German submarine U-1021
History | |
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Name | U-1021 |
Ordered | 13 June 1942 |
Builder | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
Yard number | 221 |
Laid down | 6 May 1943 |
Launched | 13 April 1944 |
Commissioned | 25 May 1944 |
Fate | Sunk on 14 March 1945 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type VIIC/41 submarine |
Displacement | |
Length |
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Beam |
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Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
Draught | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Range | |
Test depth |
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Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
Armament |
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Service record[1] [2] | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 23 789 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: | None |
German submarine U-1021 was a
.Design
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).
Sensors
Passive sonar
U-1021 was one of only ten Type VIIC's to be fitted with a Balkongerät (literally 'Balcony apparatus or equipment'). The Balkongerät was used on U-boats (
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The outside view of the German design of Balcongerät installed on Type VIIC's
Service history
U-1021 served with 31st U-boat Flotilla, a training unit, and later with 11th U-boat Flotilla from 1 December 1944 until its disappearance in March 1945.
Patrol and loss
U-1021 sailed from Bergen on 20 February 1945 and headed for the waters around Land's End.[6]
U-1021 was presumed to have been sunk on 30 March 1945 in The Minch in the Hebrides, by depth charges from the British frigates HMS Rupert and HMS Conn.[7]
Discovery
However, the wreck of U-1021 was identified by nautical archaeologist Innes McCartney and historian Axel Niestle in December 2006, 7 nautical miles (13 km) off Newquay, Cornwall, at position 50°33.3′N 5°11.6′W / 50.5550°N 5.1933°W, close to two other U-boats, U-325 and U-400. Further research by Innes McCartney led to the conclusion that all three submarines were sunk in the Bristol Channel by a deep-trap minefield.[7] Minefield "HW A3", which was fatal to U-1021, was laid by HMS Apollo on 3 December 1944.[8]
The attack of 30 March 1945 previously assumed to have sunk U-1021 is now believed to have sunk U-965.[7]
See also
- Battle of the Atlantic (1939-1945)
References
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC/41 boat U-1021". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-1021". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
- ^ Base on war-time photographs.
- ^ "Hydrophones". U-boats Aces - uboataces.com. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-1021 from 20 Feb 1945 to 14 Mar 1945". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
- ^ a b c "War Mystery Solved". cix.co.uk. Retrieved 6 January 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The loss of U 325, U 400 and U 1021: Re-assessment of German U-boat losses in World War II". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
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.
- 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). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Gröner, Erich; 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.
External links
- "Geheimes Minenfeld: Drei deutsche U-Boote vor britischer Küste gefunden". Spiegel Online (in German). spiegel.de. 22 December 2006. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 1021". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The loss of U-325, U-400 and U-1021". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 4 January 2010.
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VII/C41 boat U-1021". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 December 2014.