German submarine U-311
History | |
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Name | U-311 |
Ordered | 5 June 1940 |
Builder | Flender Werke, Lübeck |
Yard number | 311 |
Laid down | 21 March 1942 |
Launched | 20 January 1943 |
Commissioned | 23 March 1943 |
Fate | Sunk, April 1944 by Canadian warships[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 and ratings |
Armament | list error: <br /> list (help) • 5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern) • 14 × G7e torpedoes or 26 TMA mines • 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun(220 rounds) • Various AA guns |
Service record[2][3] | |
Part of: |
list error: <br /> list (help) 8th U-boat Flotilla (23 March–30 November 1943) 1st U-boat Flotilla (1 December 1943–22 April 1944) |
Commanders: |
list error: <br /> list (help) Kptlt. Joachim Zander (23 March–22 April 1943) |
Operations: |
list error: <br /> list (help) 1st patrol: 25 November 1943–26 January 1944 2nd patrol: 7 March–22 April 1944 |
Victories: | One ship sunk, of 10,342 GRT |
German submarine U-311 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 21 March 1942 at the Flender Werke yard at Lübeck as 'werk' 311, launched on 20 January 1943 and commissioned on 23 March under the command of Kapitänleutnant Joachim Zander.
During her short career, the U-boat sailed on two combat patrols, sinking a single ship, before she was sunk on 24 April 1944.[2]
Service history
1st patrol
After training with the 8th U-boat Flotilla at Kiel, U-311 was transferred to the 1st U-boat Flotilla based at Brest in France, for front-line service on 25 November 1943.[2] On that day she departed Kiel and sailed out into the middle of the Atlantic, via the North Sea and the 'gap' between Iceland and the Faroe Islands.[4] She operated as part of wolfpacks 'Panther', 'Puma' and 'Südwärts',[2] before arriving at Brest on 26 January 1944.[3]
2nd patrol and loss
U-311 sailed from Brest on 7 March 1944. On the 19th, she sank the Seakay 375 nmi (694 km) west of Fastnet. On 22 April, she was sunk by depth charges dropped by the Canadian frigates HMCS Matane and Swansea.[5]
Previously recorded fate
The boat was previously thought to have been sunk southwest of Ireland on 24 April 1944 by a Canadian Sunderland flying boat of 423 Squadron, RCAF.[6][7]
References
- Notes
- ^ Kemp, Paul: U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars, 1999, Arms & Armour, ISBN 1-85409-515-3, pp. 184-185.
- ^ a b c d Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-311". uboat.net. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-311". uboat.net. Retrieved 17 August 2012.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-311 from 25 Nov 1943 to 26 Jan 1944". uboat.net. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-311 from 7 March 1944 to 22 April 1944". uboat.net. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
- ^ http://uboat.net/boats/u311/htm
- ^ http://www.u-boot-archiv.de/dieboote/u0311html U-311 at u-boot-archiv.de
- Bibliography
See also
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