Английская Википедия:German submarine U-508

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German submarine U-508 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

She was laid down at the Deutsche Werft yard in Hamburg as yard number 304 on 24 September 1940, launched on 30 July 1941 and commissioned on 20 October with Oberleutnant zur See Georg Staats in command.

U-508 began her service career with training as part of the 4th U-boat Flotilla from 20 October 1941. She was reassigned to the 10th flotilla for operations on 1 July 1942.

She carried out six patrols and sank 14 ships. She was sunk by an American aircraft on 12 November 1943.

Design

German Type IXC submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXBs. U-508 had a displacement of Шаблон:Convert when at the surface and Шаблон:Convert while submerged.Шаблон:Sfn The U-boat had a total length of Шаблон:Convert, a pressure hull length of Шаблон:Convert, a beam of Шаблон:Convert, a height of Шаблон:Convert, and a draught of Шаблон:Convert. The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of Шаблон:Convert for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of Шаблон:Convert for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two Шаблон:Convert propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to Шаблон:Convert.Шаблон:Sfn

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of Шаблон:Convert and a maximum submerged speed of Шаблон:Convert.Шаблон:Sfn When submerged, the boat could operate for Шаблон:Convert at Шаблон:Convert; when surfaced, she could travel Шаблон:Convert at Шаблон:Convert. U-508 was fitted with six Шаблон:Convert torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 torpedoes, one [[10.5 cm SK C/32 naval gun|Шаблон:Convert SK C/32 naval gun]], 180 rounds, and a [[3.7 cm SK C/30|Шаблон:Convert SK C/30]] as well as a [[2 cm FlaK 30|Шаблон:Convert C/30]] anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of forty-eight.Шаблон:Sfn

Service history

First patrol

The boat departed Kiel on 30 July 1942, moved through the North Sea and negotiated the 'gap' between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. She sailed close to the west coast of Ireland in a southerly direction, then turned southwest toward Cuba.

She sank the Manzanillo on 12 August 1942 in the Straits of Florida.[1]

She entered Lorient, on the French Atlantic coast, (which was to be her base for most of the rest of her career), on 15 September 1942.

Second patrol

U-508Шаблон:'s second foray took her to the waters off South America. The pickings were rich. This sortie, while not the boat's longest, was her most successful. Some, but not all of her victims are shown below:

She sank the City of Corinth north of Trinidad on 17 November 1942.

Ten days later, she sank the Clan Mcfayden Шаблон:Convert east of Galeota Point, Trinidad.

She went on to sink the Solon II on 3 December northeast of Georgetown, British Guiana. The ship went down in twenty seconds.

The Nigerian, which was sunk on 9 December, had among her passengers, four British Army officers. They were taken prisoner and landed at Lorient on the submarine's return.

Third, fourth and fifth patrols

On her third patrol, the boat was attacked by a British B-24 Liberator of No. 224 Squadron RAF and seriously damaged.

Her fourth sortie was relatively uneventful and short, lasting just three days.

Patrol number five, at 100 days the longest, saw the U-boat steam as far as the west African coast. In the Gulf of Guinea, she sank the Manchester Citizen on 9 July 1943. She then sank the Incomati on the 18th, Шаблон:Convert south of Lagos in Nigeria. She returned to Lorient on 14 September.

Sixth patrol and loss

Having moved from Lorient to St. Nazaire, U-508 departed for her sixth and what turned out to be her final patrol on 9 November. On the 12th, while still on the outward leg, she was sunk by a US Navy PB4Y-1 Liberator of VB-103 in the Bay of Biscay.

Fifty-seven men died; there were no survivors.Шаблон:Sfn[2]

Summary of raiding history

Date Ship Name Nationality Tonnage
(GRT)
Fate[3]
12 August 1942 Manzanillo Шаблон:Flagcountry 1,025 Sunk
12 August 1942 Santiago de Cuba Шаблон:Flagcountry 1,685 Sunk
7 November 1942 Lindenhall Шаблон:Flagcountry 5,248 Sunk
7 November 1942 Nathaniel Hawthorne Шаблон:Flagcountry 7,176 Sunk
17 November 1942 City of Corinth Шаблон:Flagcountry 5,318 Sunk
27 November 1942 Шаблон:SS Шаблон:Flagcountry 6,191 Sunk
28 November 1942 Empire Cromwell Шаблон:Flagcountry 5,970 Sunk
1 December 1942 Trevalgan Шаблон:Flagcountry 5,299 Sunk
2 December 1942 City of Bath Шаблон:Flagcountry 5,079 Sunk
3 December 1942 Solon II Шаблон:Flagcountry 4,561 Sunk
9 December 1942 Nigerian Шаблон:Flagcountry 5,423 Sunk
9 July 1943 De La Salle Шаблон:Flagcountry 8,400 Sunk
9 July 1943 Manchester Citizen Шаблон:Flagcountry 5,343 Sunk
18 July 1943 Incomati Шаблон:Flagcountry 7,369 Sunk

References

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Bibliography

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External links

Шаблон:German Type IXC submarines Шаблон:November 1943 shipwrecks

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  1. The Times Atlas of the World - Third edition, revised 1995, Шаблон:ISBN, p. 70
  2. Шаблон:Cite web
  3. Шаблон:Cite web