German submarine U-336 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 28 March 1941 at the Nordseewerke yard at Emden as yard number 208, launched on 4 December and commissioned on 14 February 1942 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Hans Hunger.
.jpg) Aerial attack on U-336 on 3 October 1943
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-336 |
| Ordered | 15 August 1940 |
| Builder | Nordseewerke, Emden |
| Yard number | 208 |
| Laid down | 28 March 1941 |
| Launched | 4 December 1941 |
| Commissioned | 14 February 1942 |
| Fate | Sunk on 5 October 1943 by a British aircraft[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type VIIC submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
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| Beam |
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| Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion |
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| Speed |
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| Range | |
| Test depth |
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| Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
| Armament |
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| Service record[1][2] | |
| Part of: |
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| Identification codes: | M 40 923 |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: |
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| Victories: |
1 merchant ship sunk (4,919 GRT) |
Design
editGerman Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-336 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[3] She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in), a pressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), a beam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of 2,800 to 3,200 metric horsepower (2,060 to 2,350 kW; 2,760 to 3,160 shp) for use while surfaced, two AEG GU 460/8–27 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 metric horsepower (550 kW; 740 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m (4 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).[3]
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph).[3] When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-336 was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.[3]
Service history
editAfter training with the 5th U-boat Flotilla, she moved to the 1st flotilla for front-line service in December 1942.
The boat carried out five patrols, sinking one ship.
She was a member of ten wolfpacks.
First patrol
editThe boat's first patrol was very brief; starting and finishing in Kiel on 12 and 13 November 1942.
Second patrol
editHer second foray also started in Kiel, but terminated in Brest in occupied France after passing between the Faroe and Shetland Islands. She sank the Belgian tanker President Francqui on 29 December 1942 north of the Azores. The ship had already been hit by two torpedoes. U-336 finished her off with a 'coup de grâce'.
Third patrol
editThe submarine's third sortie was again into the mid-Atlantic. She spent days scouring the empty wastes, but returned to Brest without success.
Fourth patrol
editU-336's fourth patrol was, at 71 days, her longest. She was attacked by an unidentified aircraft on 10 July 1943 west of Lisbon. Slight damage was the result.
Fifth patrol
editU-336 left Brest for the last time on 14 September 1943. Initially she headed west, out of the Bay of Biscay. On the 24th, she turned north.
Fate
editOn 5 October, she was sunk by rockets fired by a British Lockheed Hudson of No. 269 Squadron RAF in the Denmark Strait,[4] (between Greenland and Iceland).[5]
Fifty men died; there were no survivors.[6]
Wolfpacks
editU-336 took part in ten wolfpacks, namely:
Summary of raiding history
edit| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[7] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 December 1942 | President Francqui |  Belgium
|
4,919 | Sunk |
References
edit- ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-336". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-336". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
- ^ Kemp 1999, p. 146.
- ^ The Times Atlas of the World – Third edition, revised 1995, ISBN 0 7230 0809 4, p. 2
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-336". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-336". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
Bibliography
edit- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Der U-Boot-Krieg, 1939-1945: Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945] (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
- Kemp, Paul (1999). U-Boats Destroyed – German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
External links
edit- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-336". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 336". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 – u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 26 December 2014.