German submarine U-541 | |
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Career | ![]() |
Name: | U-516 |
Ordered: | 14 February 1940 |
Builder: | Deutsche Werft, Hamburg |
Laid down: | 12 May 1941 |
Launched: | 16 December 1941 |
Commissioned: | 21 February 1942 |
Fate: | Surrendered, May 1945 at Gibraltar; transferred to Lisahally in Northern Ireland. Sunk, January 1946 |
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) overall 58.7 m (192 ft 7 in) pressure hull |
Beam: |
6.8 m (22 ft 4 in) overall 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, 4,000 hp (2,983 kW) 2 × SSW GU345/34 double-acting electric motors, 1,000 hp (746 kW) |
Speed: |
18.2 knots (33.7 km/h) surfaced 7.3 knots (13.5 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 × 55 cm (22 in) torpedoes 1 × 10.5 cm SK C/32 naval gun[1] (110 rounds) |
Service record | |
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Part of: |
4th U-boat Flotilla (24 March 1942–31 October 1943) 10th U-boat Flotilla (1 November 1943–31 October 1944) 33rd U-boat Flotilla (1 November 1944–8 May 1945) |
Commanders: |
Kptlt. Kurt Petersen (24 March 1943–12 May 1945) |
Operations: |
1st patrol: 4 November 1943–9 January 1944 2nd patrol: 29 February–22 June 1944 3rd patrol: 6 August–11 November 1944 4th patrol: 7 April –12 May 1945 |
Victories: | One ship sunk, (2,140 GRT). |
German submarine U-541 was a Type IXC U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II.
She was laid down at the Deutsche Werft (yard) in Hamburg as 'werk' 362 on 5 May 1942, launched on 5 January 1943 and commissioned on 24 March with Kapitänleutnant Kurt Petersen in command.
U-541 began her service career with training as part of the 4th U-boat Flotilla from 24 March 1943. She was re-assigned to the 10th flotilla for operations on 1 November, then the 33rd flotilla on 1 November 1944.
She carried out four patrols and sank one ship. She was a member of four wolfpacks. She surrendered in May 1945 at Gibraltar and was transferred to Lisahally in Northern Ireland for Operation Deadlight. She was sunk in January 1946.
Operational career[]
1st patrol[]
U-541's first patrol began with her departure from Kiel on 4 November 1943. She passed through the 'gap' separating Iceland and the Faroe Islands before heading out into the Atlantic Ocean.
She entered Lorient, on the French Atlantic coast, on 9 January 1944.
2nd and 3rd patrols[]
For her second foray, U-541 headed toward the eastern seaboard of North America.
On her third sortie, she sank the Livingston northeast of Louisburg, Nova Scotia.
The boat was preparing to attack a convoy while on the surface in the Gulf of St. Lawrence when HMCS Norsyd opened fire; U-541 was forced to dive. She was then hunted for two days by four frigates, a minesweeper and aircraft of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), but escaped.
4th patrol[]
Her last patrol began in Horten in Norway on 7 April 1945. It ended with her surrender in Gibraltar on 12 May.
Fate[]
U-541 was transferred to Lisahally in Northern Ireland for Operation Deadlight. She was sunk on 5 January 1946 at 55.38N 07.35W.
References[]
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Notes[]
- ↑ Campbell, John Naval Weapons of World War Two ISBN 0-87021-459-4 pp.248 and 249
External links[]
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Coordinates: 55°38′N 7°35′W / 55.633°N 7.583°W
The original article can be found at German submarine U-541 and the edit history here.