U 2511
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U 2511 ( previous / next - all submarines ) |
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 U 2511 with white camouflage between two other Type XXI boats |
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| Type : | XXI |
| Shipyard: | Blohm & Voss , Hamburg |
| Keel laying: | July 7, 1944 |
| Commissioning: | September 29, 1944 |
| Commanders: |
Sept. 29, 1944 - May 5, 1945 Kkpt. Adalbert Snow |
| Calls: | 1 patrol |
| Sinkings: |
no |
| Whereabouts: | Sunk in 1946 as part of Operation Deadlight |
U 2511 was a German submarine of the Kriegsmarine of the type XXI and was put into service on September 29, 1944 in Hamburg at Blohm & Voss . U 2511 was the only Type XXI submarine that went on patrol, either on April 30 or May 3, 1945. Because of the partial surrender on May 4, 1945, the commander Adalbert Schnee did not find any more opportunity in the few days At the end. After May 4th he did not launch any more attacks, but ran back to Bergen, where he and his submarine were disarmed by the British on May 9th.
technology
It was one of the first Type XXI submarines to be equipped with much larger batteries and more powerful electric machines. This made it a real underwater vehicle. The favorable hydrodynamic shape allowed it an underwater speed of 16.5 knots and an almost noiseless cruise under water at 5.5 knots. It had a radius of action that stretched from its home port in Bergen to the waters of Cape Town . With this submarine it was also possible to carry out torpedo attacks from greater depths without visual contact.
history
Under the command of Adalbert Schnee, U 2511 wore the maling "Snowman" on the tower as an allusion to his name. Snow had U 2511 painted white for camouflage reasons. The first patrol was to lead to the area of the Panama Canal . The boat had already come into contact with the enemy several times with Allied hunting groups, but was only discovered by one. The submarine evaded this underwater by “long voyage” with a course against wind and waves. Commander Korvettenkapitän Adalbert Schnee in a later interview:
“We heard them [the submarine hunters] take bearings for a long time. Obviously they couldn't explain the loss of contact. "
Shortly after the commander had received the order to return to the port of departure and surrender there, the boat met according to Schnees in the early morning hours of May 4, 1945 on a British cruiser formation led by HMS Norfolk . Without being noticed by the fuse destroyers, the boat made a mock attack underwater and came within torpedo range. After a short while, the boat drove back to Bergen, Norway, as ordered, where it arrived on May 5, 1945. The credibility of this account has been questioned by some recent literature sources, while other literature sources and crew confirm it.
The boat was sunk in 1946 as part of Operation Deadlight .
See also
literature
- Janusz Piekalkiewicz : Sea War. 1939-1945. License issue. Bechtermünz, Augsburg 1998, ISBN 3-8289-0304-5 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ The exact days of expiry and return are controversial.
- ^ Dieter Hartwig: Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz. Legend and reality. Ferdinand Schöningh, Paderborn a. a. 2010, ISBN 978-3-506-77027-1 , pp. 118-119.
- ↑ Reinhard Hoheisel-Huxmann: The front use of the submarine U 2511 - Real seal? In: German Shipping Archive. 23, 2000, ISSN 0343-3668 , pp. 347-372.