German submarine U-2342

<th colspan="2" >Service record

Postwar photo of Hecht (S 171), (former Type XXIII submarine Template:GS). An identical sister ship of U-2342.
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German submarine U-2342 was a short-lived Type XXIII U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during the Second World War. She was built at Hamburg during 1944 as a modern Type XXIII "Elektroboote", a small coastal class designed to strike ships along the coastlines of Britain and liberated Europe, particularly the English Channel, although none ever served there. U-2342 was placed under the command of Oberleutnant zur See der Reserve Berthold Schad von Mittelbiberach, a former senior non-commissioned officer, who received a field promotion in 1943.Template:Sfn She was his first submarine experience.

Design

Like all Type XXIII U-boats, U-2342 had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of (o/a), a beam width of (o/a), and a draught depth of. The submarine was powered by one MWM six-cylinder RS134S diesel engine providing , one AEG GU4463-8 double-acting electric motor electric motor providing , and one BBC silent running CCR188 electric motor providing .Template:Sfn

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a submerged speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate at for ; when surfaced, she could travel at . U-2342 was fitted with two torpedo tubes in the bow. She could carry two preloaded torpedoes. The complement was 14–18 men.Template:Sfn This class of U-boat did not carry a deck gun.

Service history

The fate of U-2342 was not unusual, as the seas around the German coastline were subject to very heavy allied air attack during the final two years of the war, with the Royal Air Force seeking to restrict German movement by sowing thousands of air-dropped naval mines. This tactic delayed the production and training of new boats and disrupted coastal shipping. It also wrecked a number of new boats, including U-2342, before they had a chance to enter the Battle of the Atlantic.

U-2342 was travelling in a convoy of ten boats taking essential supplies and personnel to Norway on Boxing Day 1944. The operation was highly secret, and submarines were used to disguise it from any prying reconnaissance aircraft. Whilst just north of Swinemünde, U-2342 activated an air-dropped mine and fell out of the convoy, slowly sinking as the other boats carried on their passage northwards. Rescue vessels found some of the crew, but seven sailors, including the boat's captain were not found, lost in the explosion.

Demolition experts blew up the wreck in 1954 to clear the seaway, and parts were taken to shore, where they were broken up for scrap.