German submarine U-213

Laid down on 1 October 1940 by Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft in Kiel as yard number 645, the boat was launched on 24 July 1941 and commissioned on 30 August with Oberleutnant zur See Amelung von Varendorff in command. She trained with the 5th U-boat Flotilla until 31 December 1941; on 1 January 1942 she was assigned to the 1st U-boat Flotilla.{{cite web

|url=http://uboat.net/boats/u213.htm

|title=The Type VIID U-boat U-213

|last=Helgason

|first=Guðmundur

|website=German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net

|access-date=6 April 2010

}} On 1 May 1942 she was assigned to the 9th U-boat Flotilla and spent the rest of her career with that unit.

As one of the six German Type VIID submarines, U-213 had a displacement of {{convert|965|t|LT}} when at the surface and {{convert|1080|t|LT}} while submerged.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=66–67}} She had a total length of {{convert|76.90|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a pressure hull length of {{convert|59.80|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a beam of {{convert|6.38|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a height of {{convert|9.70|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, and a draught of {{convert|5.01|m|ftin|abbr=on}}. The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 supercharged four-stroke, six-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of {{convert|2800 to 3200|PS|kW shp|-1}} for use while surfaced, two AEG GU 460/8-276 double-acting electric motors producing a total of {{convert|750|shp|PS kW}} for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two {{convert|1.23|m|ft|abbr=on|0}} propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to {{convert|230|m}}.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=66–67}}

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of {{convert|16|-|16.7|kn}} and a maximum submerged speed of {{convert|7.3|kn}}.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=66–67}} When submerged, the boat could operate for {{convert|69|nmi}} at {{convert|4|kn}}; when surfaced, she could travel {{convert|11200|nmi}} at {{convert|10|kn}}. U-213 was fitted with five {{convert|53.3|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), twelve torpedoes, one 8.8 cm SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and an anti-aircraft gun, in addition to five mine tubes with fifteen SMA mines. The boat had a complement of between forty-four.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=66–67}}

U-213 carried out three war patrols during her career, ranging into the North Atlantic. One of them included the landing of an Abwehr agent, Alfred Langbein, on the Canadian coast near St. Martins, New Brunswick on 14 May 1942. The mission was termed Operation Grete; Langbein was instructed to report on the sailing of convoys. He failed to accomplish this, and surrendered to the authorities in September 1944 after running out of money. He was released after the end of the war. U-213 was a member of three "wolfpacks" during the war, as part of 'Schlei' from 1 February until 12 February 1942, 'Westwall' from the 2 to 12 March, and 'Pfadfinder' from the 2 to 27 May.

During this period she suffered two attacks, one on 7 February 1942 from the escorts of convoy ON 63, which she was attempting to attack, which left the U-boat slightly damaged after attacks by depth charges; another was when the boat was surprised on the surface by a destroyer in bad weather in the Gulf of Maine, and was again slightly damaged by depth charges on 15 May. U-213 was sunk with all hands on 31 July 1942, while in the North Atlantic, east of the Azores, in a depth charge attack by the British sloops {{HMS|Erne|U03|6}}, {{HMS|Rochester|L50|2}} and {{HMS|Sandwich|L12|2}}.

U-213 took part in three wolfpacks:

• {{lang|de|Schlei}} (1–12 February 1942)
• {{lang|de|{{ill|Wolfpack_Westwall|lt=Westwall|de|U_213_(Kriegsmarine)#U-Bootgruppe_Westwall}}}} (2–12 March 1942)
• {{lang|de|Pfadfinder}} (21–27 May 1942)

{{reflist}}

{{Refbegin}}

• {{cite book |last1=Gröner |first1=Eric |last2=Jung |first2=Dieter |last3=Maass |first3=Martin |translator-last1=Thomas|translator-first1=Keith|translator-last2=Magowan|translator-first2=Rachel |title=German Warships 1815-1945: U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels |date=1991 |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |location=London |volume=2 |isbn=0-85177-593-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Udg-0AEACAAJ|ref=CITEREFGröner1991}}

{{Refend}}

• {{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 = 1999 | isbn = 1-55750-186-6 }}

• {{cite web

|url=http://uboat.net/boats/u213.htm

|title=The Type VIID U-boat U-213

|last=Helgason

|first=Guðmundur

|website=German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net

|access-date=6 April 2010

}}

• {{cite web

|url=http://www.u-boot-archiv.de/dieboote/u0213.html

|title=U 213

|last=Hofmann

|first=Markus

|website=Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 – u-boot-archiv.de

|language=de

|access-date=2 February 2015

}}

{{German Type VII submarines}}

{{July 1942 shipwrecks}}

{{use dmy dates|date=January 2015}}

{{coord|36|45|N|22|50|W|source:kolossus-ruwiki|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:U0213}}

Category:German Type VIID submarines

Category:U-boats commissioned in 1941

Category:U-boats sunk in 1942

Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean

Category:World War II submarines of Germany

Category:1941 ships

Category:Ships built in Kiel

Category:U-boats sunk by British warships

Category:U-boats sunk by depth charges

Category:Submarines lost with all hands

Category:Maritime incidents in July 1942