German submarine U-847
Appearance
History | |
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Name | U-847 |
Ordered | 20 January 1941 |
Builder | |
Yard number | 1053 |
Laid down | 23 November 1941 |
Launched | 5 September 1942 |
Commissioned | 23 January 1943 |
Fate | Sunk on 27 August 1943 at position 28°19′N 37°58′W / 28.317°N 37.967°W by air-launched homing torpedoes fired from US aircraft operating off escort carrier USS Card. |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type IXD2 submarine |
Displacement | |
Length |
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Beam |
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Height | 10.20 m (33 ft 6 in) |
Draught | 5.35 m (17 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 | 230 m (750 ft) |
Complement | 55 to 64 |
Armament |
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Service record[1][2] | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 49 998 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: | None |
German submarine U-847 was a long-range
Type IXD2 U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. Laid down in Bremen and launched
on 5 September 1942.
Design
MWM RS34.5S six-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines for cruising, producing a total of 9,000 metric horsepower (6,620 kW; 8,880 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 1.85 m (6 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 200 metres (660 ft).[3]
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 20.8 knots (38.5 km/h; 23.9 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 6.9 knots (12.8 km/h; 7.9 mph).2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft guns with 8100 rounds. The boat had a complement of fifty-five.[3]
Service history
She was commanded for her short career by four
Knight's Cross
recipients, each a U-boat ace in their own right, although she neither sank nor damaged any vessels. They were:
- Kapitänleutnant Friedrich Guggenberger
- Korvettenkapitän Wilhelm Rollmann
- Kapitänleutnant Jost Metzler
- Kapitänleutnant Herbert Kuppisch
She joined 4th Flotilla for training on 23 January 1943, where she remained until 30 June 1943. She then joined 12th Flotilla for active service until 27 August 1943 when she was sunk while providing logistical support for other U-boats operating in the area.
Fate
U-847 was sunk by air-launched
Wildcat aircraft operating from the escort carrier USS Card on 27 August 1943 in the Atlantic Ocean at position 28°19′N 37°58′W / 28.317°N 37.967°W
. All 63 hands were lost.
References
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXD2 boat U-847". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-847". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 74–75.
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.
- Sharpe, Peter (1998). U-Boat Fact File. Great Britain: Midland Publishing. ISBN 1-85780-072-9.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXD2 boat U-847". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 8 May 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 847". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 2 February 2015.