U 2321

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U 2321
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Type : XXIII
Field Post Number : M-41 224
Shipyard: Deutsche Werft AG , Hamburg
Construction contract: September 20, 1943
Build number: 475
Keel laying: March 10, 1944
Launch: April 17, 1944
Commissioning: June 12, 1944
Commanders:
Flotilla:
Calls: 1 patrol
Sinkings:

1 ship (1,406 GRT)

Whereabouts: Surrenders on May 9, 1945 in Kristiansand-Süd .

U 2321 was a so-called small electric boat of the type XXIII , which was used by the Navy in World War II . It was the first submarine of this type.

history

construction

The German shipyard in Hamburg , which previously built 24 long-range type IX C submarines and 67 type IX C / 40 submarines , received a construction contract on September 20, 1943, which included 47 type XXIII submarines. This was divided into two series: the first consisted of U 2321 to U 2331 , and the second consisted of U 2334 to U 2371 . Six months after the construction contract was awarded, the shipyard laid the keel of the first boat of the new class at Plant 475. Since these boats were designed as coastal boats, they could be completed quickly. On April 17, 1944, one month and seven days after the keel was laid, the finished hull was launched and put into service on June 12, 1944 under the command of First Lieutenant zur See Hans-Heinrich Barschkis. The UAK symbol of the boat was similar to that of U 2501 : a straight white rune-like line but without the shipyard beam that was present on U 2501. The boat served from June 12, 1944 to February 1, 1945 as a training boat in the 4th and 32nd U-Flotilla, until it was subordinated to the 11th U-Flotilla in Bergen as a front boat. Barschkis led his boat from Horten on March 9, 1945 on his first and last patrol, on which he torpedoed and sank the 1,406 GRT British freighter Gasray . After this 36-day trip, it arrived in Kristiansand on April 13, 1945 .

commitment

U 2321 ran from Horten on March 9, 1945 at 4:45 p.m. and arrived in Kristiansand on March 10 at 7:30 a.m. to make additional additions before leaving for its area of ​​operations in Scottish waters on March 11. Lieutenant Barschkis sighted the 1,406 GRT British freighter Gasray at 6:59 p.m. on April 5 and fired a fan from both torpedo tubes. Both torpedoes detonated and sank the ship. Of the Gasray's 24-man crew , only 16 survivors, including the captain, could be rescued. U 2321 arrived in Kristiansand four days after the sinking .

Whereabouts

The boat surrendered on May 9, 1945 when the British arrived in Norway. It was transferred to England on May 29, along with the other submarines that had surrendered. This happened under the command of Lieutenant Barschkis, and with the help of German machine personnel. It reached Scapa Flow on June 1 , but it was brought to Loch Ryan in Northern Ireland on June 4 to wait with the other boats for their sinking in Operation Deadlight . On November 25, the British frigate HMS Cubitt U 2321 towed to the position 56 ° 10 'N - 10 ° 05' W. On November 27 at 9:00 a.m., the British destroyer HMS Onslow (G17) and the opened Polish destroyer ORP Blyskawica (H34) launched fire on U 2321 , which sank as a result. The sinking took place in naval plan square 5139.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The fact that these boats are small electric boats is related to their size, which is why they were also the little sisters of the large Type XXI boats
  2. ↑ A photo of the tower of the boat confirms the UAK sign without the bar below the sign. Apparently only the Type XXI boats had these beams

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