German submarine U-281
History | |
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Name | U-281 |
Ordered | 5 June 1941 |
Builder | Bremer Vulkan, Bremen-Vegesack |
Yard number | 46 |
Laid down | 7 May 1942 |
Launched | 16 January 1943 |
Commissioned | 27 February 1943 |
Fate |
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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[1][2] | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 50 190 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: | None |
German submarine U-281 was a
.The submarine was laid down on 7 May 1942 at the Bremer Vulkan yard at Bremen-Vegesack as yard number 46. She was launched on 16 January 1943 and commissioned on 27 February under the command of Kapitänleutnant Heinz von Davidson.[1]
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
U-279 served with the 8th U-boat Flotilla for training from February to July 1943 and operationally with the 7th flotilla from 1 August.[1] She carried out four patrols, but sank no ships. She was a member of 11 wolfpacks.
First patrol
After two short voyages in Norwegian waters, the boat headed for occupied France, departing
Second patrol
U-281's second patrol was to mid-Atlantic and at 61 days, was to be her longest.
Third patrol
By contrast, her third patrol was the shortest; she did not get out of the Bay of Biscay.
Return to Germany and surrender
She then made the short journey from St. Nazaire to La Pallice, further south along the French Atlantic coast in August 1944, before undertaking the longer voyage to Kristiansand in Norway, again negotiating the gap between Iceland and the Faroes, but in the other direction. She did not stay in Norway long, arriving at Flensburg on 5 November 1944.
The submarine surrendered at Kristiansand-Sud on 9 May 1945. She was transferred to Loch Ryan in Scotland via Scapa Flow[4] for Operation Deadlight. She was sunk on 30 November 1945.
U-281 appears in the film The Cruel Sea after her surrender (approx 1 hour 57 minutes into the film).
Wolfpacks
U-281 took part in eleven wolfpacks, namely:
- Schlieffen (16 – 22 October 1943)
- Siegfried (22 – 27 October 1943)
- Siegfried 2 (27 – 30 October 1943)
- Körner (30 October – 2 November 1943)
- Tirpitz 3 (2 – 8 November 1943)
- Eisenhart 9 (9 – 11 November 1943)
- Rügen (14 – 26 January 1944)
- Hinein (26 January – 3 February 1944)
- Igel 2 (3 – 17 February 1944)
- Hai 2 (17 – 22 February 1944)
- Preussen (22 – 23 February 1944)
References
- ^ a b c Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-281". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-281". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 6 August 2012.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
- ^ Hofmann, Markus. "U 281". Deutsche U-Boote 1935–1945 – u-boot-archiv.de (in German). 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, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-281". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 281". Deutsche U-Boote 1935–1945 – u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 26 December 2014.