotilla: |
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| Calls: | 6 activities |
| Sinkings: |
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| Whereabouts: | Damaged, abandoned and sunk in a naval battle with British forces in the Mediterranean on March 30, 1944 . |
U 223 was a German type VII C submarinethat was usedby the German navy in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean during World War II .
Technical specifications
Class VII C boats were a further development of the shorter Type VII B boats. In the Germania shipyard in Kiel , up to 30 boats of this series were built in parallel between 1940-42. Their length was 67.1 m with a maximum width of 6.2 m. The height was 9.6 m, the surface draft 4.7 m. When surfaced, powered by two F64 six-cylinder diesel engines with a total of 3,160 hp, they reached 17.7 knots (33 km / h), while diving, two AEG GU 460 / 8-27 electric motors supplied them with 740 hp, which means 7.6 knots (14 km / h) maximum could be achieved. The displacement was 761 cubic meters surfaced and 865 cubic meters when submerged. They were manned by about 44 men.
history
Together with U 221 , U 222 , U 224 and U 225 , U 223 was commissioned on August 15, 1940. The keel of the boat with hull number 653 was on July 15, 1941. After being launched on April 16, 1942, it was put into service on June 6, 1942 under the command of First Lieutenant Karl-Jürg Wächter. Initially, the boat was under the 8th U-Flotilla in Danzig as a training boat . During this time the boat was further equipped in Kiel and the area around Danzig until January 11, 1943. From February 1, 1943, it was subordinated to the 6th U-Flotilla, stationed in St. Nazaire and carried out three operations . On November 1, 1943, the boat switched to the 29th submarine flotilla in Toulon and carried out three other operations. On January 12, 1944, Karl-Jürg Wächter, who had been promoted to lieutenant captain on June 1, 1943, handed over command to Oberleutnant Peter Gerlach. Under his command, U 223 was used in the defense of Operation Shingle , in the course of which Commander Gerlach attacked two warships and sank several landing craft . On March 30, 1944, the boat was involved in a battle with a British submarine fighter group. The unit, which consisted of several destroyers , damaged U 223 with depth charges. After his boat had spent 25 hours under water, Commander Gerlach decided to let U 223 appear and to flee using the diesel engines . Shortly after surfacing, he sank one of the British destroyers. The boat was then attacked with artillery and badly damaged. The crew sank the boat, 23 crew members died, 27 survived and were rescued by the British.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The U-Boat War 1939-1945. Volume 3: German submarine successes from September 1939 to May 1945. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 2001, ISBN 3-8132-0513-4 . Page 154
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 .