German submarine ''U-538'' was a
Type IXC/40 U-boat 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 It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic.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 ...
'' during
World War II.
She was
laid down at the Deutsche Werft (yard) in
Hamburg as yard number 356 on 18 April 1942,
launched on 20 November and
commissioned on 10 February 1943 with ''
Kapitänleutnant'' Johann-Egbert Gosseler in command.
''U-538'' began her service career with training as part of the
4th U-boat Flotilla
Fourth or the fourth may refer to:
* the ordinal form of the number 4
* Fourth (album), ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971
* Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision
* Fourth (music), a musical interval
* The Fourth (1972 film) ...
from 10 February 1943. She was reassigned to the
2nd flotilla for operations on 1 November.
She carried out one patrol and did not sink any ships. She was a member of one
wolfpack.
She was sunk on 21 November 1943, southwest of Ireland by British warships.
Design
German Type IXC/40 submarines were slightly larger than the original
Type IXCs. ''U-538'' had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. The U-boat had a total length of , a
pressure hull length of , a
beam
Beam may refer to:
Streams of particles or energy
*Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy
**Laser beam
*Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles
**Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...
of , a height of , and a
draught of . The submarine was powered by two
MAN M 9 V 40/46
supercharged
In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement.
The current categorisation is that a supercharger is a form of forced induct ...
four-stroke, nine-cylinder
diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two
Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34
double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two
propeller
A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...
s. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to .
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . ''U-538'' was fitted with six
torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22
torpedoes, one
SK C/32 naval gun, 180 rounds, and a
SK C/30 as well as a
C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a
complement of forty-eight.
Service history
Patrol and loss
The boat departed
Kiel on 19 October 1943, moved through the
North Sea, negotiated the
gap between
Iceland and the
Faroe Islands and entered the Atlantic Ocean. She was heading for the French Atlantic ports.
She was sunk on 21 November 1943, southwest of Ireland 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 dropped from the British frigate and the sloop .
Fifty-five men died; there were no survivors.
Wolfpacks
''U-538'' took part in one
wolfpack, namely:
* Eisenhart 1 (9 – 15 November 1943)
References
Bibliography
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:U0538
German Type IX submarines
U-boats commissioned in 1943
U-boats sunk in 1943
World War II submarines of Germany
1942 ships
World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean
Ships built in Hamburg
U-boats sunk by depth charges
U-boats sunk by British warships
Submarines lost with all hands
Maritime incidents in November 1943