U-261 1942
Marker: recorded wreck position (Second World War).
Key facts
| Name | U-261 | Wikidata label |
|---|---|---|
| Year lost | 1942 | Wikidata P793 significant event, point-in-time qualifier |
| Era | Second World War | derived from year |
| Ship type | U-boat | Wikidata P31 instance of |
| Cause of loss | War action | Keyword match in English Wikipedia lead sentence |
| Nationality / flag | Nazi Germany | Wikidata P8047 country of registry |
| Operator | Kriegsmarine | Wikidata P137 operator |
| Conflict | Battle of the Atlantic | Wikidata P607 conflict |
| Sea / ocean | North Atlantic Ocean | Natural Earth marine areas (public domain), point-in-polygon |
| Position | 59.8300, -9.4700 | Wikidata P793 significant event, coordinate qualifier (CC0) |
About the wreck
German submarine U-261 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 17 May 1941 at the Bremer Vulkan yard at Bremen-Vegesack as yard number 26, launched on 16 February 1942 and commissioned on 28 March under the command of Kapitänleutnant Hans Lange. After training with the 8th U-boat Flotilla, U-261 was transferred to the 6th U-boat Flotilla, for front-line service from 1 September 1942.
U-261 sank no ships in her short career. Her only patrol began when she departed Kiel on 8 September 1942. Her route took her through the gap between the Faroe and Shetland Islands toward the Atlantic Ocean. She never got that far. On 15 September 1942, she was sunk by an Armstrong Whitworth Whitley of No. 58 Squadron RAF west of the Scottish island group.
Location
- Recorded position: 59.8300, -9.4700 (Wikidata P793 significant event, coordinate qualifier (CC0); may be approximate)
- Sea / ocean: North Atlantic Ocean
Wreck positions on this site are for interest only and are not for navigation. Many wrecks are war graves or legally protected: never disturb human remains or remove artefacts, and check local law before diving.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article German submarine U-261 (revision 1380554630), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: excerpted from the article lead section; condensed by selecting paragraphs; citations and formatting removed. No text added. This excerpt is available under the same licence.
Wreck facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Nearby wrecks
Other wrecks of the Battle of the Atlantic
- U-583 1941
- U-65 1941
- U-651 1941
- U-95 1941
- U-99 1941
- HMS Edinburgh 1942
- HMS Manchester 1942
- HMS Naiad 1942
- U-132 1942
- U-133 1942
All 704 wrecks of the Battle of the Atlantic →
Browse more: Open ocean wrecks · North Atlantic Ocean · Second World War