Name U-320 Yard number 320 Commissioned 30 December 1943 Launched 6 November 1943 Draft 4.74 m | Ordered 14 October 1942 Laid down 1 December 1942 Construction started 1 December 1942 Length 67 m Beam 6.2 m | |
Fate Badly damaged by a British aircraft in May 1945; scuttled off Norway Part of 4th U-boat Flotilla, 5th U-boat Flotilla | ||
German submarine U-320 was a Type VIIC/41 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
Contents
She carried out just two patrols, but did not sink any ships.
The boat was badly damaged in early May 1945 by a British aircraft and consequently scuttled by the crew in the North Sea; the last to be sunk by direct action.
Design
German Type VIIC/41 submarines were preceded by the heavier Type VIIC submarines. U-320 had a displacement of 759 tonnes (747 long tons) when at the surface and 860 tonnes (850 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-320 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 submarine was laid down on 1 December 1942 by the Flender Werke yard at Lübeck as yard number 320, launched on 6 November 1943 and commissioned on 30 December under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Siegfried Breinlinger.
She served with the 4th U-boat Flotilla for training, from 30 December 1943 to 1 April 1944 and the 5th flotilla for operations until her sinking on 8 May 1945.
1st patrol
U-320 departed Kiel on 16 April 1945 and arrived in Horten Naval Base (south of Oslo), on the 21st.
2nd patrol and loss
The boat left Horten on 27 April 1945. On 8 May she was badly damaged by depth charges dropped from a British Catalina of No. 210 Squadron RAF. The battered submarine managed to surface off the Norwegian coast, where she was scuttled.