24 January 2014

Coning Tower Test Using U-2330


Image size: 1600 x 1437 pixel. 666 KB
Date: Friday, 16 March 1945
Place: Germaniawerft, Hamburg, Germany
Photographer: Unknown

Beginning of March 1945, after the completion of construction, type XXIII submarine U-2330 was lowered by crane onto Slipway 8 of the Germania Shipyard. U-2330 was one of two boats used to test a conning tower variant with an inwards-facing mantle. This variant is easily recognizable by original style of balkon hydrophone array without the later sloped sides. Also clearly visible is the depth sounder opening in the keel. Commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Hans Beckmann, the submarine was attached to the 32. U-Flotille as a training boat from September 1944 until February 1945. It was subsequently assigned to the 11. U-Flotille (Bergen) as an operational boat. The U-2330 did not undertake any sorties, however, and it was scuttled by its crew in Kiel on 3 May 1945. The second Type XXIII boat seen in dock is the U-2323. Noteworthy on this boat are the many handgrip and step recesses on the side of the conning tower and the additional handgrip recesses farther up the rescue float container. The badly-bent starboard forward deflector in front of the forward dive plane may have been caused by a collision with an underwater obstacle or another submarine, or by a too-fast docking maneuver!

Source:
"U-Boot im Focus" magazine 2nd edition - 2007

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