German submarine U-511

U-511 as Ro-500 in 1943
History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-511
Ordered	20 October 1939
Builder	Deutsche Werft, Hamburg
Yard number	307
Laid down	21 February 1941
Launched	22 September 1941
Commissioned	8 December 1941
Fate	Sold to Japan on 16 September 1943
Empire of Japan
Name	Ro-500
Acquired	16 September 1943
Fate	Surrendered in August 1945 Scuttled on 30 April 1946
General characteristics
Class and type	Type IXC submarine
Displacement	1,120 t (1,100 long tons) surfaced 1,232 t (1,213 long tons) submerged
Length	76.76 m (251 ft 10 in) o/a 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in) pressure hull
Beam	6.76 m (22 ft 2 in) o/a 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height	9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught	4.70 m (15 ft 5 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 7.7 knots (14.3 km/h; 8.9 mph) submerged
Range	13,450 nmi (24,910 km; 15,480 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 64 nmi (119 km; 74 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) SK C/30 AA gun 1 × twin 2 cm FlaK 30 AA guns
Service record (Kriegsmarine)[1][2]
Part of:	4th U-boat Flotilla 8 December 1941 – 31 July 1942 10th U-boat Flotilla 1 August 1942 – 1 September 1943
Identification codes:	M 42 792
Commanders:	Kptlt. Friedrich Steinhoff 8 December 1941 – 17 December 1942 Kptlt. Fritz Schneewind 18 December 1942 – 20 November 1943
Operations:	4 patrols: 1st patrol: 16 July – 29 September 1942 2nd patrol: 24 October – 28 November 1942 3rd patrol: 31 December 1942 – 8 March 1943 4th patrol: 10 May – 7 August 1943
Victories:	5 merchant ships sunk (41,373 GRT) 1 merchant ship damaged (8,773 GRT)
Service record (IJN)[3]
Part of:	Kure Naval District Force 16 September 1943 – 5 May 1945 51st Squadron 5 May – August 1945
Commanders:	Kaigun-shōsa Kiyoshi Taoka 16 September – 3 December 1943 Kaigun-tai-i Sadao Uesugi 3 December 1943 – 31 January 1944 Kaigun-tai-i Toshio Yamazaki 31 January – 30 April 1944 Kaigun-tai-i Mitsuo Shiizuka 30 April – 5 July 1944 Kaigun-tai-i Norio Yamamoto 5 July – 15 September 1944 Kaigun-tai-i Yasuhisa Yamamoto 15 September 1944 – August 1945
Operations:	None
Victories:	None

German submarine U-511 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 21 February 1941 at the Deutsche Werft yard in Hamburg as yard number 307, launched on 22 September 1941 and commissioned on 8 December 1941 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Friedrich Steinhoff.^[1]

After training with the 4th U-boat Flotilla, from May 1942, U-511 was used for testing the possibility of launching Wurfkörper 42 30 cm (12 in) artillery rockets from U-boats. In cooperation with the commanding officer's brother Ernst Steinhoff of the Peenemünde Army Research Center, a rack of six rockets were mounted on deck, and were successfully launched while on the surface and while submerged up to a depth of 12 metres (39 ft). However, the rockets were not particularly accurate and the racks on the deck had a negative effect on the U-boat's underwater handling and performance, so the project was abandoned.^[1]

The U-boat was attached to the 10th U-boat Flotilla for front-line service on 1 August 1942. In that role she carried out four war patrols, two commanded by Kptlt. Steinhoff, and two by Kptlt. Fritz Schneewind, sinking five ships totalling 41,373 gross register tons (GRT) and damaging one of 8,773 GRT.^[1]

The U-boat was transferred to Japan on 16 September 1943 and served in the Imperial Japanese Navy as submarine Ro-500 (呂500), spending its career as a training ship in Japanese home waters, until August 1945 when she surrendered to the Allies.^[1][4]