German submarine U-221

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German submarine U-221 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II.

Ordered on 15 August 1940 from the Germaniawerft shipyard in Kiel, she was laid down on 16 June 1941 as 'werk' 651, launched on 14 March 1942 and commissioned on 9 May 1942 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Hans-Hartwig Trojer.

A member of twelve wolfpacks, she sank a total of 11 ships for a total of in five patrols.

Operational career
U-221 is also credited with the destruction of ten allied landing craft (nine LCMs and one LCT) that were lost aboard the British merchantman Southern Empress when that vessel was torpedoed and sunk on 14 October 1942.

1st patrol
U-221 departed Kristiansand on 3 September 1942 having moved to the Norwegian port a day earlier. Her route took her through the 'gap' between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. She claimed her first victim, the Fagersten, about 500 mi east of the Belle Isle Strait, in Newfoundland on 13 October. In the same attack, she sank the Ashworth and the Senta. There were no survivors from either vessel. The next day two more ships fell to the torpedoes of the German U-boat. The Susana went down in six minutes northeast of St. Johns; the Southern Empress was sent to the bottom, taking a deck cargo of ten landing craft with her.

U-221 docked in St Nazaire on 22 October.

2nd patrol
The boat's second foray was one of anti-climax and tragedy. Although she scoured the Atlantic west of Ireland, she failed to find any targets. On 8 December U-221 and U-254 collided in heavy fog, resulting in the loss of the latter boat. U-221 was badly damaged. Unable to dive, Oberleutnant Trojer aborted the patrol and returned to St. Nazaire.

3rd patrol
Her third sortie was more fruitful. The Jamaica was destroyed on 7 March 1943. This ship took just two minutes to find a watery grave, followed by the Tucurina on the 10th, southeast of Cape Farewell, (Greenland). In the same attack, the U-boat sank the Andrea F. Luckenbach and damaged the Lawton B. Evans (probably due to a dud torpedo).

Retribution was swift; the convoy's escorts from HX-228 caused serious damage to U-221. Repairs were carried out at sea, enabling the boat to sink two more ships on 18 March; the Canadian Star and the Walter Q. Gresham were added to her list of 'kills'.

4th patrol
U-221 only sank one ship on this patrol, the Sandanger; the survivors had a remarkable escape. Occupying the only intact lifeboat, they found themselves in an area of low pressure created by the ship's burning fuel cargo. The flames were split in two by strong winds which also kept them above the men's heads by only a few feet as they rowed clear of the location.

5th patrol and loss
U-221 left St. Nazaire for the last time on 20 September 1943. On the 27th she was attacked by a Handley Page Halifax of No. 58 Squadron RAF with eight depth charges southwest of Ireland. The U-boat was seen to sink by the stern but the aircraft was also hit, forcing the pilot to ditch about three miles from the encounter. Two gunners from the Halifax were lost; the U-boat was sunk with all hands (50 men).

Summary of raiding history
* Being carried aboard the Southern Empress