German submarine U-219

German submarine U-219 was a Type XB submarine of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

History
Nazi Germany
Name: U-219
Ordered: 6 August 1940
Builder: Germaniawerft, Kiel
Laid down: 31 May 1941
Launched: 6 October 1942
Commissioned: 12 December 1942
Fate: Seized by Imperial Japanese Navy at Jakarta, 8 May 1945
Japan
Name: I-505
Commissioned: 15 July 1945
Captured: Empire of Japan, 8 May 1945
Fate: Surrendered at Jakarta, 1945; broken up, 1948
General characteristics
Class and type: German Type X submarine
Displacement:
  • 1,763 tonnes (1,735 long tons) surfaced
  • 2,177 tonnes (2,143 long tons) submerged
Length:
Beam:
  • 9.20 m (30 ft 2 in) o/a
  • 4.75 m (15 ft 7 in) pressure hull
Height: 10.20 m (33 ft 6 in)
Draught: 4.71 m (15 ft 5 in)
Propulsion:
Range:
  • 18,450 nautical miles (34,170 km; 21,230 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
  • 93 nmi (172 km; 107 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth: Calculated crush depth: 220 m (720 ft)
Complement: 5 officers, 47 enlisted
Armament:
Service record[1][2]
Part of:
Commanders:
  • K.Kapt. Walter Burghagen
  • 12 December 1944 - 8 May 1945
Operations:
  • Two:
  • 1st patrol:
  • 22 October 1943 - 1 January 1944
  • 2nd patrol:
  • 23 August - 11 December 1944
Victories: None

The U-boat was laid down on 31 May 1941 at the Germaniawerft yard at Kiel as yard number 625, launched on 6 October 1942, and commissioned on 12 December 1942 under the command of Korvettenkapitän Walter Burghagen.

Operational history

1st patrol

U-219 first ventured through the South Atlantic with the second Monsun Gruppe to the Indian Ocean in late 1943, having first rounded the British Isles and headed in a southerly direction west of Ireland. Upon reaching Penang, this group of U-boats became part of 33rd U-boat Flotilla, which also comprised U-848, U-849, U-850, U-177, and U-510.

U-219's mission had been to lay mines off Cape Town and Colombo, but when the group's U-tanker was destroyed, U-219 was required to take its place, refuelling the other submarines of the group at sea so they could return to Germany. Of this group, only U-510 continued to Penang Island. U-219 returned to France and was prepared for a transport mission at Bordeaux.

2nd patrol

On her next voyage east, U-219 departed Bordeaux on 23 August 1944 with U-195 and U-180, carrying two Japanese officers, and cargo which included uranium oxide, blueprints for advanced weapons and part of a consignment of twelve dismantled V-2 rockets for Japan shared with U-195.[3] The boat was attacked five times by three Grumman Avengers from the aircraft carrier USS Tripoli west southwest of the Cape Verde Islands on 28 September. One aircraft was shot down.

Both U-219 and U-195 reached Batavia (now Jakarta), in December 1944.

In Japanese service

Following Germany's surrender, U-219 was seized by the Japanese at Batavia on 8 May 1945 and on 15 July it was placed into service with the Imperial Japanese Navy as I-505. Eventually U-219, operating as I-505, was captured at Surabaya in August 1945 by the Royal Navy and scuttled in February 1946 by gunfire and depth charges from the Dutch destroyer HNLMS Kortenaer[1][4] at 06°31′00″S 104°54′08″E off the Sunda Strait.

References
  1. Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type XB boat U-219". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  2. Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-219". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
  3. Beasant, John. Stalin's Silver.
  4. http://www.combinedfleet.com/I-505.htm HIJMS Submarine I-505: Tabular Record of Movement

Bibliography
  • Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
  • Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
  • Stevens, David, U-boat Far from Home, The Epic Voyage of U-862 to Australia and New Zealand, (1997), Allen & Unwin, ISBN 978-1-86448-267-6
  • Beasant, John, Stalin's Silver: The Sinking of the USS John Barry, (1999), St. Martin's Press, ISBN 978-0-312-20590-4

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