U-331
Type | VIIC | |||||||||||||||||
| Ordered | 23 Sep 1939 | |||||||||||||||||
| Laid down | 26 Jan 1940 | Nordseewerke, Emden (werk 203) | ||||||||||||||||
| Launched | 20 Dec 1940 | |||||||||||||||||
| Commissioned | 31 Mar 1941 | Oblt. Freiherr Hans-Diedrich von Tiesenhausen | ||||||||||||||||
| Commanders |
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| Career 10 patrols |
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| Successes | 1 auxiliary warship sunk for a total of 9,135 GRT 1 warship sunk for a total of 31,100 tons 1 warship damaged for a total of 372 tons | |||||||||||||||||
| Fate | Sunk on Nov 17, 1942 in the Mediterranean north of Algiers in position 37.05N, 02.27E after she had been badly damaged by a Hudson aircraft she signaled surrender to a seaplane but was attacked by a torpedo-equipped aircraft Albacore from the British aircraft carrier HMS Formidable (Squadrons 500 and 820). 32 dead and 17 survivors. | |||||||||||||||||
Tiesenhausen and the rest of the survivors were rescued by the British seaplane at the scene.
Wolfpack operations
U-331 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
Goeben (24 Sep 1941 - 30 Sep 1941)
Attacks on this boat
10 Oct 1941
The boat fought a gun duel with 3 British landing craft off Sidi Barrani and damaged HMS TLC-18 (A 18), but was itself slightly damaged. Two men of the gun crew were wounded, one of them mortally. [Bootsmann Hans Gerstenich]
13 Nov 1942
In the Mediterranean U-331 was attacked by an escort and was slightly damaged when she dove too deep and hit the sea bed.
2 recorded attacks on this boat.
General notes on this boat
17 Nov 1941. Early on during their 3rd patrol, on 17 November, 1941 U-331 dropped off 8 commandos on the Egyptian coast east of Ras Gibeisa. Their mission was to blow up a railway near the coast, but they did not succeed in doing this. A few days later, 25 Nov, 1941, U-331 sank the British battleship HMS Barham.
Men lost from the boat
10 Oct 1941
The boat was attacked by 3 fighter aircraft, one of its gunners died. [Bootsmann Hans Gerstenich]
Related: For more info on such losses see - Men lost from U-boats -
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