German submarine U-254
History | |
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Name | U-254 |
Ordered | 23 September 1939 |
Builder | Bremer Vulkan, Bremen-Vegesack |
Yard number | 19 |
Laid down | 14 December 1940 |
Launched | 20 September 1941 |
Commissioned | 8 November 1941 |
Fate | Sunk after collision with U-221, 8 December 1942[1] |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type VIIC 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 | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 41 903 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: |
3 merchant ships sunk (18,553 GRT) |
German submarine U-254 was a
Built in 1941 at
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).
Service history
First patrol
Her first war patrol was a simple one, entailing a passage between Kiel and her new home base in Brest in occupied France. During this month-long journey, U-254 was ordered to spend sometime cruising off Reykjavík, Iceland, hoping to catch some stragglers from northern convoys or supply ships running to the Allied forces stationed on the island. She had one success, sinking a small British freighter on 2 August before she headed for her new home.
Second patrol
Her second patrol was more eventful, when on 3 October, after twelve days of cruising, she spotted the 11,237 GRT American tanker Esso Williamsburg in the central North Atlantic and sank her with one torpedo, killing 28.[3] This was followed six days later by another success in a similar area, when the 6,098 GRT British ship Pennington Court was sunk by three torpedoes with all 45 crew on board.[4]
The promising career of U-254 was almost cut short on this cruise, when the Norwegian Flower-class corvette HNoMS Eglantine damaged her with depth charges during an attack on a convoy in the same area as her previous victories.
Third patrol
After repairs, U-254 departed in late November 1942, returning to her old operating grounds of the North Atlantic routes. In December, the weather in the region is atrocious and visibility practically nil, so as U-254 maneuvered to attack
Summary of raiding history
Date | Ship | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[5] |
---|---|---|---|---|
2 August 1942 | Flora II | ![]() |
1,218 | Sunk |
3 October 1942 | Robert H Colley | ![]() |
11,237 | Sunk |
9 October 1942 | Pennington Court | ![]() |
6,098 | Sunk |
References
- ^ Kemp 1999, pp. 97–98.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Esso Williamsburg". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Pennington Court". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-254". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 26 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.
- 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.
- Kemp, Paul (1999). U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
- Sharpe, Peter (1998). U-Boat Fact File. Midland Publishing. ISBN 1-85780-072-9.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-254". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 254". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 26 December 2014.