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German submarine U-503
Career War Ensign of Germany 1938-1945
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°W / 45.833; -48.833Coordinates: 45°50′N 48°50′W / 45.833°N 48.833°W / 45.833; -48.833.[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
  1. Kemp, Paul: U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars, 1997, Arms & Armour, ISBN 1-85409-515-3, p. 79.
  2. Campbell, John Naval Weapons of World War Two ISBN 0-87021-459-4 pp.248&249
  3. 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. 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[]



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