| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-1226 |
| Ordered | 25 August 1941 |
| Builder | Deutsche Werft AG,Hamburg |
| Yard number | 389 |
| Laid down | 11 January 1943 |
| Launched | 21 August 1943 |
| Commissioned | 24 November 1943 |
| Fate | Missing since 23 October 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Type IXC/40submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
|
| Beam |
|
| Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 4.67 m (15 ft 4 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 230 m (750 ft) |
| Complement | 4 officers, 44 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
| Service record[1][2] | |
| Part of: |
|
| Identification codes: | M 54 305 |
| Commanders: |
|
| Operations: |
|
| Victories: | None |
German submarineU-1226 was aType IXC/40U-boat ofNazi Germany'sKriegsmarine duringWorld War II.
The U-boat, built for service in theBattle of the Atlantic, was completed inHamburg in November 1943, and placed under the command ofOberleutnant zur See August-Wilhelm Claussen (Crew X/37), whose brother Emil had been killed on boardU-469 the previous year. She underwent working up cruises in theBaltic Sea before embarking on her only operational patrol fromHorten Naval Base in Norway during September 1944.
German Type IXC/40 submarines were slightly larger than the originalType IXCs.U-1226 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.[3] The U-boat had a total length of 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in), apressure hull length of 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in), abeam of 6.86 m (22 ft 6 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and adraught of 4.67 m (15 ft 4 in). The submarine was powered by twoMAN M 9 V 40/46supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinderdiesel engines producing a total of 4,400 metric horsepower (3,240 kW; 4,340 shp) for use while surfaced, twoSiemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34double-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).[3]
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).[3] 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-1226 was fitted with six 53.3 cm (21 in)torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22torpedoes, one10.5 cm (4.13 in) SK C/32 naval gun, 180 rounds, and a3.7 cm (1.5 in) Flak M42 as well as two twin2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft guns. The boat had acomplement of forty-eight.[3]
This patrol was uneventful for the first three weeks during the Atlantic crossing as she deliberately avoided the highly-effective allied countermeasures. The last contact with the boat was on 23 October 1944 reporting trouble with itsSchnorchel underwater-breathing apparatus after which nothing more was heard from her. It is possible she was sunk in an unrecorded encounter with an Allied ship or aircraft, or more likely she suffered some unknown catastrophic accident which claimed the boat and all its crew.[4]
Whatever the cause, she was given up for lost in mid-November. Her remains were claimed to have been found east ofCape Cod,Massachusetts in 1993 however, this identification is unlikely. The vessel's last radio contact instructed the submarine to maintain its faulty snorkel in the upright position and return to base, givingU-1226's position as 327 nmi (605 km) south ofIceland at56°30′N20°00′W / 56.500°N 20.000°W /56.500; -20.000.[5]
