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German submarine U-551
Career War Ensign of Germany 1938-1945
Name: U-551
Ordered: 25 September 1939
Builder: Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Yard number: 527
Laid down: 21 November 1939
Launched: 14 September 1940
Commissioned: 7 November 1940
Fate: Sunk, 23 March 1941[1]
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 (20.4 mph; 32.8 km/h) surfaced
7.6 knots (8.7 mph; 14.1 km/h) submerged
Range: 15,170 km (8,190 nmi) at 10 kn (19 km/h) surfaced
150 km (81 nmi) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h) 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 gun/L45 deck gun (220 rounds)
• Various AA guns
Service record[2][3]
Part of: 7th U-boat Flotilla
(7 November 1940–23 March 1941)
Commanders: Kptlt. Karl Schrott
(7 November 1940–23 March 1941)
Operations: 1st patrol: 18–23 March 1941
Victories: None

German submarine U-551 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 21 November 1939 at the Blohm & Voss yard in Hamburg as 'werk' 527, launched on 14 September 1940, and commissioned on 7 November 1940 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Karl Schrott.[2]

Service history[]

Attached to the 7th U-boat Flotilla, she first sailed from Kiel, Germany to Bergen, Norway, before commencing her first and only war patrol on 18 March 1941.[3] She sailed to the waters south of Iceland,[4] and there on 23 March, in position 62°37′N 16°47′W / 62.617°N 16.783°W / 62.617; -16.783Coordinates: 62°37′N 16°47′W / 62.617°N 16.783°W / 62.617; -16.783, she was sunk by depth charges from the British anti-submarine warfare trawler HMT Visenda. All 45 hands were lost.[2]

References[]

Notes
  1. Kemp, Paul: U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars, 1997, Arms & Armour, ISBN 1-85409-515-3, p. 69.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 "The Type VIIC boat U-551 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/u551.htm. Retrieved 9 February 2010. 
  3. 3.0 3.1 "War Patrols by German U-boat U-551 - Boats - uboat.net". uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/u551.html. Retrieved 9 February 2010. 
  4. "Patrol of U-boat U-551 from 18 Mar 1941 to 23 Mar 1941 - U-boat patrols - uboat.net". uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_1267.html. Retrieved 9 February 2010. 
Bibliography

See also[]

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