German_submarine_U-1018

German submarine <i>U-1018</i>

German submarine U-1018

German World War II submarine

German submarine U-1018 was a German Type VIIC/41 U-boat, built during World War II for service in the Battle of the Atlantic. The U-boat was fitted with the Schnorchel underwater-breathing apparatus which enabled her to stay under-water for extended periods thus avoiding detection by enemy warships.[1]

Quick Facts History, Nazi Germany ...

Design

German Type VIIC/41 submarines were preceded by the heavier Type VIIC submarines. U-1018 had a displacement of 759 tonnes (747 long tons) when at the surface and 860 tonnes (850 long tons) while submerged.[2] 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 Brown, Boveri & Cie GG UB 720/8 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).[2]

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).[2] 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-1018 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), one 3.7 cm (1.5 in) Flak M42 and two 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft guns. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.[2]

Service history

She was completed in Hamburg in April 1944, and spent the rest of 1944 training with the 31st U-boat Flotilla. An accident took place during U-1018's work-up period in the Baltic on 17 June which killed one crew member (Obersteuermann Walter Nellsen) and wounded two.[3] In December 1944, she was moved from Kiel to Horten Naval Base in Norway to join 11th U-boat Flotilla, before departing on 21 January 1945 to patrol the Western Approaches of the English Channel under the command of Kapitänleutnant Walter Burmeister.[4]

Combat role

On 27 February 1945 she attacked convoy BTC 81 about seven miles from Lizard Point, Cornwall (at 49°55′N 05°22′W).[5] U-1018 launched a torpedo which hit the Norwegian freighter Corvus which sank within a few minutes,[6] resulting in the death of five of the freighter's Norwegian crew, a 16-year-old British cabin boy, Thomas Boniface, and two British Royal Navy gunners, (part of the DEMS gun crew) including former professional footballer Charlie Sillett.[7]

The convoy escort ships immediately launched heavy counter-attacks. Less than two hours later, U-1018 was sunk by depth charges dropped by HMS Loch Fada under the command of Cdr. Benjamin Andrew Rogers, RD, RNR. Only two members of the crew of 53 survived.[3]

Summary of raiding history

More information Date, Ship Name ...

See also

References

  1. [1]
    Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Schnorchel". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 22 February 2009.
  2. [2]
    Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
  3. [3]
    Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC/41 boat U-1018". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  4. [4]
    Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrols by U-1018". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 21 February 2009.
  5. [5]
    "Today in History: February 27". seawaves.com. 27 February 2008. Archived from the original on 6 January 2009. Retrieved 21 February 2009.
  6. [6]
    "DS Corvus – Final Fate". warsailors.com. 30 July 2008. Retrieved 21 February 2009.
  7. [7]
    "DS Corvus – crew list". warsailors.com. 30 July 2008. Retrieved 21 February 2009.
  8. [8]
    Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-1018". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 17 February 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). 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). 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.

49°55′N 5°22′W
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article German_submarine_U-1018, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.