German submarine U-233

German submarine U-233 was a Type XB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was laid down on 15 August 1941, launched on 8 May 1943 and commissioned on 22 September of the same year. U-233 was commanded throughout her career by Oberleutnant zur See Hans Steen.

U-233 about to be rammed by USS Thomas
History
Nazi Germany
NameU-233
Ordered7 December 1940
BuilderGermaniawerft, Kiel
Yard number663
Laid down15 August 1941
Launched8 May 1943
Commissioned22 September 1943
FateSunk 5 July 1944
General characteristics [1]
Class and typeType X submarine minelayer
Displacement
  • 1,763 tonnes (1,735 long tons) surfaced
  • 2,177 tonnes (2,143 long tons) submerged
Length
Beam
  • 9.20 m (30 ft 2 in) o/a
  • 4.75 m (15 ft 7 in) pressure hull
Height10.20 m (33 ft 6 in)
Draught4.71 m (15 ft 5 in)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 16.4–17 knots (30.4–31.5 km/h; 18.9–19.6 mph) surfaced
  • 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) submerged
Range
  • 18,450 nautical miles (34,170 km; 21,230 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
  • 93 nmi (172 km; 107 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depthCalculated crush depth: 220 m (720 ft)
Complement5 officers, 47 enlisted
Armament
Service record[2] [3]
Part of:
Commanders:
Operations:
  • 1 patrol:
  • 27 May – 5 July 1944
Victories: None

Service history

U-233 was assigned to the 4th U-boat Flotilla for training on 22 September 1943 and to the 12th U-boat Flotilla on 1 June 1944 for active service. Her first and only patrol commenced on 27 May 1944 when she departed Kiel to lay mines off Halifax.

Fate

On 5 July 1944 U-233 was intercepted by ships of the USS Card (CVE-11) hunter-killer group. She was identified by sonar, depth-charged to the surface and fired on by USS Baker (DE-190), before being rammed and sunk by USS Thomas (DE-102). 32 of her crew were killed in the action, 29 others being rescued by the escorts. Steen was also picked up, but died of wounds the next day. [4] [5] [6] US Navy report on U-233 survivors 1944[7]

References
  1. Gröner 1991, pp. 76–77.
  2. Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type XB boat U-233". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  3. Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-233". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  4. Blair 2000, p. 568.
  5. Kemp 2000, p. 201.
  6. Niestlé 1998, p. 145.
  7. Uboat archive 1944

Bibliography
  • Blair, Clay (1 July 2000). Hitler's U-boat War: The Hunted, 1942-45. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. ISBN 978-0-304-35261-6.
  • 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). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg (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 (1 March 2000). U-Boats Destroyed: German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. Arms & Armour Press. ISBN 978-1-85409-515-2.
  • Niestlé, Axel (1998). German U-Boat Losses During World War II: Details of Destruction. ISBN 978-1-85367-352-8.
  • Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type XB boat U-233". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  • Hofmann, Markus. "U 233". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 31 January 2015.

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