Unterseeboot 821

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U-821
Type		VIIC
Launch Date		June 26, 1943
Commission Date		October 11, 1943
Construction yard		Oderwerke, Stettin
Patrols
Start Date	End Date	Assigned Unit
March 19, 1944	April 12, 1944	1st Flotilla
June 6, 1944	June 10, 1944	1st Flotilla
Commanders
January, 1944	June, 1944	Kptlt. Ulrich Knackfuss
Successes
Type of Ship Sunk	Number of Ships Sunk	Gross Registered Tonnage
Commercial Vessels	None	0
Military Vessels	None	0

Unterseeboot 821 (usually abbreviated to U-821) was a short-lived German submarine built by Oderwerke in Stettin during World War II for service in the Second Battle of the Atlantic. She only participated in two brief combat patrols, one of which ended after four days when she was sunk by allied aircraft. U-821 was built in Stettin at a small shipyard, and thus took eighteen months to complete, being ready by in October 1943. the boat was of the VII Type, which possessed long range cruising capabilities as well as five torpedo tubes.

[edit] War Patrols

Following her sea trials and warming-up period, U-821 departed Bergen, Norway in March 1944 for her first war patrol, during which she spent 24 fruitless days in the North Atlantic before returning to Brest, France for resupply. Her second patrol was more eventful, as just four days out from Brest and not far from Ushant, Royal Air Force aircraft spotted and attacked the U-boat on the surface. Her captain made the decision to battle it out rather than dive, and engaged in a running engagement with three Mosquito aircraft of 248 Squadron and a large B-24 Liberator bomber of 206 Squadron. One Mosquito was shot down in the clash, but rockets and depth charges took their toll on the submarine which soon sank, taking with her 50 sailors. One survivor was pulled from the sea by small German Naval units a few hours later.

[edit] References

• Sharpe, Peter, U-Boat Fact File, Midland Publishing, Great Britain: 1998. ISBN 1-85780-072-9.
• U-boat.net webpage for U-821

See Also: List of U-boats