History | |
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Name | U-555 |
Ordered | 25 September 1939 |
Builder | Blohm & Voss,Hamburg |
Yard number | 531 |
Laid down | 2 January 1940 |
Launched | 7 December 1940 |
Commissioned | 30 January 1941 |
Decommissioned | March 1945 |
Fate | Surrendered on 3 May 1945,broken up in 1946 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type VIICsubmarine |
Displacement | |
Length |
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Beam |
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Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
Draught | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Range | |
Test depth |
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Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
Armament |
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Service record[1] | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 34 971 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: | None |
Victories: | None |
German submarineU-555 was aType VIICU-boat ofNazi Germany'sKriegsmarine duringWorld War II. The submarine waslaid down on 2 January 1940 at theBlohm & Voss yard inHamburg as yard number 531,launched on 7 December 1940, andcommissioned on 30 January 1941 under the command ofKapitänleutnantHans-Joachim Horrer.[1]
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorterType VIIB submarines.U-555 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[2] She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in), apressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), abeam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and adraught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by twoGermaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylindersuperchargeddiesel 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, twoBBC GG UB 720/8double-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).[2]
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).[2] 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-555 was fitted with two 53.3 cm (21 in)torpedo tubes at the bow, fourteentorpedoes, one8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had acomplement of between forty-four and sixty.[2]
Initially attached to the24th U-boat Flotilla, she was transferred to the21st U-boat Flotilla based atPillau (now Baltiysk, Russia) on 1 December 1942, and served throughout the war under a number of commanders as a training boat, seeing no combat service.[1]
The U-boat was stricken in March 1945, and surrendered to the British on 3 May 1945. She was laterbroken up in 1946.[1]