German submarine U-536

German submarine U-536 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-536
Ordered	10 April 1941
Builder	Deutsche Werft, Hamburg
Yard number	354
Laid down	13 March 1942
Launched	21 October 1942
Commissioned	13 January 1943
Fate	Sunk on 20 November 1943 northeast of the Azores by one British and two Canadian warships
General characteristics
Class and type	Type IXC/40 submarine
Displacement	1,144 t (1,126 long tons) surfaced 1,257 t (1,237 long tons) submerged
Length	76.76 m (251 ft 10 in) o/a 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in) pressure hull
Beam	6.86 m (22 ft 6 in) o/a 4.44 m (14 ft 7 in) pressure hull
Height	9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught	4.67 m (15 ft 4 in)
Installed power	4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels) 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric)
Propulsion	2 shafts 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Speed	18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) surfaced 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph) submerged
Range	13,850 nmi (25,650 km; 15,940 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 63 nmi (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth	230 m (750 ft)
Complement	4 officers, 44 enlisted
Armament	6 × torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern) 22 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedoes 1 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK C/32 deck gun (180 rounds) 1 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 AA gun 1 × twin 2 cm FlaK 30 AA guns
Service record[1][2]
Part of:	4th U-boat Flotilla 13 January – 31 May 1943 2nd U-boat Flotilla 1 June – 20 November 1943
Identification codes:	M 49 397
Commanders:	Kptlt. Rolf Schauenburg 13 January – 20 November 1943
Operations:	2 patrols: 1st patrol: 1 June – 9 July 1943 2nd patrol: 29 August – 20 November 1943
Victories:	None

She was laid down at the Deutsche Werft (yard) in Hamburg as yard number 354 on 13 March 1942, launched on 21 October and commissioned on 13 January 1943 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 reassigned 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 by the British frigate Nene and Canadian corvette Snowberry on 19 or 20 November 1943 while she was attacking Convoy SL 139/MKS 30 northeast of the Azores.^[1][3]

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.^[4] 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).^[4]

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).^[4] 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) SK C/30 as well as a 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of forty-eight.^[4]

Service history

First 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.

Second patrol and loss

Her second foray took her as far as the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where she participated in Operation Kiebitz, an unsuccessful attempt to rescue four U-boat commanders from a prisoner of war camp in Bowmanville, east of Toronto. U-536 successfully escaped from a trap carefully laid by the Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Canadian Mounted Police at the point on the New Brunswick coast where she was to pick up the escapees on September 26, 1943. However, less than two months later, on 20 November, she was sunk northeast of the Azores by depth charges from a British frigate, HMS Nene, and two Canadian corvettes, HMCS Snowberry and HMCS Calgary.^[5]

Thirty-eight men died; there were seventeen survivors.^[6]

Wolfpacks

U-536 took part in one wolfpack, namely:

• Schill 2 (17 – 20 November 1943)

See also

• Operation Kiebitz
• Bowmanville POW camp (Battle of Bowmanville)

References

1. Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-536". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
2. Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-536". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 February 2010.
3. Kemp, Paul (1997). U-Boats Destroyed: German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 158. ISBN 978-1-557-50859-1.
4. Gröner 1991, p. 68.
5. Service Histories of Royal Navy Warships in World War 2 HMS Nene gives gunfire as the cause of the sinking after depth-charging brought the submarine to the surface.
6. Kemp 1997, p. 158.

Bibliography

• 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. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
• 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. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
• 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. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.

• Kemp, Paul (1997). U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.

External links

• Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-536". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
• Hofmann, Markus. "U 536". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 1 February 2015.

43°50′N 19°39′W