U 331
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U 331 ( previous / next - all submarines ) |
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|---|---|
| Type : | VII C |
| Field Post Number : | M 37 182 |
| Shipyard: | North Sea Works , Emden |
| Construction contract: | September 23, 1939 |
| Keel laying: | January 26, 1940 |
| Launch: | December 20, 1940 |
| Commissioning: | March 31, 1941 |
| Commanders: |
March 31, 1941 - November 17, 1942 |
| Flotilla: |
|
| Calls: | 10 patrols |
| Sinkings: |
1 ship (9,135 GRT) |
| Whereabouts: | Sunk on November 17, 1942 in the Mediterranean north of Algiers |
U 331 was a German submarine from the Type VII C , which in World War II by the German navy was used.
history
The boat was on 26 January 1940, the North Sea works in Emden placed on Kiel on March 31, 1941, Lieutenant Hans Diedrich von Tiesenhausen put into service.
Calls
U 331 undertook ten enemy voyages during which it was able to sink two warships and damage another. Successes against merchant ships could not be achieved. On September 3, 1941, U 331 broke through the sea blockade near Gibraltar , from then on the boat operated exclusively in the Mediterranean . As a result of the above-average diving time in overcoming the British blockade, which was not yet known at the time, the pressure in the depth control of the torpedoes was increased, so that from then on they ran deeper than they had been set, which caused many misses in the Mediterranean - Submarines established. On October 10, 1941, U 331 was attacked by three fighter planes. One crew member was killed.
- October 10, 1941: Damage to the British landing craft LCT 18 (360 ts )
- The lighter set on fire by U 331 in an overwater firefight has presumably sunk.
- November 25, 1941: sinking of the British battleship HMS Barham (31,100 ts) ( location )
- The sinking of the British battleship was confirmed by the Admiralty towards the end of January. On January 27th, the Lieutenant Captain Freiherr von Tiesenhausen (who was promoted on January 1st) was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross for this sinking .
- November 9, 1942: sinking of the US troop transport USS Leedstown (9,135 GRT) ( location )
- In addition, in April 1942, Commander Tiesenhausen sank three small sailing ships of unknown nationality using artillery.
During the third patrol, U 331 dropped eight men on the Egyptian coast to sabotage a nearby railway line, but the men were unable to carry out the mission successfully.
Sinking
On November 17, 1942, after an attack by a Lockheed Hudson aircraft , in which U 331 was badly damaged, there were surrender signals. Nevertheless, it was shortly thereafter by a Fairey Albacore the British aircraft carrier HMS Formidable torpedoes and sank north of Algeria in position 37 ° 5 ' N , 2 ° 27' O . 32 seamen were killed and 17 were rescued, including Freiherr von Tiesenhausen.
Remarks
- ↑ Blair: The Submarine War. Volume 1: The Hunters. 1939-1942. 1998, p. 469.
- ↑ Busch, Röll: The U-Boat War 1939-1945. Volume 5: The knight's cross bearers of the submarine weapon from September 1939 to May 1945. 2003, p. 171.
See also
literature
- Clay Blair : The Submarine War. Volume 1: The Hunters. 1939-1942. Heyne, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-453-12345-X .
- Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 5: The knight's cross bearers of the submarine weapon from September 1939 to May 1945. ES Mittler and Son, Hamburg et al. 2003, ISBN 3-8132-0515-0 .
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