German submarine U-213
Encyclopedia
German submarine U-213 was a Type VIID mine-laying
U-boat
of the German
Kriegsmarine
during World War II
.
, Kiel
, the boat was commissioned on 30 August 1941 with Oberleutnant zur See Amelung von Varendorff in command. She trained with the 5th U-boat Flotilla until 31 December 1941, and on 1 January 1942 U-213 was assigned to 1st U-boat Flotilla. On 1 May 1942 she was assigned to the 9th U-boat Flotilla and spent the rest of her career with that unit.
agent, Alfred Langbein, on the Canadian coast near St. Martins, New Brunswick
. The mission was termed Operation Grete, and Langbein was instructed to report on the sailing of convoys. Langbein failed to accomplish this, and surrendered to the authorities in September 1944 after running out of money. He was released after the end of the war. U-213 took part in three "wolfpacks" during the war, as part of Schlei from 1 February until 12 February 1942, Westwall from 2 March until 12 March 1942, and Pfadfinder
from 21 May until 27 May 1942. During this period she suffered two attacks, one on 7 February 1942
from the escorts of convoy ON-63, which U-213 was attempting to attack, and which left the U-boat slightly damaged by depth charge
s; and on 15 May 1942 when U-213 was surprised on the surface by a destroyer in bad weather in the Gulf of Maine
, and was again slightly damaged by depth charges.
U-213 was eventually sunk on 31 July 1942, while in the North Atlantic, east of the Azores
, by a depth charge attack from the sloops , and . Her entire crew of 50 were lost with her.
Minelayer
Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...
U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
of the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Training
Laid down on 1 October 1940 by Friedrich Krupp GermaniawerftFriedrich Krupp Germaniawerft
Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft was a German shipbuilding company, located in the harbour at Kiel, and one of the largest and most important builders of U-boats for the Kaiserliche Marine in World War I and the Kriegsmarine in World War II.-History:The company was founded in 1867 by Lloyd Foster, as...
, Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, the boat was commissioned on 30 August 1941 with Oberleutnant zur See Amelung von Varendorff in command. She trained with the 5th U-boat Flotilla until 31 December 1941, and on 1 January 1942 U-213 was assigned to 1st U-boat Flotilla. On 1 May 1942 she was assigned to the 9th U-boat Flotilla and spent the rest of her career with that unit.
Service history
U-213 carried out three war patrols during her career, ranging into the North Atlantic. On 14 May 1942 she landed an AbwehrAbwehr
The Abwehr was a German military intelligence organisation from 1921 to 1944. The term Abwehr was used as a concession to Allied demands that Germany's post-World War I intelligence activities be for "defensive" purposes only...
agent, Alfred Langbein, on the Canadian coast near St. Martins, New Brunswick
St. Martins, New Brunswick
St. Martins is a Canadian village in Saint John County, New Brunswick.The picturesque community is 40 km east of Saint John and is situated on the Bay of Fundy. St. Martins was incorporated in 1967....
. The mission was termed Operation Grete, and Langbein was instructed to report on the sailing of convoys. Langbein failed to accomplish this, and surrendered to the authorities in September 1944 after running out of money. He was released after the end of the war. U-213 took part in three "wolfpacks" during the war, as part of Schlei from 1 February until 12 February 1942, Westwall from 2 March until 12 March 1942, and Pfadfinder
Wolf pack Pfadfinder
Pfadfinder was a "wolfpack" of German U-boats that operated from 21 to 27 May 1942, in the Battle of the Atlantic during World War II...
from 21 May until 27 May 1942. During this period she suffered two attacks, one on 7 February 1942
from the escorts of convoy ON-63, which U-213 was attempting to attack, and which left the U-boat slightly damaged by depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s; and on 15 May 1942 when U-213 was surprised on the surface by a destroyer in bad weather in the Gulf of Maine
Gulf of Maine
The Gulf of Maine is a large gulf of the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast of North America.It is delineated by Cape Cod at the eastern tip of Massachusetts in the southwest and Cape Sable at the southern tip of Nova Scotia in the northeast. It includes the entire coastlines of the U.S...
, and was again slightly damaged by depth charges.
U-213 was eventually sunk on 31 July 1942, while in the North Atlantic, east of the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
, by a depth charge attack from the sloops , and . Her entire crew of 50 were lost with her.