German submarine U-953
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany |
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| Name: | U-953 |
| Ordered: | 10 April 1941 |
| Builder: | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
| Yard number: | 153 |
| Laid down: | 10 February 1942 |
| Launched: | 28 October 1942 |
| Commissioned: | 17 December 1942 |
| Fate: |
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| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Type VIIC submarine |
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| Height: | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught: | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
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| Complement: | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
| Armament: |
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| Service record[1][2] | |
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| Victories: | None |
U-953 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
The submarine was laid down on 10 February 1942 in the Blohm & Voss yard at Hamburg, launched on 28 October 1942, and commissioned on 17 December 1942 under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Karl-Heinz Marbach.
After training with the 5th U-boat Flotilla at Kiel, U-953 was transferred to the 3rd U-boat Flotilla based at La Pallice (in southwestern France), for front-line service on 1 June 1943. She sailed on ten war patrols, but sank only one ship of 1,927 gross register tons (GRT). She was transferred to the 33rd U-boat Flotilla on 15 October 1944, under the command of her second skipper, Oblt.z.S. Herbert Werner, author of the memoir Iron Coffins. U-953 was surrendered at Trondheim in Norway on 9 May 1945.
Contents
Design
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-953 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[3] 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 Brown, Boveri & Cie 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).[3]
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).[3] 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-953 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 an anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.[3]
Service history
1st patrol
U-953 first sailed from Kiel on 13 May 1943, and out into the mid-Atlantic. She had no successes, and on 9 July was attacked by an aircraft, which killed one crewman and wounded two others. The U-boat arrived at La Pallice on 22 July after 71 days on patrol.[4]
2nd and 3rd patrols
U-953's second Atlantic patrol from 2 October to 17 November 1943 was uneventful,[5] but her next, which began on 26 December 1943 and took her to the waters off North Africa, was. On 11 January 1944 the U-boat fired a T-5 homing torpedo at a corvette, missed, and was then hunted for the next 13 hours by escort ships equipped with depth charges and hedgehogs. About 4 February the U-boat approached Convoy ON 222, but was attacked by an unknown Allied aircraft.[6]
4th-6th patrols
After being fitted with a Schnorchel underwater-breathing apparatus, the U-boat's next three patrols from March to June 1944 were short, from 3 to 13 days and uneventful.[2]
7th patrol
U-953 sailed on 24 June 1944 from Brest into the English Channel. It was previously reported that U-953 sank the British freighter Glendinning, on 5 July 1944, but this is now accredited to U-763.
8th-10th patrols
Under her new commander, Oblt.z.S. Herbert Werner, U-953 sailed from Brest on 12 August 1944, arriving at La Pallice on 19 August.[7]
On 31 August U-953 left La Pallice for Norway, sailing round the Atlantic coast of Ireland. She patrolled the entrance to North Channel for seven days, but has no success. Werner reports a fault on the schnorkel caused the patrol to be abandoned[8] and U-953 arrived at Bergen “unannounced” on 11 October.[9][10]
Faults and a need for overhaul caused her to be sent to Germany, arriving at Flensburg on 25 October. She was not ready for further service until February 1945.
U-953 left Kiel on 4 February 1945, arriving at Kristiansand and then Bergen. On 21 February she left Bergen on an offensive patrol off the coast of Britain but, Werner reports, various faults culminating in a faulty torpedo tube door, forced a return once more.[11] U-953 arrived back in Bergen on 3 April 1945.[12]
Under a new commander, Oblt.z.S. E. Steinbrink,[1] she was moved from there to Trondheim on 6 April arriving three days later; there she remained until the German capitulation and she was surrendered to British forces.[13]
Wolfpacks
U-953 took part in six wolfpacks, namely.
- Trutz (1–16 June 1943)
- Trutz 2 (16–29 June 1943)
- Geier 2 (30 June - 15 July 1943)
- Schill (25 October - 16 November 1943)
- Borkum (1–3 January 1944)
- Borkum 3 (3–13 January 1944)
- Dragoner (22–28 May 1944)
Fate
On 29 May 1945 U-953 sailed to Loch Ryan and was awarded a British war prize in August. After trails by the Royal Navy, the U-boat was laid up in Lisahally at the end of the year. On 4 June 1949, U-953 was sold to Clayton & Davie Ltd. of Dunston and broken up.[14]
See also
- "U-Boats, Churchill's Worst Nightmare" 3 DVD set; includes interviews with Captain Werner (U-953)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Gröner 1991, pp. 43-46.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Werner 1999, p. 265.
- ↑ Blair 1998, p. 618.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Werner 1999, p. 294.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Blair 1998, p. 818.
- ↑ Neistlé, p. 94.
Bibliography
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External links
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