German submarine U-31 (1936) | |
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Career | ![]() |
Name: | U-31 |
Ordered: | 1 April 1935 |
Builder: | AG Weser, Bremen |
Cost: | 4,189,000 Reichsmark |
Yard number: | 912 |
Laid down: | 1 March 1936 |
Launched: | 25 September 1936 |
Commissioned: | 28 December 1936 |
Fate: | Sunk, 11 March 1940, raised, sunk again 2 November 1940 |
General characteristics | |
Type: | Type VIIA submarine |
Displacement: |
626 tonnes (616 long tons) ↑ 745 t (733 long tons) ↓ |
Length: |
64.5 m (211 ft 7 in) o/a 44.5 m (146 ft 0 in) pressure hull |
Beam: |
5.85 m (19 ft 2 in) o/a 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull |
Draft: | 4.4 m (14 ft 5 in) |
Propulsion: |
2 × MAN 6-cylinder 4-stroke M6V 40/46 diesel engines totalling 2,100–2,310 bhp (1,570–1,720 kW). Max rpm: 470-485 2 × Brown, Boveri & Cie GG UB 720/8 electric motors, totalling 750 shp (560 kW). Max rpm: 322 |
Speed: |
17 knots (20 mph; 31 km/h) ↑ 8 knots (9.2 mph; 15 km/h) ↓ |
Range: |
6,200 nmi (11,500 km) at 10 kn (19 km/h) ↑ 73 nmi (135 km) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h) ↓ |
Test depth: |
220 m (720 ft) Crush depth: 230–250 m (750–820 ft) |
Complement: | 42–46 officers and ratings |
Armament: |
• 5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern) • 11 × torpedoes or 22 TMA mines or 33 TMB mines • 1 × 8.8 cm SK C/35 naval gun (220 rounds) • 1 × C30 20 mm AA |
Service record[1][2] | |
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Part of: |
2nd U-boat Flotilla (28 December 1936–2 November 1940) |
Identification codes: | M 28 961 |
Commanders: |
Kptlt. Rolf Dau (28 December 1936–8 November 1938) Kptlt. Johannes Habekost (8 November 1938–11 March 1940) Wilfried Prellberg (8 July 1940–2 November 1940) |
Operations: |
Seven: 1st patrol: 27 August–2 September 1939 2nd patrol: 9 September–2 October 1939 3rd patrol: 21–31 October 1939 4th patrol: 19 November–11 December 1939 5th patrol: 15 January–4 February 1940 6th patrol: 16 September–8 October 1940 7th patrol: 19 October–2 November 1940 |
Victories: |
11 commercial ships sunk (27,751 GRT) two auxiliary warships sunk (160 GRT) one warship damaged (33,950 GRT) |
German submarine U-31 was a Type VIIA U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was laid down on 1 March 1936 as Werk 912, launched on 25 September and commissioned on 28 December 1936.[1]
Service history[]
During her career U-31 was involved in seven war patrols, and attacked the first convoy of World War II, OB-4 on 16 September 1939, sinking the British steamer SS Aviemore.[3]
In U-31's entire career she sank 11 ships, totalling 27,751 gross register tons (GRT), and one auxiliary warship of 160 GRT. A mine laid by U-31 damaged the British battleship HMS Nelson of 33,950 tons.[1]
On 11 March 1940 U-31 was sunk in the Jade estuary by bombs from a British Blenheim bomber with the loss of all 58 crew. The U-boat was raised later that month, repaired and returned to service in July.[1][4]
U-31 was sunk again on 2 November 1940, north-west of Ireland, by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Antelope, which picked up 44 survivors (or 43, sources vary), from the crew of 46.[1][5]
Summary of raiding history[]
Date | Name of Ship | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate[6] |
---|---|---|---|---|
16 September 1939 | Aviemore | 4,060 | Sunk | |
24 September 1939 | Hazelside | 4,646 | Sunk | |
1 December 1939 | Arcturus | 1,277 | Sunk | |
3 December 1939 | Ove Taft | ![]() |
2,135 | Sunk |
4 December 1939 | HMS Nelson | 33,950 | Damaged (mine) | |
4 December 1939 | Primula | 1,024 | Sunk | |
6 December 1939 | Agu | ![]() |
1,575 | Sunk |
6 December 1939 | Vinga | ![]() |
1,974 | Sunk |
23 December 1939 | HMS Glen Albyn | 82 | Sunk (mine) | |
23 December 1939 | HMS Promotive | 78 | Sunk (mine) | |
22 September 1940 | Union Jack | ![]() |
81 | Sunk |
27 September 1940 | Vestvard | 4,319 | Sunk | |
29 October 1940 | Matina | 5,389 | Sunk |
See also[]
References[]
- Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "The Type VIIA boat U-31 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/u31.htm. Retrieved 2009-12-19.
- ↑ "War Patrols by German U-boat U-31 - Boats - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/u31.html. Retrieved 2009-12-19.
- ↑ "Aviemore (Steam merchant) - Ships hit by U-boats - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/27.html. Retrieved 2009-12-19.
- ↑ Kemp, Paul: U-Boats Destroyed, German Submarine Losses in the World Wars, 1997. p. 64. Arms and Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3
- ↑ Kemp, p. 67.
- ↑ http://uboat.net/boats/successes/u31/html
- Bibliography
External links[]
- U-31 at u-boot-archiv.de (German)
The original article can be found at German submarine U-31 (1936) and the edit history here.