German World War II submarine
German submarine "U-3503" was a Type XXI U-boat (one of the "Elektroboote") of Nazi Germany's "Kriegsmarine", built for service in World War II. She was ordered on 6 November 1943, and was laid down on 17 June 1944 at F Schichau GmbH, Danzig, as yard number 1648. She was launched on 27 July 1944, and commissioned under the command of "Oberleutnant zur See" Hugo Deiring on 9 September 1944.
Design.
Like all Type XXI U-boats, "U-3503" had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of (o/a), a beam of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two MAN SE supercharged six-cylinder M6V40/46KBB diesel engines each providing , two Siemens-Schuckert GU365/30 double-acting electric motors each providing , and two Siemens-Schuckert silent running GV232/28 electric motors each providing .
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a submerged speed of . When running on silent motors the boat could operate at a speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate at for ; when surfaced, she could travel at . "U-3503" was fitted with six torpedo tubes in the bow and four C/30 anti-aircraft guns. She could carry twenty-three torpedoes or seventeen torpedoes and twelve mines. The complement was five officers and fifty-two men.
Fate.
"U-3503" was scuttled on 8 May 1945, west of Gothenburg, Sweden, in the Kattegat, as part of Operation Regenbogen. The U-boat had earlier been sailing on the surface with U-534 and U-3523 just north of the cease-fire line when they had been attacked by allied B-24 Liberator planes. The wreck was raised in 1946 and broken up in Sweden (which first had asked to keep it) on demand of the Allied governments.
Her crew was taken up by and interned at internment camp.
The wreck was located at .
The sea and marine museum in Gothenburg still has the original "Kriegsmarine" flag from the U-boat, exhibited on one of the museum floors.
In popular culture.
The closing track on Swedish musician Stefan Andersson's album Flygblad över Berlin is about the surrender of "U-3503". The song is called "Den sista vargen" ("The Last Wolf").
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