| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | U-318 |
| Ordered | 14 October 1941 |
| Builder | Flender Werke,Lübeck |
| Yard number | 318 |
| Laid down | 14 October 1942 |
| Launched | 25 September 1943 |
| Commissioned | 13 November 1943 |
| Fate | Surrendered on 9 May 1945; sunk on 21 December 1945 as part of OperationDeadlight |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Type VIIC/41submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
|
| Beam |
|
| Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range | |
| Test depth |
|
| Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
| Service record[1][2] | |
| Part of |
|
| Identification codes | M 54 549 |
| Commanders |
|
| Operations |
|
| Victories | None |
German submarineU-318 was aType VIIC/41U-boat ofNazi Germany'sKriegsmarine duringWorld War II.
The submarine waslaid down on 14 October 1942 by theFlender Werke yard atLübeck as yard number 318,launched on 25 September 1943, andcommissioned on 13 November under the command ofOberleutnant zur See Josef Will.
She served with the4th U-boat Flotilla for training, the11th U-boat Flotilla from 1 August 1943 to 4 November 1944, the13th flotilla from 5 November 1944 to 28 February 1945 and the14th flotilla from 1 March to 8 May 1945 for operations.
She completed six patrols, but did not sink any ships.
She was a member of twowolfpacks.
The boat surrendered atNarvik in Norway on 9 May 1945. She was sunk on 21 December 1945 as part of OperationDeadlight.
German Type VIIC/41 submarines were preceded by the heavierType VIIC submarines.U-318 had a displacement of 759 tonnes (747 long tons) when at the surface and 860 tonnes (850 long tons) while submerged.[3] 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, twoGarbe, Lahmeyer & Co. RP 137/cdouble-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-318 was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in)torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteentorpedoes, one8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, (220 rounds), one3.7 cm (1.5 in) Flak M42 and two2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft guns. The boat had acomplement of between forty-four and sixty.[3]
Her patrols used a variety of bases in Norway: e.g.Egersund,Bergen,Kristiansand,Arendal,Trondheim,Bogenbucht,Kilbotn,Harstad and Narvik, but none of them was longer than 32 days.
At the end of World War II, she surrendered at Narvik on 10 May 1945. She was moved toSkjomenfjord, thenLoch Eriboll in Scotland, arriving there on 19 May. She was moved again toLoch Ryan for OperationDeadlight and sunk on 21 December north of Northern Ireland.
55°47′00″N8°30′00″W / 55.7833°N 8.5000°W /55.7833; -8.5000