Built at the
Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft shipyard in
Kiel, the U-boat was
laid down on 18 October 1941,
launched on 30 July 1942 and
commissioned on 12 September 1942. U-228 served with the
5th U-boat Flotilla for training, and later with the
6th U-boat Flotilla from 1 March 1943 to 5 October 1944 as a front-line boat.[1]U-228 completed six patrols without sinking any ships, but shot down two aircraft. She was damaged at
Bergen, Norway, struck on 5 October 1944 and later
broken up.[1]
Design
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter
Type VIIB submarines. U-228 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[3] 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
superchargeddiesel 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
AEG GU 460/8-276
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).[3]
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).[3] 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-228 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.[3]
References
^
abcHelgason, Guðmundur.
"The Type VIIC boat U-228". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press.
ISBN1-55750-186-6.
Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler.
ISBN3-8132-0514-2.
Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press.
ISBN0-85177-593-4.
Bishop, Chris (2006). Kriegsmarine U-Boats, 1939-45. London: Amber Books.
ISBN978-1-904687-96-2.
External links
Helgason, Guðmundur.
"The Type VIIC boat U-228". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
Hofmann, Markus.
"U 228". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 26 December 2014.