| German submarine U-217 | |
|---|---|
| Career |  |
| Name: | U-217 |
| Ordered: | 16 February 1940 |
| Builder: | Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft, Kiel |
| Yard number: | 649 |
| Laid down: | 30 January 1941 |
| Launched: | 15 November 1941 |
| Commissioned: | 31 January 1942 |
| Fate: | Sunk, 5 June 1943, by US carrier-borne aircraft |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Type VIID submarine |
| Displacement: |
965 long tons (980 t) surfaced 1,080 long tons (1,097 t) submerged |
| Length: |
76.9 m (252 ft 4 in) o/a 59.8 m (196 ft 2 in) pressure hull |
| Beam: |
6.4 m (21 ft 0 in) o/a 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull |
| Draft: | 5 m (16 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion: |
2 × supercharged Germaniawerft, 6-cylinder, 4-stroke F46 diesel engines totalling 2,800–3,200 bhp (2,100–2,400 kW). Max rpm: 470-490 2 × AEG GU 460/8-276 electric motors, totalling 750 shp (560 kW). Max rpm: 285 |
| Speed: |
16.7 knots (19.2 mph; 30.9 km/h) surfaced 7.9 knots (9.1 mph; 14.6 km/h) submerged |
| Range: |
20,720 km (11,190 nmi) at 10 kn (19 km/h) surfaced 130 km (70 nmi) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h) submerged |
| Test depth: |
200 m (660 ft) Crush depth: 220–240 m (720–790 ft) |
| Complement: | 46–52 officers and ratings |
| Armament: |
• 5 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern) • 14 × torpedoes or 26 × TMA or 39 × TMB tube-launched mines • 5 × vertical launchers with 15 SMA mines • 1 × C35 88mm gun/L45 deck gun (220 rounds) • 2 × C30 20 mm AA (4,380 rounds) |
| Service record[1][2] | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
5th U-boat Flotilla (31 January 1942–31 July 1942) 9th U-boat Flotilla (1 August 1942–5 June 1943) |
| Commanders: |
Kptlt. Kurt Reichenbach-Klinke (31 January 1942–5 June 1943) |
| Operations: |
Three: 1st patrol: 14 July–16 October 1942 2nd patrol: 24 November 1942–23 February 1943 3rd patrol: 19 April–5 June 1943 |
| Victories: | Three commercial ships sunk (10,651 GRT) |
German submarine U-217 was a Type VIID mine-laying U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II.
She was laid down on 30 January 1941, launched on 15 November and commissioned on 31 January 1942, U-217 served with the 5th U-boat Flotilla in a training capacity before moving on to the operational 9th flotilla on 1 August 1942 until she was sunk. U-217 completed three patrols and sank three ships totalling 10,651 gross register tons (GRT). She was sunk on 5 June 1943 in the mid-Atlantic with all hands by depth charges dropped by Grumman TBF Avengers from the escort carrier Bogue (CVE-9). The wreck lies at 30°18′N 042°50′W / 30.3°N 42.833°WCoordinates: 30°18′N 042°50′W / 30.3°N 42.833°W, near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.
Raiding history[]
| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 August 1942 | Sea Gull D |  United Kingdom |
75 | Sunk |
| 14 December 1942 | Etna |  Sweden |
2,619 | Sunk |
| 3 February 1943 | Rhexnor | United Kingdom |
7,181 | Sunk |
References[]
- Notes
- ↑ "The Type VIID boat U-217 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". uboat.net. http://uboat.net/boats/u217.htm. Retrieved 2009-12-14.
- ↑ "War Patrols by German U-boat U-217 - Boats - uboat.net". uboat.net. http://uboat.net/boats/patrols/u217.html. Retrieved 2009-12-14.
- Bibliography
- U-217 at uboat.net
- Bishop, C. Kriegsmarine U-Boats, 1939-45. Amber Books, 2006.
External links[]
The original article can be found at German submarine U-217 and the edit history here.