German submarine U-54 (1939)
![]() U-52, a typical Type VIIB boat
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History | |
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Name | U-54 |
Ordered | 16 July 1937 |
Builder | Germaniawerft, Kiel |
Cost | 4,439,000 Reichsmark |
Yard number | 589 |
Laid down | 13 September 1938 |
Launched | 15 August 1939 |
Commissioned | 23 September 1939 |
Fate | Sunk by a British mine around 13 February 1940 off Terschelling |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type VIIB U-boat |
Displacement | |
Length |
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Beam |
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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 |
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Test depth |
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Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
Sensors and processing systems | Gruppenhorchgerät |
Armament |
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Service record | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 02 062 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: | None |
German submarine U-54 was a
.Design
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.9 knots (33.2 km/h; 20.6 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph).
Service history
She was ordered on 16 July 1937 and was laid down on 13 September 1938 at Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft, Kiel, becoming yard number 589. She was launched on 15 August 1939 and commissioned under her first commander, Kapitänleutnant (Kptlt.) Georg-Heinz Michel, on 23 September of that year. Michel commanded her for her work-ups with the 7th U-boat Flotilla between 23 September and 30 November 1939. He was succeeded by Korvettenkapitän (K.Kapt.) Günter Kutschmann on 5 December, who completed the training programme by 31 December. She became an operational boat of the 7th Flotilla and set out for her first and only war patrol on 1 January 1940 in the North Sea. She did not record any successes during this cruise and was reported missing after failing to check in on 20 February.
She was probably lost with all hands after striking a mine in the mine barrages Field No. 4 or Field No. 6, which had been laid by the Royal Navy destroyers HMS Ivanhoe and Intrepid in early January 1940. This however has not been proven and the reason for her disappearance remains officially unknown. Part of one of her torpedoes was found on 14 March 1940 by the German patrol boat V 1101 Preußen in position 54°57′N 06°45′E / 54.950°N 6.750°E.
References
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–44.
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.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIB boat U-54". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 8 December 2014.