German submarine U-511

U-505, a typical Type IXC boat
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, 16 September 1943
Empire of Japan
Name:	Ro-500
Acquired:	16 September 1943
Fate:	Surrendered, August 1945 Scuttled, 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) deck gun (180 rounds) 1 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) AA gun 1 × twin 2 cm FlaK 30 AA guns
Service record (Germany)
Part of:	4th U-boat Flotilla 8 December 1941 – 31 July 1942 10th U-boat Flotilla 1 September 1943 – 1 August 1942
Commanders:	Kptlt. Friedrich Steinhoff 8 December 1941 – 17 December 1942 Kptlt. Fritz Schneewind 18 December 1942 – 20 November 1943
Operations:	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:	Five commercial ships sunk (41,373 GRT) one commercial ship damaged (8,773 GRT)

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.

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.

The U-boat was attached to the 10th U-boat Flotilla for front-line service on 1 September 1943. 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.

The U-boat was transferred to Japan on 16 September 1943 and served in the Imperial Japanese Navy as submarine Ro-500 until August 1945 when she surrendered to the Allies.