German submarine U-121 (1940)

German submarine U-121 was a long-lived Type IIB U-boat built during World War II for service in Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine. U-121 spent the entire war as a training vessel and was scuttled at the end of the conflict.

U-9, a typical Type IIB boat
History
Nazi Germany
NameU-121
Ordered28 September 1937
BuilderFlender Werke, Lübeck
Yard number269
Laid down16 April 1938
Launched20 April 1940
Commissioned28 May 1940
Fate
  • Scuttled 5 May 1945 at Bremerhaven
  • Raised and scrapped, 1950
General characteristics
Class and typeType IIB coastal submarine
Displacement
  • 279 t (275 long tons) surfaced
  • 328 t (323 long tons) submerged
Length
  • 42.70 m (140 ft 1 in) o/a
  • 27.80 m (91 ft 2 in) pressure hull
Beam
  • 4.08 m (13 ft 5 in) (o/a)
  • 4.00 m (13 ft 1 in) (pressure hull)
Height8.60 m (28 ft 3 in)
Draught3.90 m (12 ft 10 in)
Installed power
  • 700 PS (510 kW; 690 bhp) (diesels)
  • 410 PS (300 kW; 400 shp) (electric)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) surfaced
  • 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) submerged
Range
  • 1,800 nmi (3,300 km; 2,100 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) surfaced
  • 35–43 nmi (65–80 km; 40–49 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth80 m (260 ft)
Complement3 officers, 22 men
Armament
Service record
Part of:
Identification codes: M 01 240
Commanders:
  • Oblt.z.S. / Kptlt. Karl-Ernst Schroeter
  • 28 May 1940 - 30 March 1941
  • Oblt.z.S. Otto Harms
  • October - 5 November 1940
  • Oblt.z.S. Adalbert Schnee
  • 6 - 27 November 1940
  • Oblt.z.S. Egon-Reiner von Schlippenbach
  • 31 March - 8 July 1941
  • Kptlt. Gert Hetschko
  • 9 July 1941 - 25 March 1942
  • Lt.z.S. / Oblt.z.S. Ernst von Witzendorff
  • 26 March - 19 April 1942
  • Lt.z.S. / Oblt.z.S. Otto Westphalen
  • 16 May 1942 - 8 February 1943
  • Lt.z.S. Otto Hübschen
  • September - December 1942
  • Oblt.z.S. Ewald Hülsenbeck
  • 9 February 1943 - 22 February 1944
  • Oblt.z.S.d.R Friedrich Horst
  • 23 February 1944 - 5 May 1945
Operations: No patrols
Victories: No ships sunk or damaged

U-121 was one of two Type II U-boats built at Flender Werke in Lübeck. Like her sister boat U-120 (also built in Lübeck), she was originally constructed for export to China. The advent of World War II and the increased training needs of the U-Boot-Waffe led the German high command to assign U-120 and U-121 to the training command instead.

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