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 30 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 | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-565 |
| Ordered | 24 October 1939 |
| Builder | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
| Yard number | 541 |
| Laid down | 30 March 1940 |
| Launched | 20 February 1941 |
| Commissioned | 10 April 1941 |
| Fate | Scuttled on 30 September 1944 after being earlier bombed by US aircraft on 19 and 24 September 1944 at position 38°00′28″N 23°35′51″E / 38.00778°N 23.59750°E in the Skaramanga. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type VIIC submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
|
| Beam |
|
| Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range | |
| Test depth |
|
| Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
| Service record[1] | |
| Part of: |
|
| Identification codes: | M 41 992 |
| Commanders: |
|
| Operations: |
|
| Victories: | |
Design
editGerman 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
editThe 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 20 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
editShe took part in two wolfpacks, namely:
- Arnauld (5 – 18 November 1941)
- Wal (10 – 12 November 1942)
Fate
editU-565 was badly damaged by bombs dropped by US aircraft on 19 and 24 September 1944 in the Mediterranean near Skaramanga in Greece. She was scuttled on 30 September 1944 at Skaramanga Bay.
Summary of raiding history
edit| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 1] | Fate[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 March 1942 | HMS Naiad |  Royal Navy
|
5,450 | Sunk |
| 23 April 1942 | Kirkland |  United Kingdom
|
1,361 | Sunk |
| 18 December 1942 | HMS Partridge | Royal Navy
|
1,540 | Sunk |
| 24 February 1943 | Nathanael Greene |  United States
|
7,176 | Damaged |
| 27 February 1943 | Seminole | United Kingdom
|
10,389 | Damaged |
| 20 April 1943 | Michigan | United States
|
5,594 | Sunk |
| 20 April 1943 | Sidi-Bel-Abbès |  Free France
|
4,392 | Sunk |
See also
editReferences
editNotes
edit- ^ Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.
Citations
edit- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-565". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 May 2014.
- ^ a b c d 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
edit- 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.
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Der U-Boot-Krieg, 1939-1945: Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945] (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Gröner, Eric; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). German Warships 1815-1945: U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 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
edit- 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.