U-218

Type

VIID

Ordered

16 Feb 1940

Laid down

17 Mar 1941

F. Krupp Germaniawerft AG, Kiel (werk 650)

Launched

5 Dec 1941

Commissioned

24 Jan 1942

Oblt. Richard Becker

Commanders

24 Jan 1942 - Aug, 1944	Kptlt. Richard Becker
Aug, 1944 - 8 May 1945	Kptlt. Rupprecht Stock

Career

10 patrols

24 Jan 1942 - 31 Aug 1942  5. Flottille (training)
1 Sep 1942 - 30 Sep 1944  9. Flottille (front boat)
1 Oct 1944 - 1 Mar 1945  8. Flottille (front boat)
1 Mar 1945 - 8 May 1945  11. Flottille (front boat)

Successes

2 ships sunk for a total of 346 GRT
1 auxiliary warship sunk for a total of 352 GRT
1 ship damaged for a total of 7,361 GRT
1 auxiliary warship damaged for a total of 7,177 GRT

Fate

Surrendered at Bergen, Norway on May 8, 1945 and was transferred to Loch Ryan in Scotland later that month for her final fate in Operation Deadlight.

Operation Deadlight (post-war Allied operation, info)
Sunk on 4 Dec, 1945 8,9 nm of Inishtrabull, Northern Ireland.

See the 5 ships hit by U-218 - View the 10 war patrols

Wolfpack operations

U-218 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
Natter (1 Nov 1942 - 8 Nov 1942)
Rochen (22 Jan 1943 - 25 Feb 1943)

Attacks on this boat

12 Sep 1942
Escorts from convoy ON 127 attacked the boat and damaged her so seriously that she had to abort to France. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 31.)

15 Nov 1942
The mine-layer, attempting to sink an allied destroyer, was attacked by aircraft and surface ships and seriously damaged. She aborted to France. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 113)

22 May 1943
The boat, already damaged from previous action, was attacked by surface ships and damaged further. The boat escaped and reached France on June 2. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 337)

2 Aug 1943
6 men were wounded during an attack from a Wellington aircraft (Sqdn 547/B). The boat was damaged and had to abort its mine-laying mission and arrived in Brest, France on 6 August.

U-218 under attack

15 Jun 1944
The boat departed France on June 13 to lay mines off Falmouth. En route the boat was hunted mercilessly for 60 hours but managed to elude its attackers after great difficulties. The boat planted the mines on July 1 and returned to France, arriving on July 9. Date of attack shown here is approximate. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 589)

5 recorded attacks on this boat.

General notes on this boat

* The 8th Flotilla in Danzig was normally a training-flotilla, but from June 1944 there were also a few U-boats on patrol in the Baltic Sea.

U-218 has the credit for the last ship sunk in World War Two when the British steam fishing vessel Kned (325 tons) was sunk on 10 July, 1945 by a minefield laid on 18 August, 1944 off Lizard Head by U-218.

Schnorchel-fitted U-boat
This boat was fitted with a Schnorchel underwater-breathing apparatus in May 1944. Read more about the Schnorchel and see list of fitted boats.

Men lost from the boat

2 Aug 1943
6 men were wounded during an attack from a Wellington aircraft (Sqdn 547/B). The boat was damaged and had to abort its mine-laying mission and arrived in Brest, France on 6 August.