Name U-536 Yard number 354 Commissioned 13 January 1943 Launched 26 October 1942 Draft 4.67 m Builders Deutsche Werft, Hamburg | Ordered 10 April 1941 Laid down 13 March 1942 Construction started 13 March 1942 Length 77 m Beam 6.86 m | |
Fate Sunk, November 1943 northeast of the Azores by one British and two Canadian warships Part of 4th U-boat Flotilla, 2nd U-boat Flotilla, 33rd U-boat Flotilla | ||
German submarine U-536 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
Contents
She was laid down at the Deutsche Werft (yard) in Hamburg as yard number 347 on 7 January 1942, launched on 26 August and commissioned on 11 November with Kapitänleutnant Rolf Schauenburg in command.
U-536 began her service career with training as part of the 4th U-boat Flotilla from 13 January 1943. She was re-assigned to the 2nd flotilla for operations on 1 June.
She carried out two patrols, but did not sink any ships. She was a member of one wolfpack.
She was sunk in November 1943 northeast of the Azores by one British and two Canadian warships.
Design
German Type IXC/40 submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXCs. U-536 had a displacement of 1,144 tonnes (1,126 long tons) when at the surface and 1,257 tonnes (1,237 long tons) while submerged. The U-boat had a total length of 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in), a pressure hull length of 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in), a beam of 6.86 m (22 ft 6 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.67 m (15 ft 4 in). The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of 4,400 metric horsepower (3,240 kW; 4,340 shp) for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 1,000 shaft horsepower (1,010 PS; 750 kW) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.92 m (6 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 18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph). When submerged, the boat could operate for 63 nautical miles (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 13,850 nautical miles (25,650 km; 15,940 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-536 was fitted with six 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 torpedoes, one 10.5 cm (4.13 in) SK C/32 naval gun, 180 rounds, and a 3.7 cm (1.5 in) as well as a 2 cm (0.79 in) anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of forty-eight.
1st patrol
The boat departed Kiel on 1 June 1943, moved through the North Sea, negotiated the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands and entered the Atlantic Ocean. She entered Lorient, on the French Atlantic coast, on 9 July.
2nd patrol and loss
Her second foray took her as far as the Gulf of St. Lawrence, but on the return leg she was sunk on 20 November 1943 northeast of the Azores by depth charges from a British frigate, HMS Nene and two Canadian corvettes, HMCS Snowberry and HMCS Calgary.
Thirty-eight men died; there were seventeen survivors.
Wolfpacks
U-536 took part in one wolfpack, namely.