German submarine U-265 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 3 July 1941 at the Bremer Vulkan yard at Bremen-Vegesack as yard number 30, launched on 23 April 1942 and commissioned on 6 June under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Leonhard Aufhammer. After training with the 8th U-boat Flotilla, U-265 was transferred to the 7th U-boat Flotilla, for front-line service from 1 February 1943.
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-265 |
| Ordered | 15 August 1940 |
| Builder | Bremer Vulkan, Bremen-Vegesack |
| Yard number | 30 |
| Laid down | 3 July 1941 |
| Launched | 23 April 1942 |
| Commissioned | 6 June 1942 |
| Fate | Sunk, 3 February 1943, by a British B-17 Flying Fortress[1] |
| 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[2][3] | |
| Part of: |
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| Identification codes: | M 03 373 |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: |
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| Victories: | None |
U-265 sank no ships in her short career. Her only patrol began when she departed Kiel on 21 January 1943. Her route took her through the gap between Iceland and the Faroe into the Atlantic Ocean. She was attacked and sunk by a British Flying Fortress of No. 220 Squadron RAF on 3 February 1943, at position 56°35′N 22°49′W / 56.583°N 22.817°W.
Forty-six men died; there were no survivors.
Design
editGerman Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-265 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[4] She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in), a pressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), a beam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of 2,800 to 3,200 metric horsepower (2,060 to 2,350 kW; 2,760 to 3,160 shp) for use while surfaced, two AEG GU 460/8-276 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 metric horsepower (550 kW; 740 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m (4 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 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).[4] When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-265 was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.[4]
References
edit- ^ Kemp 1999, p. 100.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-265". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-265". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 1 August 2012.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
Bibliography
edit- 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.
- Kemp, Paul (1999). U-Boats Destroyed – German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
External links
edit- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-265". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 265". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 – u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 26 December 2014.