German submarine U-1230

History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-1230
Ordered	14 October 1941
Builder	Deutsche Werft, Hamburg
Yard number	393
Laid down	15 March 1943
Launched	8 November 1943
Commissioned	26 January 1944
Fate	Surrendered on 5 May 1945; Sunk on 17 December 1945 during Operation Deadlight;
General characteristics
Class and type	Type IXC/40 submarine
Displacement	1,144 t (1,126 long tons) surfaced; 1,257 t (1,237 long tons) submerged;
Length	76.76 m (251 ft 10 in) o/a; 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in) pressure hull;
Beam	6.86 m (22 ft 6 in) o/a; 4.44 m (14 ft 7 in) pressure hull;
Height	9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught	4.67 m (15 ft 4 in)
Installed power	4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels); 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric);
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 × diesel engines; 2 × electric motors;
Speed	18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) surfaced; 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph) submerged;
Range	13,850 nmi (25,650 km; 15,940 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced; 63 nmi (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged;
Test depth	230 m (750 ft)
Complement	4 officers, 44 enlisted
Armament	6 × torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern); 22 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedoes; 1 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK C/32 deck gun (180 rounds); 1 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) Flak M42 AA gun; 2 x twin 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 AA guns;
Service record
Part of:	31st U-boat Flotilla; 26 January – 31 July 1944; 10th U-boat Flotilla; 1 August – 30 September 1944; 33rd U-boat Flotilla; 1 October 1944 – 5 May 1945;
Identification codes:	M 42 644
Commanders:	Kptlt. Hans Hilbig; 26 January 1944 – 5 May 1945;
Operations:	1 patrol:; a. 8 October 1944 – 13 February 1945; b. 20 – 23 February 1945;
Victories:	1 merchant ship sunk ; (5,458 GRT)

German submarine U-1230 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

Laid down on 15 March 1943 at the Deutsche Werft in Hamburg, and commissioned on 26 January 1944 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Hans Hilbig, it only undertook one patrol, operating from Horten Naval Base, Norway, returning safely to Kristiansand, Norway in early 1945.

Design

German Type IXC/40 submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXCs. U-1230 had a displacement of 1,144 tonnes (1,126 long tons) when at the surface and 1,257 tonnes (1,237 long tons) while submerged.^[1] The U-boat had a total length of 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in), a pressure hull length of 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in), a beam of 6.86 m (22 ft 6 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.67 m (15 ft 4 in). The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of 4,400 metric horsepower (3,240 kW; 4,340 shp) for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 1,000 shaft horsepower (1,010 PS; 750 kW) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.92 m (6 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).^[1]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph).^[1] When submerged, the boat could operate for 63 nautical miles (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 13,850 nautical miles (25,650 km; 15,940 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-1230 was fitted with six 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 torpedoes, one 10.5 cm (4.13 in) SK C/32 naval gun, 180 rounds, and a 3.7 cm (1.5 in) Flak M42 as well as two twin 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft guns. The boat had a complement of forty-eight.^[1]

Service history

Its one war patrol was of historical interest less for its role in the Battle of the Atlantic (a Canadian steamer of 5,458 Gross register tonnage was its sole victim), than for its role in transporting two German spies to the United States.

Operation Magpie

William Curtis Colepaugh and Eric Gimpel were landed at Hancock Point in the Gulf of Maine on 29 November 1944 in Operation Elster ("Magpie"). The mission was intended to gather technical intelligence but failed, and both spies were captured.

Fate

At the end of the war it was captured by the Allies, transferred to Loch Ryan in Scotland, and sunk on 17 December 1945 by the Royal Navy frigate HMS Cubitt as part of "Operation Deadlight". Unusually for a U-boat, U-1230 does not seem to have suffered any casualties during the war.

Summary of raiding history

Date	Ship Name	Nationality	Tonnage (GRT)	Fate^[2]
3 December 1944	Cornwallis	Canada	5,458	Sunk

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gröner 1991, p. 68.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-1230". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 17 February 2014.

Bibliography

Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). German Warships 1815–1945, U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.

External links

Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-1230". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
ibiblio.org webpage for Allied report on the interrogations of Gimpel and Colepaugh

[FOOTNOTEGröner199168-1] Gröner 1991, p. 68.

[2] Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-1230". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 17 February 2014.

[1]

[2]

v t e German Type IXC/40 submarines
U-167 U-168 U-169 U-170 U-183 U-184 U-185 U-186 U-187 U-188 U-189 U-190 U-191 U-192 U-193 U-194 U-525 U-526 U-527 U-528 U-529 U-530 U-531 U-532 U-533 U-534 U-535 U-536 U-537 U-538 U-539 U-540 U-541 U-542 U-543 U-544 U-545 U-546 U-547 U-548 U-549 U-550 U-801 U-802 U-803 U-804 U-805 U-806 U-841 U-842 U-843 U-844 U-845 U-846 U-853 U-854 U-855 U-856 U-857 U-858 U-865 U-866 U-867 U-868 U-869 U-870 U-877 U-878 U-879 U-880 U-881 U-889 U-1221 U-1222 U-1223 U-1224 U-1225 U-1226 U-1227 U-1228 U-1229 U-1230 U-1231 U-1232 U-1233 U-1234 U-1235
Preceded by: Type IXC Followed by: Type IXD
List of U-boats of Germany

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in December 1945
Shipwrecks	1 Dec: USS Bellona, U-826, U-1004, U-1061, U-1104 3 Dec: U-994 4 Dec: U-218, U-299, U-539, U-777 5 Dec: U-1005 7 Dec: U-245, U-907, U-1019 8 Dec: U-485, U-773, U-775, U-1203, U-1271, U-1272 9 Dec: U-532, U-1052, U-1307 11 Dec: U-716, U-978, U-991, U-1163 13 Dec: Empire Tigaven, HMS N 86, U-255, U-293, U-295, U-760, U-997, U-1002 16 Dec: U-483, U-739, U-928, U-992, U-1009, U-1301 17 Dec: U-368, U-779, U-956, U-1198, U-1230 20 Dec: U-291 21 Dec: U-149, U-150, U-155, U-318, U-427, U-637, U-720, U-806, U-1102, U-1110 22 Dec: U-143, U-145, U-1194, U-2354 23 Dec: Duncan L. Clinch 27 Dec: Empire Tigawa, U-313 28 Dec: U-680 29 Dec: USS Minivet, U-390, U-930, U-1022, U-1233 30 Dec: Lambridge, U-1103, U-1165 31 Dec: U-294, U-363, U-668, U-802, U-861, U-874, U-875, U-883, U-2341 Unknown date: USS Industry
Other incidents	11 Dec: I-201
1944 1945 1946 November 1945 January 1946