German submarine U-514 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was laid down by Hamburg Werft as yard number 310 on 29 April 1941, launched on 18 November and commissioned on 24 January 1942 under Kapitänleutnant Hans-Jürgen Auffermann.
The U-boat was assigned to the 4th U-boat Flotilla for training between 24 January and 31 August 1942 and then the 10th flotilla for operations from 1 September until her loss.
German Type IXC submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXBs. U-514 had a displacement of 1120t when at the surface and 1232t while submerged. The U-boat had a total length of 76.76m (251.84feet), a pressure hull length of 58.75m (192.75feet), a beam of 6.76m (22.18feet), a height of 9.6m (31.5feet), and a draught of 4.7m (15.4feet). The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of 4400PS for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 1000shp for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.92abbr=onNaNabbr=on propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to .
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . U-514 was fitted with six 53.30NaN0 torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 torpedoes, one 10.52NaN2 SK C/32 naval gun, 180 rounds, and a 3.7sp=usNaNsp=us SK C/30 as well as a 2sp=usNaNsp=us C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of forty-eight.
U-514s operational career began with a short journey from Kiel in Germany to Kristiansand in Norway over 12 and 13 August 1942. She then almost immediately headed west into the Atlantic via the gap between Iceland and the Faeroe Islands. Her first victim was the British sailing schooner Helen Forsey in mid-ocean. Following this success, she moved toward the northern coast of South America, where she attacked five ships. One of them was the Canadian merchant vessel on 11 September 1942 off Barbados, firing six torpedoes into Carlisle Bay.[1] These either missed or impacted on the harbour's anti-torpedo netting. After returning fire with her four-inch gun, Cornwallis sustained a strike from one torpedo that had passed through one of at least four damaged portions of the netting around 4:30 PM.[2] The ship was beached, lest she sink in the harbor, repaired and subsequently returned to service. The boat returned to occupied France, docking in Lorient on 9 November after sinking 9,152 GRT of shipping in 87 days at sea.
Her second foray between 9 December 1942 and 12 February 1943, although at 66 days not as long as her first, still accounted for 7,177 GRT of shipping.
On her third patrol, the outbound boat was attacked twice in the same day, 17 April 1943. The first was by a Wellington of 172 Squadron RAF; the second was by a Whitley of 10 Squadron. Both attacks were unsuccessful, as was U-514s patrol.
The German submarine departed Lorient on 1 July 1943 but was sunk on the eighth northwest of Cape Finisterre, Spain by rockets fitted to a British B-24 Liberator of 224 Squadron in the Bay of Biscay among a group of Spanish fishing boats on 8 July.[3] This modification, although effective in this case, was not adopted for use by such an aircraft as the Liberator.
U-514 took part in six wolfpacks, namely:
| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) | Fate[4] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 September 1942 | Helen Farsey |  United Kingdom | 167 | Sunk | |
| 11 September 1942 | Cornwallis |  Canada | 5,458 | Damaged | |
| 15 September 1942 | Kioto | United Kingdom | 3,297 | Sunk | |
| 28 September 1942 | Lages |  Brazil | 5,472 | Total loss | |
| 28 September 1942 | Osorio | Brazil | 2,730 | Total loss | |
| 12 October 1942 | Steel Scientist |  United States | 5,688 | Sunk | |
| 3 January 1943 | British Vigilance | United Kingdom | 8,093 | Damaged | |
| 27 January 1943 | Charles C. Pinckney | United States | 7,177 | Sunk |