German submarine U-565
German submarine U-565 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. She was laid down on 3 March 1940 by Blohm & Voss in Hamburg as yard number 541, launched on 20 February 1941 and commissioned on 10 April 1941 under Oberleutnant Johann Jebsen.
History | |
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Name: | U-565 |
Ordered: | 24 October 1939 |
Builder: | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
Yard number: | 541 |
Laid down: | 3 March 1940 |
Launched: | 20 February 1941 |
Commissioned: | 10 April 1941 |
Fate: | Scuttled, after being earlier bombed by US aircraft, on 24 September 1944 at position 37°57′N 23°40′E in the Mediterranean. |
General characteristics | |
Class and type: | Type VIIC submarine |
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Height: | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
Draught: | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
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Complement: | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
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Service record[1] | |
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Design
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-565 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[2] She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in), a pressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), a beam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of 2,800 to 3,200 metric horsepower (2,060 to 2,350 kW; 2,760 to 3,160 shp) for use while surfaced, two BBC GG UB 720/8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 metric horsepower (550 kW; 740 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m (4 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).[2]
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph).[2] When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-565 was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.[2]
Service history
The boat's service began on 10 April 1941 with training as part of the 1st U-boat Flotilla. She was transferred to the 29th flotilla on 1 January 1942 in the Mediterranean where she remained until being scuttled in 1944. In 21 patrols she sank three merchant ships, for a total of 11,347 gross register tons (GRT), plus two warships sunk and another two merchant ships damaged.[3]
Wolfpacks
She took part in two wolfpacks, namely,
- Arnauld (5–18 November 1941)
- Wal (10–12 November 1942)
U-565 was badly damaged by bombs dropped by US aircraft on 19 September 1944 in the Mediterranean near Skaramanga in Greece. She was eventually scuttled in Salamis by 3 depth charges on 24 September 1944.
Summary of raiding history
Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 1] | Fate[4] |
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11 March 1942 | HMS Naiad | 5,450 | Sunk | |
23 April 1942 | Kirkland | 1,361 | Sunk | |
18 December 1942 | HMS Partridge | 1,540 | Sunk | |
24 February 1943 | Nathanael Greene | 7,176 | Damaged | |
27 February 1943 | Seminole | 10,389 | Damaged | |
20 April 1943 | Michigan | 5,594 | Sunk | |
20 April 1943 | Sidi-Bel-Abbès | 4,392 | Sunk |
References
Notes
- Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.
Citations
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-565". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
- Gröner 1991, pp. 43-46.
- Busch & Röll 1999.
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-565". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 May 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.
- Sharpe, Peter (1998). U-Boat Fact File. Great Britain: Midland Publishing. ISBN 1-85780-072-9.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-565". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 565". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 28 December 2014.