German submarineU-516
 U-516surrenders to HMSCavendish(R15) on 10 May 1945
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-516 |
| Ordered | 14 February 1940 |
| Builder | Deutsche Werft,Hamburg |
| Yard number | 312 |
| Laid down | 12 May 1941 |
| Launched | 16 December 1941 |
| Commissioned | 21 February 1942 |
| Fate | Surrendered on 14 May 1945 atLoch Eribollin Scotland; transferred toLisahallyin Northern Ireland. Sunk on 2 January 1946 |
| General characteristics[1] | |
| Class and type | Type IXCsubmarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
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| Beam |
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| Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 4.70 m (15 ft 5 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 | 4 officers, 44 enlisted |
| Armament |
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| Service record | |
| Part of: |
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| Identification codes: | M 41 960 |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: |
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| Victories: | |
German submarineU-516was aType IXCU-boatofNazi Germany'sKriegsmarineduringWorld War II.
She waslaid downat the Deutsche Werft (yard) inHamburgas yard number 312 on 12 May 1941,launchedon 16 December 1941 andcommissionedon 21 February 1942 withKorvettenkapitänGerhard Wiebe in command.
U-516began her service career with training as part of the4th U-boat Flotillafrom 10 March 1942. She was reassigned to the10th flotillafor operations on 1 September 1942, then the33rd flotillaon 1 October 1944.
She carried out six patrols, sank 16 ships and damaged one more. She surrendered on 14 May 1945 atLoch Eribollin Scotland and was transferred toLisahallyin Northern Ireland for OperationDeadlight.She was sunk on 2 January 1946.
Design
[edit]German Type IXC submarineswere slightly larger than the originalType IXBs.U-516had a displacement of 1,120 tonnes (1,100 long tons) when at the surface and 1,232 tonnes (1,213 long tons) while submerged.[2]The U-boat had a total length of 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in), apressure hulllength of 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in), abeamof 6.76 m (22 ft 2 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and adraughtof 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in). The submarine was powered by twoMANM 9 V 40/46superchargedfour-stroke, nine-cylinderdiesel enginesproducing a total of 4,400 metric horsepower (3,240 kW; 4,340 shp) for use while surfaced, twoSiemens-Schuckert2 GU 345/34double-acting electric motorsproducing a total of 1,000 shaft horsepower (1,010 PS; 750 kW) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.92 m (6 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 18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph).[2]When submerged, the boat could operate for 63 nautical miles (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 13,450 nautical miles (24,910 km; 15,480 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).U-516was fitted with six 53.3 cm (21 in)torpedo tubes(four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22torpedoes,one10.5 cm (4.13 in) SK C/32 naval gun,180 rounds, and a3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30as well as a2 cm (0.79 in) C/30anti-aircraft gun. The boat had acomplementof forty-eight.[2]
Service history
[edit]First patrol
[edit]U-516'es first patrol was preceded by a short trip from Kiel in Germany toKristiansandin Norway. The patrol itself began with the boat's departure from Kristiansand on 15 August 1942. She passed through the 'gap' separatingIcelandand theFaroe Islandsbefore heading out into the Atlantic Ocean.
She damaged thePort Jacksonwith 14 rounds from herdeck gun480 nautical miles (890 km; 550 mi) west ofCape Clear,(at the southern tip of Ireland), on the 27th, after a spread of fourtorpedoeshad missed. A small fire was started on the ship, but her accurate return fire discouraged the U-boat which broke off the attack.Port Jacksonescaped at top speed into haze.
The boat moved to the waters off northern South America where her success rate shot-up, although one target required seven torpedoes to sink her.
She enteredLorient,on the French Atlantic coast, on 14 November.
Second and third patrols
[edit]For her second foray,U-516headed towardSouth Africa.She sank three ships in the vicinity ofEast Londonand a fourth off the coast of southernNamibia.
Her third sortie was also in a southerly direction; its furthest point was reached between South America and theCape Verde Islands.[3]
Fourth patrol
[edit]Patrol number four took the boat to theCaribbean Sea.One of her victims was the Colombian sailing shipRuby,which was sunk with the deck gun on 18 November 1943.
Another was theElizabeth Kellog.This ship, which had been torpedoed and abandoned on the 23rd, ran around the survivors (she was still underway because the engines could not be secured). Her after magazine exploded and she burned for 12 hours before sinking.
The U-boat was damaged by an unidentified aircraft on 19 December 1943.
Fifth patrol
[edit]The boat's fifth patrol saw her sink theEsso Harrisburg200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) northwest ofArubain the Caribbean.[4]She then made her way toFlensburgvia theDenmark Straitthat separatesGreenlandand Iceland. She docked at the German harbour on 4 October 1944.
Sixth patrol and fate
[edit]Having moved from Kiel toHorten Naval Base,(south of Oslo) and then Kristiansand, she left the Norwegian port on 5 April 1945. She surrendered atLoch Eribollon 14 May and was then transferred toLisahallyin Northern Ireland for OperationDeadlight.She was sunk on 2 January 1946 at56°06′N09°00′W/ 56.100°N 9.000°W.
Summary of raiding history
[edit]| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 August 1942 | Port Jackson |  United Kingdom
|
9,687 | Damaged |
| 31 August 1942 | Jack Carnes |  United States
|
10,907 | Sunk |
| 19 September 1942 | Wichita | United States
|
6,174 | Sunk |
| 28 September 1942 | Antonico |  Brazil
|
1,223 | Sunk |
| 30 September 1942 | Alipore | United Kingdom
|
5,273 | Sunk |
| 24 October 1942 | Holmpark | United Kingdom
|
5,780 | Sunk |
| 11 February 1943 | Helmspey | United Kingdom
|
4,764 | Sunk |
| 17 February 1943 | Deer Lodge | United States
|
6,187 | Sunk |
| 27 February 1943 | Colombia |  Netherlands
|
10,782 | Sunk |
| 20 March 1943 | Nortun |  Panama
|
3,663 | Sunk |
| 13 November 1943 | Pompoon | Panama
|
1,082 | Sunk |
| 18 November 1943 | Ruby |  Colombia
|
39 | Sunk |
| 23 November 1943 | Elizabeth Kellog | United States
|
5,189 | Sunk |
| 24 November 1943 | Melville E. Stone | United States
|
7,176 | Sunk |
| 8 December 1943 | Colombia | Panama
|
1,064 | Sunk |
| 16 December 1943 | McDowell | United States
|
10,195 | Sunk |
| 7 July 1944 | Esso Harrisburg | United States
|
9,887 | Sunk |
References
[edit]- ^Gröner 1985,pp. 105–107.
- ^abcdGröner 1991,p. 68.
- ^The Times Atlas of the World– Third edition, revised 1995,ISBN0 7230 0809 4,p. 52
- ^The Times Atlas of the World,p 69
- ^Helgason, Guðmundur."Ships hit by U-516".German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net.Retrieved3 October2014.
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.ISBN1-55750-186-6.
- 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.ISBN3-8132-0514-2.
- Gröner, Erich (1985).Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815–1945 / 3, U-Boote, Hilfskreuzer, Minenschiffe, Netzleger, Sperrbrecher(in German). Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe.ISBN3-7637-4802-4.OCLC310610321.
- 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.ISBN0-85177-593-4.
External links
[edit]
- Helgason, Guðmundur."The Type IXC boat U-516".German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net.Retrieved7 December2014.
