German submarine U-615 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the German Navy (Kriegsmarine) for service during World War II.[2]
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-615 |
| Ordered | 15 August 1940 |
| Builder | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
| Yard number | 591 |
| Laid down | 20 May 1941 |
| Launched | 8 February 1942 |
| Commissioned | 26 March 1942 |
| Fate | Sunk in the Caribbean Sea on 7 August 1943 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type VIIC submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
|
| Beam |
|
| Draught | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 220 m (721 ft 9 in) |
| Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted44-52 men |
| Armament |
|
| Service record[1] | |
| Part of: |
|
| Identification codes: | M 45 089 |
| Commanders: |
|
| Operations: |
|
| Victories: |
4 merchant ships sunk (27,231 GRT) |
Commissioned on 26 March 1942, and commanded by Kapitänleutnant Ralph Kapitzky, she was depth charged and sunk in the Caribbean Sea, north of Porlamar on 7 August 1943,[3] in position 12°38′N 64°15′W / 12.633°N 64.250°W, by US 6 Mariner and 1 Ventura aircraft. It was the largest aircraft hunt ever mounted for a single U-boat. Of her crew 4 (including her captain) were killed, and 43 survived.
Design
editGerman Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-615 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[4] 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 BBC GG UB 720/8 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).[4]
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).[4] 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-615 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.[4]
Wolfpacks
editU-615 took part in 10 wolfpacks, namely:
- Pfeil (12 – 22 September 1942)
- Blitz (22 – 26 September 1942)
- Tiger (26 – 30 September 1942)
- Wotan (5 – 19 October 1942)
- Draufgänger (1 – 11 December 1942)
- Ungestüm (11 – 30 December 1942)
- Burggraf (25 February – 5 March 1943)
- Raubgraf (7 – 20 March 1943)
- Seewolf (24 – 30 March 1943)
- Adler (7 – 13 April 1943)
Summary of raiding history
edit| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) | Fate[5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 October 1942 | El Lago |  Panama
|
4,221 | Sunk |
| 23 October 1942 | Empire Star |  United Kingdom
|
12,656 | Sunk |
| 11 April 1943 | Edward B. Dudley |  United States
|
7,177 | Sunk |
| 28 July 1943 | Rosalia |  Netherlands
|
3,177 | Sunk |
References
edit- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-615". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 September 2014.
- ^ Kelshell, Gaylord T. M. (2003), "Ralph Kapitsky – Battle in the Caribbean and the Death of U-615", in Savas, Theodore P. (ed.), Contemporary Conflict Resolution, Naval Institute Press, pp. 43–73, ISBN 1591148170.
- ^ Heden, Karl E. (2006), Sunken Ships World War II: US Naval Chronology, Including Submarine Losses of the United States, England, Germany, Japan, Italy, Branden Books, p. 76, ISBN 0828321183.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-615". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 February 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.
- Edwards, Bernard (1996). Dönitz and the Wolf Packs - The U-boats at War. Cassell Military Classics. p. 139. ISBN 0-304-35203-9.
- Gröner, Eric; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). German Warships 1815-1945: U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
External links
edit- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-615". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 2014.