Type XXIII U-boat

The Type XXIII U-boat was designed to operated in the shallow littorals of the North Sea, the Black Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea, where the larger Type XXI Elektro boats[?] would be at risk. They were so small that they could carry only two torpedoes, which had to be loaded externally.

The first Type XXIII, U-2321[?], was launched from Deutsche Werft[?] in Hamburg on April 17, 1944. She was one of six XXIIIs that went on operational patrol around the British Isles in early 1945. Forty-eight others followed from Deutsche Werft[?] and thirteen from Germaniawerft[?] of Kiel. U-4712[?] was the last one launched, on April 19, 1945.

The first patrol by a Type XXIII began when U-2324[?] put to sea on January 29, 1945. U-2336[?] under the command of Kapitänleutnant Klusmeier sank the last ships lost in World War II on May 7 when he torpedoed two British freighters inside the Firth of Forth.

None of the six operational Type XXIIIs -- U-2321[?], U-2322[?], U-2324[?], U-2326[?], U-2329[?], and U-2336[?] -- was sunk by the Allies during World War II. These boats sank or damaged five ships for a total of 14,601 tons.

Seven Type XXIIIs were lost to various causes.

• U-2323[?] was sunk by a naval mine on July 26, 1944.
• U-2331[?] was lost in a training accident on October 10, 1944.
• U-2338[?] was the only XXIII to be sunk by the enemy. British Beaufighter[?] aircraft killed 12 crewmen and sank the boat east-northeast of Frederika[?] on May 4, 1945, before she ever went on combat patrol.
• U-2342[?] was sunk by a naval mine on December 26, 1944.
• U-2344[?] was rammed and sunk by U-2336[?] on February 18, 1945.
• U-2351[?] was paid off in April 1945 after bomb damages.
• U-2367[?] was rammed and sunk by an unidentified U-boat on May 5, 1945.

In early May 1945, 31 XXIIIs were scuttled by their crews. Twenty surrendered to the Allies and were sunk in Operation Deadlight. Only three -- U-2326[?] (later British submarine N-35[?]), U-2353[?] (later British submarine N-37[?]), and U-4706[?] (later Norwegian submarine Knerten[?]) -- survived the war.

U-2321[?] - U-2322[?] - U-2323[?] - U-2324[?] - U-2325[?] - U-2326[?] - U-2327[?] - U-2328[?] - U-2329[?] - U-2330[?] - U-2331[?] - U-2332[?] - U-2333[?] - U-2334[?] - U-2335[?] - U-2336[?] - U-2337[?] - U-2338[?] - U-2339[?] - U-2340[?] - U-2341[?] - U-2342[?] - U-2343[?] - U-2344[?] - U-2345[?] - U-2346[?] - U-2347[?] - U-2348[?] - U-2349[?] - U-2350[?] - U-2351[?] - U-2352[?] - U-2353[?] - U-2354[?] - U-2355[?] - U-2356[?] - U-2357[?] - U-2358[?] - U-2359[?] - U-2360[?] - U-2361[?] - U-2362[?] - U-2363[?] - U-2364[?] - U-2365[?] - U-2366[?] - U-2367[?] - U-2368[?] - U-2369[?] - U-2371[?] - U-4701[?] - U-4702[?] - U-4703[?] - U-4704[?] - U-4705[?] - U-4706[?] - U-4707[?] - U-4709[?] - U-4710[?] - U-4711[?] - U-4712[?]

General Characteristics

• Displacement: 234 tons surfaced, 258 submerged, 275 total
• Length: 34.7 meters overall, 26 meters pressure hull
• Beam: 3 meters
• Draught: 3.67 meters
• Height: 7.7 meters
• Power: 630 horsepower surfaced, 580 horsepower submerged
• Speed: 9.7 knots surfaced, 12.5 knots submerged
• Range: 2600 nautical miles at 8 knots surfaced, 194 miles at 4 knots

submerged

• Torpedoes: two bow tubes
• Complement: 14-18 men
• Maximum depth: 180 meters