German submarine U-259
History | |
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Name | U-259 |
Ordered | 23 December 1939 |
Builder | Bremer Vulkan, Bremen-Vegesack |
Yard number | 24 |
Laid down | 25 March 1941 |
Launched | 30 December 1941 |
Commissioned | 18 February 1942 |
Fate | Sunk, 15 November 1942[1] |
General characteristics | |
Type | Type VIIC submarine |
Displacement | list error: <br /> list (help) 769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced 871 t (857 long tons) submerged |
Length | list error: <br /> list (help) 67.1 m (220 ft 2 in) o/a 50.5 m (165 ft 8 in) pressure hull |
Beam | list error: <br /> list (help) 6.2 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull |
Draft | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
Propulsion | list error: <br /> list (help) 2 × supercharged Germaniawerft 6-cylinder 4-stroke M6V 40/46 diesel engines, totalling 2,800–3,200 bhp (2,100–2,400 kW). Max rpm: 470-490 2 × electric motors, totalling 750 shp (560 kW) and max rpm: 296. |
Speed | list error: <br /> list (help) 17.7 knots (20.4 mph; 32.8 km/h) surfaced 7.6 knots (8.7 mph; 14.1 km/h) submerged |
Range | list error: <br /> list (help) 15,170 km (8,190 nmi) at 10 kn (19 km/h) surfaced 150 km (81 nmi) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h) submerged |
Test depth | list error: <br /> list (help) 230 m (750 ft) Crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft) |
Complement | 44–52 officers & ratings |
Armament | list error: <br /> list (help) • 5 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 1 stern) • 14 × G7e torpedoes or 26 TMA mines • 1 × C35 88mm/L45 deck gun (220 rounds) • Various AA guns |
Service record[2][3] | |
Part of: |
list error: <br /> list (help) 5th U-boat Flotilla (18 February–31 August 1942) 3rd U-boat Flotilla (1 September–15 November 1942) |
Commanders: |
list error: <br /> list (help) Kptlt. Klaus Köpke (18 February 1942–15 November 1942) |
Operations: |
list error: <br /> list (help) 1st patrol: 29 August–5 October 1942 2nd patrol: 5–15 November 1942 |
Victories: | None |
German submarine U-259 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 25 March 1941 at the Bremer Vulkan yard at Bremen-Vegesack, launched on 30 December 1941, and commissioned on 18 February 1942 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Klaus Köpke. After training with the 5th U-boat Flotilla at Kiel, U-259 was transferred to the 3rd U-boat Flotilla, based at La Pallice, France, for front-line service from 1 September 1942.
U-259 sank no ships in her short career, and was sunk off North Africa on 15 November 1942, during her second combat patrol, by a British Hudson bomber.[2]
Service history
1st patrol
U-259 sailed from Kiel on 29 August 1942, and headed out into the mid-Atlantic, joining Wolf pack Lohs from 3–22 September, and Wolf pack Blitz from 22–25 September, but had no success. The U-boat arrived at La Pallice on 5 October after 38 days at sea.[4]
2nd patrol
U-259 departed La Pallice on 5 November 1942 as part of Wolf pack Delphin, entered the Mediterranean Sea through the Strait of Gibraltar, and joined Wolf pack Wal on 12 November.
Sinking
On 15 November the U-boat was attacked by a British Hudson light bomber of No. 500 Squadron RAF, north of Algiers, in position 37°20′N 3°5′E / 37.333°N 3.083°E. U-259 was sunk with all 48 hands when one of the depth charges dropped by the aircraft exploded on contact with the U-boat. The blast also crippled the aircraft, forcing the crew to bail out. Only the pilot and one crewman were rescued by the British sloops Erne and Leith.[2][5]
References
- Notes
- ^ Kemp, Paul: U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars, 1999, Arms & Armour, ISBN 1-85409-515-3, p. 96.
- ^ a b c Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-259 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". uboat.net. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-259 - Boats - uboat.net". uboat.net. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-259 from 29 Aug 1942 to 5 Oct 1942 - U-boat patrols - uboat.net". uboat.net. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-259 from 5 Nov 1942 to 15 Nov 1942 - U-boat patrols - uboat.net". uboat.net. Retrieved 2 April 2010.
- Bibliography
- U-259 at uboat.net
- Bishop, C. Kriegsmarine U-Boats, 1939-45. Amber Books, 2006.
External links
See also
- Use dmy dates from February 2011
- German Type VII submarines
- U-boats commissioned in 1942
- U-boats sunk in 1942
- World War II submarines of Germany
- World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean
- 1941 ships
- Ships built in Bremen (state)
- U-boats sunk by aircraft
- U-boats sunk by depth charges
- Ships lost with all hands
- German submarine stubs