German submarine U-221

<th colspan="2" >Service record

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German submarine U-221 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

Ordered on 15 August 1940 from the Germaniawerft shipyard in Kiel, she was laid down on 16 June 1941 as yard number 651, launched on 14 March 1942 and commissioned on 9 May 1942 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Hans-Hartwig Trojer.

A member of twelve wolfpacks, she sank a total of Twenty one ships for a total of Template:GRT and 759 tons in five patrols. In addition, she damaged one ship with a total tonnage of 7,197 GRT.

Design

German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-221 had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged.Template:Sfn She had a total length of , a pressure hull length of , a beam of , a height of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two AEG GU 460/8–27 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to .Template:Sfn

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of .Template:Sfn When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . U-221 was fitted with five torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.Template:Sfn

Service history

U-221 is also credited with the destruction of ten allied landing craft (nine LCMs and one LCT) that were lost aboard the British merchantman Southern Empress when that vessel was torpedoed and sunk on 14 October 1942.

First patrol

U-221 departed Kristiansand on 3 September 1942 having moved to the Norwegian port a day earlier. Her route took her through the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. She claimed her first victim, Fagersten, about east of the Belle Isle Strait, in Newfoundland on 13 October. In the same attack, she sank Ashworth and Senta. There were no survivors from either vessel.

The next day two more ships fell to the torpedoes of the German U-boat. The Susana went down in six minutes northeast of St. Johns; Southern Empress was sent to the bottom, taking a deck cargo of ten landing craft with her.

U-221 docked in St Nazaire on 22 October.

Second patrol

The boat's second foray was one of anti-climax and tragedy. Although she scoured the Atlantic west of Ireland, she failed to find any targets. On 8 December U-221 and Template:GS collided in heavy fog, resulting in the loss of the latter boat. U-221 was badly damaged. Unable to dive, Oberleutnant zur See Trojer aborted the patrol and returned to St. Nazaire.

Third patrol

Her third sortie was more fruitful. The Jamaica was destroyed on 7 March 1943. This ship took just two minutes to sink. As survivors took to the boats, Trojer surfaced and took the ship's 4th Engineer prisoner, but on March 21, the man, during an exercise period, jumped overboard and was lost. The boat sank Tucurina on the tenth, southeast of Cape Farewell, (Greenland). In the same attack, the U-boat sank Andrea F. Luckenbach and damaged (probably due to a dud torpedo).

Retribution was swift; the convoy's escorts from HX 228 caused some damage to U-221. Repairs were carried out at sea, enabling the boat to sink two more ships on 18 March; Canadian Star and Walter Q. Gresham were added to her list of 'kills'.

Fourth patrol

U-221 only sank one ship on this patrol, Sandanger; the survivors had a remarkable escape. Occupying the only intact lifeboat, they found themselves in an area of low pressure created by the ship's burning fuel cargo. The flames were split in two by strong winds which also kept them above the men's heads by only a few feet as they rowed clear of the location.

Fifth patrol and loss

U-221 left St. Nazaire for the last time on 20 September 1943. On the 27th she was attacked by a Handley Page Halifax of No. 58 Squadron RAF with eight depth charges southwest of Ireland. The U-boat was seen to sink by the stern but the aircraft was also hit, forcing the pilot to ditch about three miles from the encounter. Two gunners from the Halifax were lost; the U-boat was sunk with all hands (50 men).Template:Sfn

Wolfpacks

U-221 took part in twelve wolfpacks, namely:

• Pfeil (12 – 22 September 1942)
• Blitz (22 – 26 September 1942)
• Tiger (26 – 30 September 1942)
• Wotan (5 – 18 October 1942)
• Draufgänger (29 November - 9 December 1942)
• Neuland (8 – 13 March 1943)
• Dränger (14 – 20 March 1943)
• Drossel (11 – 15 May 1943)
• Oder (17 – 19 May 1943)
• Mosel (19 – 24 May 1943)
• Trutz (1 – 16 June 1943)
• Trutz 3 (16 – 29 June 1943)

Summary of raiding history

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage	Fate
13 October 1942	Ashworth	United Kingdom	5,227	Sunk
13 October 1942	Fagersten	Norway	2,342	Sunk
13 October 1942	Senta	Norway	3,785	Sunk
14 October 1942	Southern Empress	United Kingdom	12,398	Sunk
14 October 1942	HMS LCM-508	Template:Navy/core	52	Sunk
14 October 1942	HMS LCM-509	Template:Navy/core	52	Sunk
14 October 1942	HMS LCM-519	Template:Navy/core	52	Sunk
14 October 1942	HMS LCM-522	Template:Navy/core	52	Sunk
14 October 1942	HMS LCM-523	Template:Navy/core	52	Sunk
14 October 1942	HMS LCM-532	Template:Navy/core	52	Sunk
14 October 1942	HMS LCM-537	Template:Navy/core	52	Sunk
14 October 1942	HMS LCM-547	Template:Navy/core	52	Sunk
14 October 1942	HMS LCM-620	Template:Navy/core	52	Sunk
14 October 1942	HMS LCT-2006	Template:Navy/core	291	Sunk
14 October 1942	Susana	United States	5,929	Sunk
7 March 1943	Jamaica	Norway	3,015	Sunk
10 March 1943	Andrea F. Luckenbach	United States	6,565	Sunk
10 March 1943		United States	7,197	Damaged
10 March 1943	Tucurinca	United Kingdom	5,412	Sunk
18 March 1943	Canadian Star	United Kingdom	8,293	Sunk
18 March 1943	Walter Q. Gresham	United States	7,191	Sunk
18 March 1943	Sandanger	Norway	9,432	Sunk

See also

• Template:GS