German submarine U-249

German submarine U-249 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 23 January 1943 at the Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft yard at Kiel as 'werk' 683, launched on 23 October 1943 and commissioned on 20 November under the command of Oberleutnant Rolf Lindschau.

In two patrols, she sank no ships.

She surrendered in May 1945 and was sunk in December as part of Operation ''Deadlight.

Service history
After training with the 5th U-boat Flotilla at Kiel, U-249 remained with that organization for front-line service from 1 January 1945.

1st patrol
The boat's first patrol was preceded by a pair of short trips between Kiel in Germany, and Kristiansand and Bergen in Norway. Her first sortie proper started with her departure from Bergen on 7 March 1945. It finished in the same port on 16 March. While sailing on another non-classifiable voyage, she shot a Mosquito of No. 235 Squadron RAF down. The pilot was captured.

2nd patrol and surrender
She left Bergen on 3 April 1945 and arrived at Portland, UK, flying the black flag of surrender on 10 May.

She was then briefly used by the British as the research ship N 86 before being transferred to Loch Ryan in Scotland for Operation ''Deadlight. She was sunk on 13 December 1945.

In May 2013 her official visitors' book, and Captain Kock's fixed-focus Zeiss binoculars, taken as spoils of war by the British officer who commanded her prize crew, were shown on the BBC television series Antiques Roadshow by the officer's son, himself a former submarine captain, who used the binoculars during his career.