German submarine U-24 (1936)

German submarine U-24 was a Type IIB U-boat that was in service of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was laid down on 21 April 1936 at the F. Krupp Germaniawerft in Kiel with yard number 554, launched on 24 September and commissioned into the Kriegsmarine on 10 October. Oberleutnant zur See Heinz Buchholz took command on 3 July 1937.

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-24.

U-9, a typical Type IIB boat
History
Nazi Germany
Name:	U-24
Ordered:	2 February 1935
Builder:	Germaniawerft, Kiel Galați shipyard, Romania
Yard number:	554
Laid down:	21 April 1936
Launched:	24 September 1936
Commissioned:	10 October 1936
Fate:	Scuttled on 25 August 1944, at Constanța in the Black Sea
General characteristics
Class and type:	IIB coastal submarine
Displacement:	279 t (275 long tons) surfaced 328 t (323 long tons) submerged
Length:	42.70 m (140 ft 1 in) o/a 27.80 m (91 ft 2 in) pressure hull
Beam:	4.08 m (13 ft 5 in) (o/a) 4.00 m (13 ft 1 in) (pressure hull)
Height:	8.60 m (28 ft 3 in)
Draught:	3.90 m (12 ft 10 in)
Installed power:	700 PS (510 kW; 690 bhp) (diesels) 410 PS (300 kW; 400 shp) (electric)
Propulsion:	2 shafts 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Range:	1,800 nmi (3,300 km; 2,100 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) surfaced 35–43 nmi (65–80 km; 40–49 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth:	80 m (260 ft)
Complement:	3 officers, 22 men
Armament:	3 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes 5 × torpedoes or up to 12 TMA or 18 TMB mines 1 × 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun
Service record
Part of:	Kriegsmarine: 1st U-boat Flotilla 3rd U-boat Flotilla 21st U-boat Flotilla 30th U-boat Flotilla
Identification codes:	M 24 897
Commanders:	Heinz Buchholz Udo Behrens Harald Jeppener-Haltenhoff Udo Heilmann Dietrich Borchert Helmut Hennig Hardo Rodler von Roithberg Klaus Petersen Clemens Schöler Dieter Lenzmann Martin Landt-Hayen
Operations:	20
Victories:	One ship sunk for a total of 961 GRT five warships sunk for a total of 571 tons one ship damaged of 7.661 GRT one ship a total loss - 7,886 GRT

Design

German Type IIB submarines were enlarged versions of the original Type IIs. U-24 had a displacement of 279 tonnes (275 long tons) when at the surface and 328 tonnes (323 long tons) while submerged. Officially, the standard tonnage was 250 long tons (250 t), however.[1] The U-boat had a total length of 42.70 m (140 ft 1 in), a pressure hull length of 28.20 m (92 ft 6 in), a beam of 4.08 m (13 ft 5 in), a height of 8.60 m (28 ft 3 in), and a draught of 3.90 m (12 ft 10 in). The submarine was powered by two MWM RS 127 S four-stroke, six-cylinder diesel engines of 700 metric horsepower (510 kW; 690 shp) for cruising, two Siemens-Schuckert PG VV 322/36 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 460 metric horsepower (340 kW; 450 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 0.85 m (3 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 80–150 metres (260–490 ft).[1]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph).[1] When submerged, the boat could operate for 35–42 nautical miles (65–78 km; 40–48 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 3,800 nautical miles (7,000 km; 4,400 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph). U-24 was fitted with three 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes at the bow, five torpedoes or up to twelve Type A torpedo mines, and a 2 cm (0.79 in) anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of twenty-five.[1]

Fate

To serve in the 30th U-boat Flotilla, she was transported in sections along the Danube to the Romanian port of Galați. She was then re-assembled at the Galați shipyard and sent to the Black Sea.[2] On 25 August 1944, U-24 was scuttled at Constanţa, on the Romanian Black Sea coast to prevent the advancing Soviet forces from capturing it. She was raised by the Soviet Union in early 1945, but sunk as target practice by the Soviet submarine M-120 on 26 May 1947, off Sevastopol (also sunk that same day was the former U-18).

Summary of raiding history

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage[Note 1]	Fate[3]
9 November 1939	Carmarthen Coast	United Kingdom	961	Sunk (mine)
31 March 1943	Kreml	Soviet Union	7,661	Damaged
15 June 1943	BTSC Zashitnik (No 26)	Soviet Navy	441	Sunk
30 July 1943	Emba	Soviet Union	7,866	Total loss
22 August 1943	DB-36	Soviet Navy	9	Sunk
22 August 1943	DB-37	Soviet Navy	9	Sunk
31 October 1943	SKA-088	Soviet Navy	56	Sunk
12 May 1944	SKA-0376	Soviet Navy	56	Sunk

References

Notes

1. Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.

Citations

1. Gröner 1991, pp. 39–40.
2. Steel and Ice: The U-boat Battle in the Arctic and Black Sea 1941-45, Chapter 5 - The Black Sea: War in the South 1942-43, 5th page
3. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-24". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 2014.

Bibliography

• Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German). IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.

External links

• Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IIB boat U-24". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
• Hofmann, Markus. "U 24". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 6 December 2014.