German submarine U-266 | |
---|---|
Career | |
Ordered: | 15 August 1940 |
Builder: | Bremer-Vulkan-Vegesacker Werft, Bremen |
Yard number: | 31 |
Laid down: | 1 August 1941 |
Launched: | 11 May 1942 |
Commissioned: | 24 June 1942 |
Fate: | Sunk, May 1943 |
General characteristics | |
Type: | Type VIIC submarine |
Displacement: |
769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced 871 t (857 long tons) submerged |
Length: |
67.1 m (220 ft 2 in) o/a 50.5 m (165 ft 8 in) pressure hull |
Beam: |
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: |
2 × supercharged Germaniawerft 6-cylinder 4-stroke M6V 40/46 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: |
17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged |
Range: |
15,170 km (8,190 nmi) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 150 km (81 nmi) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged |
Test depth: |
230 m (750 ft) Crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft) |
Complement: | 44–52 officers and ratings |
Armament: |
5 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern) 14 × G7e torpedoes or 26 TMA mines 1 × C35 88mm/L45 deck gun (220 rounds) Various AA guns |
Service record[1][2] | |
---|---|
Part of: |
8th U-boat Flotilla (24 June – 31 December 1942) 7th U-boat Flotilla (1 January 1942 – 15 May 1943) |
Commanders: |
Oberleutnant zur See Hannes Leinemann (24 June 1942 – 11 September 1942) (1943 – 20 January 1944) Kapitänleutnant Ralf von Jessen 12 September 1942 – 15 May 1943 |
Operations: |
Two patrols: 22 December 1942 – 17 February 1943 14 March – 15 May 1943 |
Victories: | Four ships sunk, 16,089 GRT |
German submarine U-266 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 1 August 1941 at Bremer-Vulkan-Vegesacker Werft in Bremen as yard number 31. She was launched on 11 May 1942 and commissioned on 24 June under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Hannes Leinemann.[1]
In two patrols, she sank four ships of 16,089 GRT. She was a member of five wolf packs.
She was sunk in May 1943 in mid-Atlantic by a British aircraft.[3]
Service history[]
After training with the 8th U-boat Flotilla, the boat became operational on 1 January 1943 when she was transferred to the 7th flotilla.
1st patrol[]
U-266's first patrol began when she departed Kiel on 22 December 1942. She entered the Atlantic Ocean after negotiating the 'gap' between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. She sank Polyktor on 6 February 1943. She then docked at the French Atlantic port of St. Nazaire on the 17th.
2nd patrol and loss[]
The boat departed St. Nazaire on 14 March 1943 for the mid-Atlantic once more. On 5 May, she sank Bonde, Gharinda and Selvistan.
The boat was sunk on 15 May by a British Handley Page Halifax of No. 58 Squadron RAF. Forty-seven men died; there were no survivors.
Previously recorded fate[]
U-266 had been thought to have been sunk on 14 May 1943 by a British B-24 Liberator of 86 squadron.[citation needed]
Summary of raiding history[]
Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[4] |
---|---|---|---|---|
6 February 1943 | Polyktor | Greece | 4,077 | Sunk |
5 May 1943 | Bonde | Norway | 1,570 | Sunk |
5 May 1943 | Gharinda | United Kingdom | 5,036 | Sunk |
5 May 1943 | Selvistan | United Kingdom | 5,136 | Sunk |
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "U-266". uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/u266.htm. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
- ↑ "Patrols by U-266". uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/u266.html. Retrieved 2012-08-02.
- ↑ Kemp, Paul (1997). U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. Arms & Armour. p. 117. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
- ↑ "Ships hit by U-266". http://uboat.net/boats/successes/u266/html. Retrieved 2012-12-11.
External links[]
- "U-266". ubootwaffe.net. http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/boat.cgi?boat=266.
- "U-266" (in German). u-boot-archiv.de. http://www.u-boot-archiv.de/dieboote/u0266.html.
The original article can be found at German submarine U-266 and the edit history here.