The submarine was
laid down on 7 July 1942 at the Bremer Vulkan yard at Bremen-Vegesack as yard number 50. She was
launched on 3 April 1943 and
commissioned on 15 May under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Otto Walter.[1]
Design
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter
Type VIIB submarines. U-285 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 460/8–27
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-285 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 two twin
2 cm (0.79 in) C/30anti-aircraft guns. The boat had a
complement of between forty-four and sixty.[3]
Service history
U-285 served with the
8th U-boat Flotilla for training from May 1943 to July 1944 and operationally with the
7th flotilla from 1 August. She was then reassigned to the
11th flotilla on 1 October.[1] She carried out three patrols, sinking no ships.
The boat's first patrol was preceded by a short voyage from
Kiel on 15 August 1944 to
Kristiansand in Norway, arriving there on 20 August.
First and second patrols
U-285's first patrol proper took her to northwest Scotland. She docked at Bergen on 18 September 1944.
Her second sortie was west of Ireland and into the
St. George's Channel, (between southeast Ireland and southwest Wales). She had passed between
Iceland and the
Faroe Islands and into the Atlantic Ocean. The submarine returned to Bergen on 31 January 1945.
Third patrol and loss
The boat was attacked and sunk by
depth charges dropped from the British frigates
HMS Grindall and
Keats on 15 April 1945 southwest of Ireland.
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.