German submarine U-2336
Encyclopedia
German submarine U-2336 was a Type XXIII
U-boat
of the German
Kriegsmarine
during World War II
.
U-2336 had a very short career. She only conducted one war patrol and sank only three vessels, one of which was another German U-boat (U-2344
). Despite her short time in service, U-2336 is known for sinking the last two Allied merchant ships to be lost to a submarine in the war when she torpedoed and sank the freighters Avondale Park
and Sneland I off the Isle of May
inside the Firth of Forth
. Following the war, U-2336 was handed over to the Allies where she was taken to the British port of Lisahally and sunk in Operation Deadlight
on 3 January 1946.
, Hamburg
, as 'werk 490' in ship yard number 36. She was launched on 10 September 1944 and commissioned under the command of Oberleutnant
Jürgen Vockel on 30 September of that year.
By the time she was operational, U-2336 was equipped with only two bow torpedoes due to a lack of space and had a crew of 14–18 men. She had a range of 2600 nmi (4,815.2 km) at 8 kn (15.7 km/h; 9.7 mph) on the surface and 194 nmi (359.3 km) at 4 kn (7.8 km/h; 4.9 mph) while submerged. U-2336s maximum speed was 9.7 knots (19 km/h) while surfaced and 12.5 knots (24 km/h) when she was submerged.
and Skagerrak
, U-2336 reached Larvik
, Norway
on 24 April 1945; which was to be her new home port for the remainder of the war.
On 1 May 1945, U-2336 left Larvik and headed out into the North Sea
. On 7 May 1945, U-2336 sank the last Allied merchant ships to be lost to a German submarine in the war, when she torpedoed and sank the freighters Avondale Park and Sneland I (in order) off the Isle of May inside the Firth of Forth. The first of the two ships to be sunk was the Sneland I, which exploded as soon as it was hit killing seven of her crew members, including the captain. Avondale Park was hit next, alarming the 28 man crew who believed that they had struck a mine. Avondale Park sank two minutes after being hit. Two crew members had been killed while the rest managed to enter a lifeboat or jump into the sea. U-2336 later returned to Kiel
on 14 May 1945 and then transferred to Wilhelmshaven
, Germany, where she was surrendered to the Western Allies
.
on 21 June 1945 to take part in Operation Deadlight where she was sunk on 3 January 1946 by gunfire from the British destroyer HMS Offa
.
* rammed and sunk by U-2336
German Type XXIII submarine
German Type XXIII submarines were the first so-called elektroboats to become operational. They were small coastal submarines designed to operate in the shallow waters of the North Sea, Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea, where larger Type XXI Elektro boats were at risk in World War II. They were so...
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...
.
U-2336 had a very short career. She only conducted one war patrol and sank only three vessels, one of which was another German U-boat (U-2344
German submarine U-2344
German submarine U-2344 was a Type XXIII U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II.-Construction:U-2344 was ordered on 20 September 1943, and was laid down on 4 September 1944 at Deutsche Werft, Hamburg, as 'werk 498'...
). Despite her short time in service, U-2336 is known for sinking the last two Allied merchant ships to be lost to a submarine in the war when she torpedoed and sank the freighters Avondale Park
SS Avondale Park
Avondale Park was a 2,872 GRT Park cargo ship which was built in 1944. She was the last merchant ship to be sunk by Germany in the Second World War, on 7 May 1945, the day of German surrender.-Description:...
and Sneland I off the Isle of May
Isle of May
The Isle of May is located in the north of the outer Firth of Forth, approximately off the coast of mainland Scotland. It is 1.8 km long and less than half a kilometre wide...
inside the Firth of Forth
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth is the estuary or firth of Scotland's River Forth, where it flows into the North Sea, between Fife to the north, and West Lothian, the City of Edinburgh and East Lothian to the south...
. Following the war, U-2336 was handed over to the Allies where she was taken to the British port of Lisahally and sunk in Operation Deadlight
Operation Deadlight
Operation Deadlight was the code name for the scuttling of U-boats surrendered to the Allies after the defeat of Germany near the end of World War II....
on 3 January 1946.
Construction
U-2336 was the 16th U-boat that was constructed in the Type XXIII class. She was ordered on 20 September 1943, and was laid down on 27 July 1944 at Deutsche WerftDeutsche Werft
Deutsche Werft was a German shipbuilding company, located in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded in 1918 on initiative by Albert Ballin and with Gutehoffnungshütte , Allgemeine Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft and Hamburg Amerikanische Packetfahrt Actien Gesellschaft as investors.During World War II...
, Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, as 'werk 490' in ship yard number 36. She was launched on 10 September 1944 and commissioned under the command of Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant
Oberleutnant is a junior officer rank in the militaries of Germany, Switzerland and Austria. In the German Army, it dates from the early 19th century. Translated as "Senior Lieutenant", the rank is typically bestowed upon commissioned officers after five to six years of active duty...
Jürgen Vockel on 30 September of that year.
By the time she was operational, U-2336 was equipped with only two bow torpedoes due to a lack of space and had a crew of 14–18 men. She had a range of 2600 nmi (4,815.2 km) at 8 kn (15.7 km/h; 9.7 mph) on the surface and 194 nmi (359.3 km) at 4 kn (7.8 km/h; 4.9 mph) while submerged. U-2336
1st Patrol
Following training exercises with the 32nd U-boat Flotilla from 30 September 1944 to 15 February 1945, U-2336 began her first war patrol as the front boat of the 4th U-boat Flotilla on 16 February 1945. However, it took about two months for U-2336 to actually leave her home port of Kiel, which she finally did on 18 April 1945 under a new commander, Kapitänleutnant Emil Klusmeier. Following five days of traveling across the straits of KattegatKattegat
The Kattegat , or Kattegatt is a sea area bounded by the Jutland peninsula and the Straits islands of Denmark on the west and south, and the provinces of Västergötland, Scania, Halland and Bohuslän in Sweden on the east. The Baltic Sea drains into the Kattegat through the Øresund and the Danish...
and Skagerrak
Skagerrak
The Skagerrak is a strait running between Norway and the southwest coast of Sweden and the Jutland peninsula of Denmark, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea area, which leads to the Baltic Sea.-Name:...
, U-2336 reached Larvik
Larvik
is a city and municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Larvik. Larvik kommune - has about 41 364 inhabitants and covers 530 km2....
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
on 24 April 1945; which was to be her new home port for the remainder of the war.
On 1 May 1945, U-2336 left Larvik and headed out into the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. On 7 May 1945, U-2336 sank the last Allied merchant ships to be lost to a German submarine in the war, when she torpedoed and sank the freighters Avondale Park and Sneland I (in order) off the Isle of May inside the Firth of Forth. The first of the two ships to be sunk was the Sneland I, which exploded as soon as it was hit killing seven of her crew members, including the captain. Avondale Park was hit next, alarming the 28 man crew who believed that they had struck a mine. Avondale Park sank two minutes after being hit. Two crew members had been killed while the rest managed to enter a lifeboat or jump into the sea. U-2336 later returned to 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...
on 14 May 1945 and then transferred to Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea.-History:...
, Germany, where she was surrendered to the Western Allies
Western Allies
The Western Allies were a political and geographic grouping among the Allied Powers of the Second World War. It generally includes the United Kingdom and British Commonwealth, the United States, France and various other European and Latin American countries, but excludes China, the Soviet Union,...
.
Post-war Fate
After being surrendered to the Western Allies, U-2336 was taken to Lisahally, United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
on 21 June 1945 to take part in Operation Deadlight where she was sunk on 3 January 1946 by gunfire from the British destroyer HMS Offa
HMS Offa (G29)
HMS Offa was an O-class destroyer of the Royal Navy which entered service in 1941.During November 1941 HMS Offa was part of Convoy PQ-4, the fifth of the Arctic Convoys of World War II. The convoy sailed from Hvalfjord, Iceland on 17 November 1941 and arrived at Arkhangelsk on 28 November 1941.On...
.
Ships sunk by U-2336
| Date sunk | Name of vessel | Tons | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|
| U-2344* | 234 | Germany Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
|
| Sneland I | 1,791 | Norway Norway Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million... |
|
| 2,878 | Canada Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
||
See also
- List of German U-boats
- Battle of the Atlantic (1939–1945)