U 511
|
U 511 ( previous / next - all submarines ) |
|
|---|---|
 U 511 as RO 500 |
|
| Type : | IX C |
| Field Post Number : | M 42792 |
| Shipyard: | German shipyard , Hamburg |
| Construction contract: | October 20, 1939 |
| Build number: | 307 |
| Keel laying: | February 21, 1941 |
| Launch: | September 22, 1941 |
| Commissioning: | December 8, 1941 |
| Commanders: |
|
| Calls: | 4 activities |
| Sinkings: |
5 ships (41,373 GRT) |
| Whereabouts: | sunk by the US Navy in the Gulf of Maizuru on April 30, 1946 |
U 511 was a German type IX C submarinethat was used by the German navy during World War II . It was used as a so-called monsoon boat . It washanded overto Japan on September 16, 1943, and wasput back into serviceas the RO 500 in the Imperial Japanese Navy .
history
Construction and commissioning
The construction contract was given to the Deutsche Werft in Hamburg on October 20, 1939 . The keel was laid on February 21, 1941 and the launch on September 22, 1941. On December 8, 1941, Lieutenant Friedrich Steinhoff put the boat into service.
Stationings, flotilla affiliations and commanders
After its commissioning, the boat was used for training purposes with the 4th U-Flotilla stationed in Stettin until July 31, 1942 . From August 1, 1942 until the boat was decommissioned on September 1, 1943, it was part of the 10th U-Flotilla in Lorient as a front boat . Captain Friedrich Steinhoff was in command of the boat for the entire training period and the first two patrols. From December 18, 1942 to November 20, 1943, Kapitänleutnant Fritz Schneewind was in command.
Missile tests in the summer of 1942
The idea of firing rockets under water came from the brother of the commander Kapitänleutnant Friedrich Steinhoff, Dr.-Ing. Ernst Steinhoff . It was therefore an obvious choice to use U 511 for the first tests. Since conventional 30 cm projectiles were to be used, a total of four frames with heavy projectile devices 41 were mounted by the army on the deck of U 511 . After the first test shots on May 14, 1942 and May 15, still from land and on May 27 and May 28 from a frame sunk in coastal water, the first attempts at shooting at U 511 took place on June 14, 1942. At a diving depth of 13 meters, the U 511 fired six rounds, with the shells reaching a range of up to 4800 meters. However, the mounted launchers impaired the properties of the boats very much and it was only with great effort that the boats were able to approach within two to three kilometers of the coast. Therefore the project was rejected again.
Calls
U 511 took four patrols on which sunk five ships of 41,373 GRT and a ship were damaged with 8,773 GRT.
First venture
U 511 left Kiel on July 16, 1942 and entered Lorient on September 29 after 76 days at sea. On this enterprise two ships with 22,049 GRT were sunk and one ship with 8,773 GRT was damaged.
- August 28, 1942: Damage to the American tanker Esso Aruba (8,773 GRT, driving in convoy TAW-15)
- August 28, 1942: Sinking of the British tanker San Fabian (13,031 GRT, driving in convoy TAW-15, 26 dead)
- August 28, 1942: sinking of the Dutch tanker Rotterdam (8,968 GRT, driving in convoy TAW-15, 10 dead)
Second patrol
The boat left Lorient on October 24, 1942 and returned there on November 28. No ship was sunk or damaged on this 36-day venture.
Third company
U 511 left Lorient on December 31, 1942 and returned there on March 8, 1943. On this enterprise a ship with 5,004 GRT was sunk.
- 9 January 1943: sinking of the British steamer William Wilberforce (5,004 GRT, 3 dead)
- February 12, 1943: During an attack on Cape Finisterre , U 511 was damaged by the convoy's escort boats and had to break off the attack without landing a hit
Fourth venture
The boat left Lorient on May 10, 1943 and made its way to Kure, where it was the first monsoon boat to arrive on August 7. In this venture two ships with 14,370 GRT were sunk.
- June 27, 1943: sinking of the American steamer Sebastian Cermeno (7,194 GRT, 5 dead)
- July 9, 1943: sinking of the American steamer Samuel Heintzelmann (7,176 GRT, 75 dead)
Whereabouts
On September 16, 1943, the boat was decommissioned and handed over to Japan as a gift from Hitler . There it was put back into service by the Imperial Japanese Navy as the RO 500 . RO 500 got a Japanese occupation under the command of Captain Okuda. The original German team was brought to Singapore by motor ship and there distributed to the former Italian submarines UIT 23 , UIT 24 and UIT 25 .
In August 1945, Captain Okuda surrendered to the Americans in Maizuru . The boat was then sunk in the Gulf of Maizuru by the US Navy on April 30, 1946.
successes
| date | Surname | nationality | Tonnage (GRT) | success |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 27, 1942 | Esso Aruba |
 United States
|
8,773 | damaged |
| August 27, 1942 | Rotterdam |
 Netherlands
|
8,968 | sunk ( location ) |
| August 27, 1942 | San Fabian |
 United Kingdom
|
13,031 | sunk ( location ) |
| January 9, 1943 | William Wilberforce |
United Kingdom
|
5,004 | sunk ( location ) |
| June 27, 1943 | Sebastian Cermeno |
United States
|
7,194 | sunk ( location ) |
| July 9, 1943 | Samuel Heintzelman |
United States
|
7.176 | sunk ( location ) |
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The U-Boat War 1939-1945. Volume 2: U-boat construction in German shipyards. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0512-6 , p. 63.
- ^ U-511, U-1063 and the plans for submarines with sea-launched missiles . German U-Boat Museum. Retrieved April 4, 2013.
- ↑ a b c d 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 , p. 219.
- ↑ Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The U-Boat War 1939-1945. Volume 2: U-boat construction in German shipyards. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0512-6 , p. 496.
Map with all coordinates: