Name U-313 Yard number 313 Commissioned 20 May 1943 Launched 27 March 1943 Draft 4.74 m Builder Flender Werke | Ordered 25 August 1941 Laid down 11 May 1942 Construction started 11 May 1942 Length 67 m Beam 6.18 m | |
Fate Surrendered, May 1945. Sunk in December as part of Operation Deadlight Part of 8th U-boat Flotilla, 11th U-boat Flotilla, 13th U-boat Flotilla | ||
German submarine U-313 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 11 May 1941 at the Flender Werke yard at Lübeck as yard number 313, launched on 27 March 1943 and commissioned on 20 May under the command of Kapitänleutnant Friedrich Schweiger.
Contents
- Design
- Service history
- 1st 2nd and 3rd patrols
- 4th 5th 6th and 7th patrols
- 8th 9th and 10th patrols
- 11th and 12th patrols and fate
- References
During her career, the U-boat sailed on twelve combat patrols, but sank no ships before she surrendered at Narvik in May 1945. She was sunk in December as part of Operation Deadlight.
She was a member of eleven wolfpacks.
Design
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-313 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged. 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 Garbe, Lahmeyer & Co. RP 137/c 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).
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). 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-313 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.
Service history
The boat's service life began with training with the 8th U-boat Flotilla in May 1943. She was transferred to the 11th flotilla for operations on 1 January 1944. She was then reassigned to the 13th flotilla on 15 September.
She made a pair of short voyages from Kiel in Germany to Stavanger and Bergen in Norway in January 1944.
1st, 2nd and 3rd patrols
The submarine's first patrol began with her departure from Bergen on 26 January 1944. She arrived at Hammerfest on 2 February but departed again on the 7th. She finished the patrol at Hammerfest on the 29th.
U-313 spent her second and third patrols in the Norwegian Sea.
4th, 5th, 6th and 7th patrols
Her fourth sortie took her as far as a point southwest of Bear Island. On 26 June 1944, she was north of Jan Mayen Island.
The boat's fifth patrol kept her closer to the Norwegian coast.
Her sixth and seventh patrols saw the submarine docking in Skillefjord on 23 September 1944, having left Narvik on the 20th. She then left the smaller port on the 26th and returned to Narvik.
8th, 9th and 10th patrols
For her eighth sortie, she rounded the North Cape, passing Murmansk.
Her ninth patrol was relatively short, beginning in Bodenbucht on 11 December 1944, (northwest of Narvik) and terminating in Trondheim on the 16th.
If her previous patrol was brief, her tenth effort, at 57 days, was her longest and involved sailing near to the Orkney Islands. Having departed Trondheim, the boat returned to Narvik.
11th and 12th patrols and fate
Having used Harstad (northwest of Narvik) briefly and following the German capitulation, U-313 was moved, first from Narvik to Skjomenfjord, then to Loch Eriboll in Scotland on 19 May 1945 in preparation for Operation Deadlight. She was finally transferred to Loch Ryan and sunk on 27 November. According to one source, she capsized while under tow by HMS Blencathra.