German submarine U-1209
German submarine U-1209 was a Type VIIC U-boat used by Nazi Germany’s Kriegsmarine in World War II. It was ordered on 2 April 1942 and built by F Schichau GmbH in Danzig (yard number 1579). The hull was laid down on 14 July 1943, launched on 9 February 1944, and commissioned on 13 April 1944 under Oberleutnant zur See Ewald Hülsenbeck.
U-1209 served with the 8th U-boat Flotilla (April–October 1944) and the 11th U-boat Flotilla (November–December 1944). It carried out one patrol from 26 November to 18 December 1944 and did not record any victories.
As a Type VIIC submarine, U-1209 displaced 769 tonnes surfaced and 871 tonnes submerged. It was 67.10 meters long overall, with a 50.50 m pressure hull, a beam of 6.20 m, a height of 9.60 m and a draught of 4.74 m. The boat was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 diesel engines (2,800–3,200 PS) for surface running and two AEG electric motors (750 PS) for submerged travel, driving two shafts with 1.23 m propellers. It could reach 17.7 knots on the surface and 7.6 knots submerged. Its range was 8,500 nautical miles at 10 knots surfaced and 80 nautical miles at 4 knots submerged. Test depth was up to 220 m (crush depth about 250–295 m).
U-1209 was armed with five torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern), carrying 14 torpedoes or 26 mines, plus an 8.8 cm deck gun, a 3.7 cm Flak M42, and two twin 2 cm anti-aircraft guns. The crew comprised 44–52 men.
The submarine was scuttled on 18 December 1944 east of the Isles of Scilly after running aground on Wolf Rock in the English Channel. Forty-four of the crew of 53 survived; the commander Hülsenbeck died.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 15:09 (CET).