German submarine U-520
 U-505, a typical Type IXC boat | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany
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| Name: | U-520 |
| Ordered: | 14 February 1940 |
| Builder: | Deutsche Werft, Hamburg |
| Yard number: | 335 |
| Laid down: | 1 July 1941 |
| Launched: | 2 March 1942 |
| Commissioned: | 19 May 1942 |
| Fate: | Sunk, 30 October 1942[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Type IXC submarine |
| Displacement: |
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| Beam: |
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| Height: | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught: | 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) |
| Installed power: |
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| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: |
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| Range: |
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| Test depth: | 230 m (750 ft) |
| Complement: | 4 officers, 44 enlisted |
| Armament: |
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| Service record[2][3] | |
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| Commanders: |
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| Operations: | 1st patrol: 3–30 October 1942 |
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-520 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The U-boat was laid down on 1 July 1941 at the Deutsche Werft yard in Hamburg as yard number 335, launched on 2 March 1942 and commissioned on 19 May 1942 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Volkmar Schwartzkopff. After training with the 4th U-boat Flotilla, she was transferred to the 2nd flotilla for front-line service on 1 October 1942.
Design
German Type IXC submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXBs. U-520 had a displacement of 1,120 tonnes (1,100 long tons) when at the surface and 1,232 tonnes (1,213 long tons) while submerged.[4] The U-boat had a total length of 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in), a pressure hull length of 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in), a beam of 6.76 m (22 ft 2 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in). The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of 4,400 metric horsepower (3,240 kW; 4,340 shp) for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 1,000 shaft horsepower (1,010 PS; 750 kW) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.92 m (6 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 18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph).[4] When submerged, the boat could operate for 63 nautical miles (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 13,450 nautical miles (24,910 km; 15,480 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-520 was fitted with six 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 torpedoes, one 10.5 cm (4.13 in) SK C/32 naval gun, 180 rounds, and a 3.7 cm (1.5 in) as well as a 2 cm (0.79 in) anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of forty-eight.[4]
Service history
U-520 sailed from Kiel on 3 October 1942, she negotiated the gap between the Faeroe and Shetland Islands and then turned west toward Cape Farewell, (the southern tip of Greenland). After a brief journey in the direction of Iceland, she headed southwest, then south, before being sunk east of Newfoundland in position 47°47′N 49°50′W / 47.783°N 49.833°WCoordinates: 47°47′N 49°50′W / 47.783°N 49.833°W by depth charges from a Canadian Douglas Digby light bomber of No. 10 Squadron RCAF. None of her 53 crew members survived the sinking.[2][5]
In January 2006 an article in the Edmonton Journal reported that a team of divers planned to search for U-520 and another U-boat, U-190.
References
- ↑ Kemp 1999, p. 94.
- 1 2 Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC boat U-520". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-520". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 Gröner 1991, p. 68.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-520 from 3 Oct 1942 to 30 Oct 1942". U-boat patrols - uboat.net. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German) 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 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
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC boat U-520". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
- "Alberta diver to search for WWII U-boats off East Coast". canada.com. Retrieved 5 February 2010.
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