| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-2551 |
| Ordered | 6 November 1943 |
| Builder | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
| Yard number | 2551 |
| Laid down | 8 December 1944 |
| Launched | 31 March 1945 |
| Commissioned | 24 April 1945 |
| Fate | Run aground on 5 May 1945 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type XXI submarine |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 76.70 m (251 ft 8 in) (o/a) |
| Beam | 8 m (26 ft 3 in) |
| Height | 11.30 m (37 ft 1 in) |
| Draught | 6.32 m (20 ft 9 in) |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed |
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| Range |
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| Complement | 5 officers, 52 enlisted |
| Sensors and processing systems |
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| Armament |
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| Service record | |
| Part of: |
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| Identification codes: | M 53 631 |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: | None |
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-2551 was a Type XXI U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The Elektroboote submarine was laid down on 8 December 1944 at the Blohm & Voss yard at Hamburg, launched on 31 March 1945, and commissioned on 24 April 1945 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Gerhard Schaar.
U-2551 was a brand new, high technology electric boat which could run constantly submerged rather than having to surface to recharge her batteries every day the way submarines until that point had had to do. However, these advanced vessels were introduced to the Kriegsmarine only late in 1944, much too late to influence the Battle of the Atlantic, and too late for many of them to serve in an offensive capacity at all.
With the end of the war near, training on U-boats had dropped to a minimum due to lack of fuel, falling morale and the effectiveness of allied attacks on U-boat construction and preparation. The exception to this were the new Type XXI boats, which continued to train in the Baltic Sea.
