German submarine U-635
History | |
---|---|
Nazi Germany | |
Name | U-635 |
Ordered | 20 January 1941 |
Builder | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
Yard number | 611 |
Laid down | 3 October 1941 |
Launched | 24 June 1942 |
Commissioned | 13 August 1942 |
Fate | Sunk on 5 April 1943 in the Liberator . |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type VIIC submarine |
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 | |
Test depth |
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Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
Armament |
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Service record[1] | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 51 783 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: |
2 merchant ships damaged (14,894 GRT) |
German submarine U-635 was a
. She wasDesign
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
The boat's career began with training at 5th U-boat Flotilla on 13 August 1942, followed by active service on 1 April 1943 as part of the 3rd Flotilla for the remainder of her very short service.
In one patrol she damaged two merchant ships, for a total of 14,894 gross register tons (GRT).
Convoy HX 231
In April 1943, U-635 joined the wolfpack Löwenherz and attacked the Eastbound convoy HX 231 bound for Liverpool from Halifax, Nova Scotia.
At 22:15 on 4 April, U-635’s torpedoes struck the lead ship of the column, the British freighter Shillong. U-630 delivered the coup de grâce. She took only 12 minutes to sink.
The next target was the British refrigerated ship Waroonga, whose cargo included butter and meat from New Zealand. She was hit with 2 torpedoes, but stayed afloat thanks to the integrity of her watertight bulkheads. However, it wasn't to last as she too was despatched by U-630[citation needed] the following day.
Fate
U-635 was sunk on 5 April 1943 in the
Wolfpacks
U-635 took part in one wolfpack, namely:
- Löwenherz (1 – 5 April 1943)
Summary of raiding history
Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[3] |
---|---|---|---|---|
4 April 1943 | Shillong | United Kingdom | 5,529 | Damaged |
4 April 1943 | Waroonga | United Kingdom | 9,365 | Damaged |
References
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-635". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 5 November 2014.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-635". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 5 November 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.
- Edwards, Bernard (1996). Dönitz and the Wolfpacks - The U-boats at War. pp. 179, 180, 184. ISBN 0-304-35203-9.
- 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.
- Sharpe, Peter (1998). U-Boat Fact File. Great Britain: Midland Publishing. ISBN 1-85780-072-9.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-635". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 2014.