German submarine U-297
History | |
---|---|
Nazi Germany | |
Name | U-297 |
Ordered | 14 October 1941 |
Builder | Bremer Vulkan Werft, Bremen-Vegesack |
Yard number | 62 |
Laid down | 27 January 1943 |
Launched | 9 October 1943 |
Commissioned | 17 November 1943 |
Fate | Sunk, December 1944, by a British aircraft[1] |
General characteristics | |
Type | Type VIIC/41 submarine |
Displacement | list error: <br /> list (help) 759 tonnes (747 long tons) surfaced 860 t (846 long tons) submerged |
Length | list error: <br /> list (help) 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in) o/a 50.5 m (165 ft 8 in) pressure hull |
Beam | list error: <br /> list (help) 6.2 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull |
Draft | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
Propulsion | list error: <br /> list (help) 2 × supercharged Germaniawerft 6-cylinder 4-stroke F46 diesel engines, totalling 2,800–3,200 bhp (2,100–2,400 kW). Max rpm: 470-490 2 × electric motors, totalling 750 shp (560 kW) and max rpm: 296. |
Speed | list error: <br /> list (help) 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged |
Range | list error: <br /> list (help) 8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged |
Test depth | list error: <br /> list (help) 250 m (820 ft) Crush depth: 275–325 m (902–1,066 ft) |
Complement | 44–52 officers and ratings |
Armament | list error: mixed text and list (help)
|
Service record[2] | |
Part of: |
list error: <br /> list (help) 8th U-boat Flotilla (17 November 1943–31 October 1944) 11th U-boat Flotilla (1 November–6 December 1944) |
Commanders: |
list error: <br /> list (help) Oblt.z.S. Wolfgang Aldermann (17 November 1943–6 December 1944) |
Operations: |
list error: <br /> list (help) One patrol: 25 November–6 December 1944 |
Victories: | None |
German submarine U-297 was a Type VIIC/41 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
She was laid down on 27 January 1943 by the Bremer Vulkan Werft (yard) at Bremen-Vegesack as yard number 62, launched on 9 October 1943 and commissioned on 17 November with Oberleutnant zur See Wolfgang Aldermann in command.
In one patrol, she did not sink or damage any ships.
She was sunk by a British aircraft in December 1944.
Fifty men died; there were no survivors.
Service history
The boat's service life began with training with the 8th U-boat Flotilla in November 1943. She was then transferred to the 11th flotilla for operations on 1 November 1944.
She made the short journey from Kiel in Germany to Horten in Norway, arriving on 18 November 1944.
Patrol and loss
U-297's only patrol began from Horten; it took her through the 'gap' between the Faroe and the Shetland Islands.
She was sunk by a Sunderland flying boat of No. 201 Squadron RAF on 6 December 1944, 16 nautical miles (30 km; 18 mi) west of Yesnaby in the Orkney Islands.
Previously recorded fate and wreck discovery
U-297 was originally thought to have been sunk on 6 December 1944 by depth charges dropped by the British frigates HMS Loch Inch and Goodall. She had also been listed as missing since 3 January 1945 probably in the Pentland Firth.
The wreck of U-297 was found and identified in May 2000. It lies at a depth of 285 ft (87 m).
See also
References
- Notes
- ^ Kemp, Paul: U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars, 1997, Arms & Armour, ISBN 1-85409-515-3, p. 225
- ^ "The Type VIIC/41 boat U-297 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
- Bibliography
- Gröner, Erich (1985). U-Boote, Hilfskreuzer, Minenschiffe, Netzleger, Sperrbrecher (in German). Vol. III. Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe. ISBN 3-7637-4802-4.
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(help) - Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg; Berlin; Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
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External links
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