German submarine U-533
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-533 |
| Ordered | 10 April 1941 |
| Builder | Deutsche Werft, Hamburg |
| Yard number | 351 |
| Laid down | 17 February 1942 |
| Launched | 11 September 1942 |
| Commissioned | 25 November 1942 |
| Fate | Sunk on 16 October 1943[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type IXC/40 submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
|
| Beam |
|
| Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 4.67 m (15 ft 4 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 230 m (750 ft) |
| Complement | 4 officers, 44 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
| Service record[2][3] | |
| Part of: |
|
| Identification codes: | M 50 650 |
| Commanders: |
|
| Operations: |
|
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-533 was a
Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 17 February 1942 at the Deutsche Werft yard at Hamburg as yard number 351, launched on 11 September 1942 and commissioned on 25 November 1942 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Helmut Hennig. After training with the 4th U-boat Flotilla in the Baltic Sea, U-533 was transferred to the 10th flotilla for front-line service on 1 May 1943, and sunk in the Gulf of Oman
on 16 October with one survivor.
Design
supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of 4,400 metric horsepower (3,240 kW; 4,340 shp) for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 1,000 shaft horsepower (1,010 PS; 750 kW) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.92 m (6 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).[4]
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph).2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of forty-eight.[4]
Service history
First patrol
U-533 departed Kiel on 15 April 1943, and sailed out into the Atlantic, but came under repeated attack from Allied aircraft, giving it very little opportunity to cause any damage to shipping.
On 24 April U-533 was attacked by a
PBY-5A Catalina of United States Navy squadron VP-84. Three of the U-boat's gunners were injured, but the U-boat was not severely damaged. On 20 May U-533 was attacked by a Halifax heavy bomber of No. 502 Squadron RAF, without suffering any serious damage. The U-boat arrived at her new home port of Lorient in occupied France, on 24 May after 40 days at sea.[5]
Second patrol
On 5 July 1943 the U-boat sailed from Lorient, through the Atlantic, around the Cape of Good Hope, into the Indian Ocean, and up to the mouth of the Persian Gulf.[6]
Operating as part of the life jacket for 28 hours until he was rescued by HMIS Hiravati near Khor Fakkan.[8] Schmidt spent the remainder of the war as a POW. Chapman received the Distinguished Flying Medal for his action.[8]
Wreck
In 2009, divers found the wreck of U-533 at a depth of 108 metres (354 ft) some 25 nautical miles (46 km; 29 mi) off the coast of Fujairah.[8][9]
Wolfpacks
U-533 took part in three wolfpacks, namely:
- Star (27 April – 4 May 1943)
- Fink (4 – 6 May 1943)
- Monsun (5 July – 10 October 1943)
References
- ^ Kemp 1999, pp. 150–1.
- ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-533 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-533 - Boats - uboat.net". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, p. 68.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-533 from 15 Apr 1943 to 24 May 1943 - U-boat patrols - uboat.net". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-533 from 5 Jul 1943 to 16 Oct 1943 - U-boat patrols - uboat.net". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
- ^ "Submarine Casualties Booklet". U.S. Naval Submarine School. 1966. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 8 September 2009.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ Spiegel Online(in German). 18 December 2009. Retrieved 18 December 2009.
- ^ "What lies beneath: Nazi wreck off Fujairah". Gulf News. 17 December 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2012.
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). 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.
- Kemp, Paul (1999). U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-533". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 533". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 7 December 2014.