Editing German submarine U-238

{{Short description|German World War II submarine}}
{{use dmy dates|date=December 2014}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=
|Ship caption=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=[[Nazi Germany]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Nazi Germany|naval}}
|Ship name=''U-238''
|Ship ordered=20 January 1941
|Ship builder=[[Germaniawerft]], [[Kiel]]
|Ship yard number=668
|Ship laid down =21 April 1942
|Ship launched=7 January 1943
|Ship commissioned=20 February 1943
|Ship homeport=
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship fate=Sunk by surface craft, 9 February 1944{{sfn|Kemp|1999|pp=167-8}}
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=[[German Type VII submarine#Type VIIC|Type VIIC]] [[submarine]]
|Ship displacement=
*{{convert|769|t|LT|0|lk=on}} surfaced
*{{convert|871|t|LT|0|abbr=on}} submerged
|Ship length=
*{{convert|67.10|m|ftin|abbr=on}} [[o/a]]
*{{convert|50.50|m|ftin|abbr=on}} [[pressure hull]]
|Ship beam=
*{{convert|6.20|m|ftin|abbr=on}} o/a
*{{convert|4.70|m|ftin|abbr=on}} pressure hull
|Ship height={{convert|9.60|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|4.74|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=
*{{convert|2800|–|3200|PS|kW bhp|abbr=on}} (diesels)
*{{convert|750|PS|kW shp|abbr=on}} (electric)
|Ship propulsion=
*2 shafts
*2 × [[diesel engine]]s
*2 × [[Motor-generator|electric motors]]
|Ship speed=
*{{convert|17.7|kn}} surfaced
*{{convert|7.6|kn}} submerged
|Ship range=
*{{convert|8,500|nmi|abbr=on|lk=on}} at {{convert|10|kn}} surfaced
*{{convert|80|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|4|kn}} submerged
|Ship test depth=
*{{convert|230|m|ft|abbr=on}}
*[[Submarine depth ratings|Crush depth]]: {{convert|250|–|295|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship complement=4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=
* 5 × {{convert|53.3|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s (four bow, one stern)
* 14 × [[torpedo]]es ''or'' 26 TMA [[Naval mine|mine]]s
* 1 × [[8.8 cm SK C/35 naval gun|{{convert|8.8|cm|in|2|abbr=on}} deck gun]] (220 rounds)
* 2 × twin [[2 cm FlaK 30|{{convert|2|cm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}} C/30]] [[anti-aircraft gun]]s
|Ship notes=
}}{{Infobox service record|is_multi=yes
|is_ship=yes
|label=
|partof=
*[[5th U-boat Flotilla]]
*20 February – 31 July 1943
*[[1st U-boat Flotilla]]
*1 August 1943 – 9 February 1944
|codes=M 50 141
|commanders=
*''[[Kptlt.]]'' Horst Hepp
*20 February 1943 – 9 February 1944
|operations=*3 patrols:
*1st patrol:
*5 September – 8 October 1943
*2nd patrol:
*11 November – 12 December 1943
*3rd patrol:
*27 January – 9 February 1944
|victories=
*4 merchant ships sunk <br />({{GRT|23,048}})
*1 merchant ship damaged <br />({{GRT|7,176}})
}}
|}

'''German submarine ''U-238''''' was a [[German Type VII submarine#Type VIIC|Type VIIC]] [[U-boat]] of [[Nazi Germany]]'s ''[[Kriegsmarine]]'' built for service in the [[Second World War]]. She was [[Keel laying|laid down]] on 21 April 1942, by [[Germaniawerft]] of [[Kiel]] as yard number 668, [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 7 January 1943 and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 20 February, with ''[[Oberleutnant zur See]]'' Horst Hepp in command. Hepp commanded her for her entire career, receiving promotion to ''Kapitänleutnant'' in the process.

==Design==
[[German Type VII submarine#Type VIIC|German Type VIIC submarines]] were preceded by the shorter [[German Type VII submarine#Type VIIB|Type VIIB submarines]]. ''U-238'' had a displacement of {{convert|769|t|LT}} when at the surface and {{convert|871|t|LT}} while submerged.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=43-46}} She had a total length of {{convert|67.10|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a [[pressure hull]] length of {{convert|50.50|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|6.20|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a height of {{convert|9.60|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, and a [[draught (ship)|draught]] of {{convert|4.74|m|ftin|abbr=on}}. The submarine was powered by two [[Germaniawerft]] F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder [[supercharged]] [[diesel engine]]s producing a total of {{convert|2800 to 3200|PS|kW shp|-1}} for use while surfaced, two [[AEG (German company)|AEG]] GU 460/8–27 [[Motor–generator|double-acting electric motors]] producing a total of {{convert|750|PS|kW shp}} for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two {{convert|1.23|m|ft|abbr=on|0}} [[propeller]]s. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to {{convert|230|m}}.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=43-46}}

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of {{convert|17.7|kn}} and a maximum submerged speed of {{convert|7.6|kn}}.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=43-46}} When submerged, the boat could operate for {{convert|80|nmi}} at {{convert|4|kn}}; when surfaced, she could travel {{convert|8500|nmi}} at {{convert|10|kn}}. ''U-238'' was fitted with five {{convert|53.3|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen [[torpedo]]es, one [[8.8 cm SK C/35 naval gun|{{convert|8.8|cm|in|2|abbr=on}} SK C/35 naval gun]], 220 rounds, and two twin [[2 cm FlaK 30|{{convert|2|cm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}} C/30]] [[anti-aircraft gun]]s. The boat had a [[Ship's company|complement]] of between forty-four and sixty.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=43-46}}

==Service history==
''U-238'' was a member of four [[Wolfpack (naval tactic)|wolfpack]]s; she was a successful, if short lived boat, sinking four freighters and damaging another during her operations against Allied convoys in the [[Battle of the Atlantic]]. She had the misfortune, however, of serving at the turning point of the war, when Allied countermeasures were taking a heavy toll on the U-boat force. She conducted three war patrols, beginning in September 1943, following her warm-up trials in the [[Baltic Sea]].

===War Patrols===
''U-238''{{'}}s first patrol was conducted from [[Trondheim]] in Norway as part of the [[1st U-boat Flotilla]], and entailed the submarine exiting the [[North Sea]] via the [[Denmark Strait]] and operating against Allied shipping in the so-called "air cover gap" in the Central Atlantic, where Allied aircraft had insufficient range, on account of fuel limitations, to effectively operate against German U-boats. This first patrol was by far the most successful, as on 20 September 1943, the boat attacked a [[Convoys ONS 18/ON 202|large convoy]], sinking one 7,176 GRT cargo ship and damaging another. This was followed by three more victims on 23 September, when two Norwegian ships and a British freighter were sunk from the same convoy.

''U-238''{{'}}s second patrol was less successful. Two weeks after leaving [[Brest, France|Brest]], on the French Atlantic coast, she was attacked by a [[Grumman TBF Avenger]] [[torpedo bomber]] from the [[escort carrier]] {{USS|Bogue|CVE-9}}, whose rockets killed two crew members and wounded five more, prompting the submarine to return to Brest with severe damage, which put her out of service for a month. It was during this patrol that the submarine captured two British [[Royal Air Force]] personnel whose [[Vickers Wellington]] bomber had been shot down by {{GS|U-764||2}}.

''U-238''{{'}}s third and last patrol began in January 1944, and lasted a fruitless month, until on 9 February, she was caught by convoy escorts of [[List of World War II convoys|
SL-147]] and [[List of World War II convoys|MKS-38]] {{convert|270|nmi|km}} off [[Cape Clear Island|Cape Clear]]. She counter-attacked, unsuccessfully, and was sunk by the [[Black Swan class sloop|sloops]] {{HMS|Kite|U87|6}}, {{HMS|Magpie|U82|2}} and {{HMS|Starling|U66|2}}. There were no survivors.{{sfn|Kemp|1999|pp=167-8}}

===Wolfpacks===
''U-238'' took part in four [[Wolfpack (naval tactic)|wolfpack]]s, namely:
* [[Wolfpack Leuthen|Leuthen]] (15 – 24 September 1943) 
* [[Wolfpack Schill|Schill 2]] (17 – 22 November 1943) 
* [[Wolfpack Weddigen|Weddigen]] (22 November – 1 December 1943) 
* Igel 2 (4 – 9 February 1944)

==Summary of raiding history==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
|-
! width="120px" | Date
! width="150px" | Ship Name
! width="120px" | Nationality
! width="25px" | Tonnage<br />([[Gross register tonnage|GRT]])
! width="50px" | Fate<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://uboat.net/boats/successes/u238.html
 |title=Ships hit by U-238
 |last=Helgason
 |first=Guðmundur
 |publisher=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net
 |access-date=26 December 2014
}}</ref>
|-
|align="right"|20 September 1943
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in September 1943#20 September|''Frederick Douglass'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United States|1912}}
|align="right"|7,176
|align="left" |Damaged
|-
|align="right"|20 September 1943
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in September 1943#20 September|''Theodore Dwight Weld'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United States|1912}}
|align="right"|7,176
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|23 September 1943
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in September 1943#23 September|''Fort Jemseg'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|7,134
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|23 September 1943
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in September 1943#23 September|''Oregon Express'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Norway}}
|align="right"|3,642
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|23 September 1943
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in September 1943#23 September|''Skjelbred'']]
|align="left" |{{flag|Norway}}
|align="right"|5,096
|align="left" |Sunk
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite book | last1 = Busch | first1 = Rainer | last2 = Röll | first2 = Hans-Joachim | translator-last = Brooks | translator-first = Geoffrey | title = German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary | publisher = Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press | location = London, Annapolis, Md | year = 1999a | isbn = 1-55750-186-6 }}
* {{cite book
|last1=Busch
|first1=Rainer
|last2=Röll
|first2=Hans-Joachim
|title=Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945
|trans-title=German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945
|series=Der U-Boot-Krieg
|volume=IV
|publisher=Mittler
|location=Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn
|year=1999b
|isbn=3-8132-0514-2
|language=de
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Edwards
|title=Dönitz and the Wolf Packs: The U-boats at War
|year=1996
|isbn=0-304-35203-9
|pages=217, 221
|publisher=Cassell Military Classics
|ref={{sfnRef|Edwards}}
}}
* {{cite book
|last1=Gröner
|first1=Erich
|last2=Jung
|first2=Dieter
|last3=Maass
|first3=Martin
|translator-last1=Thomas
|translator-first1=Keith
|translator-last2=Magowan
|translator-first2=Rachel
|year=1991
|title=U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels
|volume=2
|series=German Warships 1815–1945
|location=London
|publisher=Conway Maritime Press
|isbn=0-85177-593-4
|ref=CITEREFGröner1991
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Kemp
|first=Paul
|title=U-Boats Destroyed: German Submarine Losses in the World Wars
|location=London
|year=1999
|publisher=Arms & Armour
|isbn=1-85409-515-3
}}
* {{cite book
|last=Sharpe
|first=Peter
|title=U-Boat Fact File
|publisher=Midland Publishing
|location=Great Britain
|year=1998
|isbn=1-85780-072-9
}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
* {{Cite web
 |url=http://uboat.net/boats/u238.html
 |title=The Type VIIC boat U-238
 |last=Helgason
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net
 |access-date=26 December 2014
}}
* {{cite web
|url=http://www.u-boot-archiv.de/dieboote/u0238.html
|title=''U 238''
|last=Hofmann
|first=Markus
|publisher=Deutsche U-Boote 1935–1945 - u-boot-archiv.de
|language=de
|access-date=26 December 2014
}}

{{German Type VII submarines}}
{{February 1944 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:U0238}}
[[Category:1943 ships]]
[[Category:German Type VIIC submarines]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in February 1944]]
[[Category:Ships built in Kiel]]
[[Category:Submarines lost with all hands]]
[[Category:U-boats commissioned in 1943]]
[[Category:U-boats sunk by British warships]]
[[Category:U-boats sunk by depth charges]]
[[Category:U-boats sunk in 1944]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:World War II submarines of Germany]]