German submarine U-503 | |
---|---|
Career | ![]() |
Name: | U-503 |
Ordered: | 25 September 1939 |
Builder: | Deutsche Werft, Hamburg |
Yard number: | 293 |
Laid down: | 29 April 1940 |
Launched: | 5 April 1941 |
Commissioned: | 10 July 1941 |
Fate: | Sunk, 15 March 1942[1] |
General characteristics | |
Type: | Type IXC submarine |
Displacement: |
1,120 t (1,100 long tons) surfaced 1,232 t (1,213 long tons) submerged |
Length: |
76.8 m (252 ft 0 in) o/a 58.7 m (192 ft 7 in) pressure hull |
Beam: |
6.8 m (22 ft 4 in) o/a 4.4 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull |
Height: | 9.4 m (30 ft 10 in) |
Draft: | 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) |
Propulsion: |
2 × MAN M9V40/46 supercharged 9-cylinder diesel engines, 4,400 hp (3,281 kW) 2 × SSW GU345/34 double-acting electric motors, 1,000 hp (746 kW) |
Speed: |
18.2 knots (33.7 km/h) surfaced 7.7 knots (14.3 km/h) submerged |
Range: |
24,880 nmi (46,080 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) surfaced 117 nmi (217 km) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h) submerged |
Test depth: | 230 m (750 ft) |
Complement: | 48 to 56 |
Armament: |
• 6 × torpedo tubes (four bow, two stern) • 22 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedoes • 1 × 10.5 cm SK C/32 naval gun[2] (110 rounds) • AA guns |
Service record[3][4] | |
---|---|
Part of: |
2nd U-boat Flotilla (10 July 1941–15 March 1942) |
Commanders: |
Kptlt. Otto Gericke (10 July 1941–15 March 1942) |
Operations: | 1st patrol: 28 February–15 March 1942 |
Victories: | None |
German submarine U-503 was a Type IXC U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 29 April 1940 at the Deutsche Werft yard in Hamburg as 'werk' 293, launched on 5 April 1941 and commissioned on 10 July 1941 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Otto Gericke.
The boat's service began with her being assigned to the 2nd U-boat Flotilla on her commissioning date for training and continuing with it for operations from 1 February 1942.
Service history[]
U-503's first and only active war patrol began at Bergen in Norway on 28 February 1942, following two previous port to port sailings.[4] The U-boat was sunk on 15 March by depth charges dropped by a PBO-1 Hudson of United States Navy squadron VP-82 south-east of Newfoundland, in position 45°50′N 48°50′W / 45.833°N 48.833°WCoordinates: 45°50′N 48°50′W / 45.833°N 48.833°W.[3]
The aircraft, from Argentia, was escorting Convoy ON-72. The PBO-1s were twenty Hudson Mk.IIIA aircraft diverted from Lend-Lease to equip VP-82, and sank the first two U-boats by US forces; U-656 on 1 March 1942 and U-503.[3]
References[]
- Notes
- ↑ Kemp, Paul: U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars, 1997, Arms & Armour, ISBN 1-85409-515-3, p. 79.
- ↑ Campbell, John Naval Weapons of World War Two ISBN 0-87021-459-4 pp.248&249
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "The Type IXC boat U-503 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/u503.htm. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "War Patrols by German U-boat U-503 - Boats - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/u503.html. Retrieved 2010-01-24.
- Bibliography
See also[]
|
The original article can be found at German submarine U-503 and the edit history here.