German submarine ''U-3523'' was a
Type XXI U-boat (one of the "''
Elektroboote''") of
Nazi Germany's ''
Kriegsmarine
The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...
'', built for service in
World War II. She was ordered on 6 November 1943, and was
laid down on 7 October 1944 at
F Schichau GmbH,
Danzig, as yard number 1668. She was
launched on 14 December 1944, and
commissioned under the command of ''
Oberleutnant zur See'' Willi Müller on 23 January 1945.
Design
Like all
Type XXI U-boats, ''U-3523'' had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of (
o/a), a beam of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two
MAN SE supercharged six-cylinder M6V40/46KBB diesel engines each providing , two
Siemens-Schuckert GU365/30
double-acting electric motors each providing , and two Siemens-Schuckert
silent running
''Silent Running'' is a 1972 American environmental-themed apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic science fiction film. It is the directorial debut of Douglas Trumbull, and stars Bruce Dern, Cliff Potts, Ron Rifkin, and Jesse ...
GV232/28 electric motors each providing .
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a submerged speed of . When running on silent motors the boat could operate at a speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate at for ; when surfaced, she could travel at . ''U-3523'' was fitted with six
torpedo tubes in the bow and four
C/30 anti-aircraft guns. She could carry twenty-three
torpedoes, or seventeen torpedoes and twelve
mines. The
complement was five officers and fifty-two men.
Sinking
''U-3523'' had been sailing on the surface with
U-534
German submarine ''U-534'' is a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'' built for service during World War II. She was built in 1942 in Hamburg-Finkenwerder by Deutsche Werft AG as yard number 352. She was launched on 23 Septe ...
and
U-3503 just north of the cease-fire line when it was sunk by
depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth ...
s from a
British B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator is an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and some initial production aircraft were laid down as export models des ...
of
86 Squadron/G RAF about north of
Skagen Horn, in the
Skagerrak on 6 May 1945. All 58 crewmen were lost.
The wreck was thought to be located at ,
however, in April 2018, it was found by
Sea War Museum Jutland,
Thyborøn, further west. The wreck lies at a depth of . The entire fore part of the boat is buried in the seabed while its stern rises above the bottom.
References
Bibliography
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:U3523
Type XXI submarines
U-boats commissioned in 1945
World War II submarines of Germany
1944 ships
Ships built in Danzig
Ships built by Schichau
World War II shipwrecks in the Skagerrak
Maritime incidents in May 1945
Submarines lost with all hands