German submarine U-1279 was a Type VIIC/41 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
She was ordered on 13 June 1942, and was laid down on 26 August 1943, at Bremer Vulkan AG, Bremen, as yard number 74. She was commissioned under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Hans Falke on 5 July 1944.
German Type VIIC/41 submarines were preceded by the heavier Type VIIC submarines. U-1279 had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of , a pressure hull length of , an overall beam of , a height of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two AEG GU 460/8âÂÂ276 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 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-1279 was fitted with five torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one SK C/35 naval gun, (220 rounds), one Flak M42 and two C/30 anti-aircraft guns. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and fifty-two.
U-1279 left on her first and only war patrol on 29 January 1945. At this time she was, and probably had been prior to, fitted with a Schnorchel underwater-breathing apparatus. Thirty days into her patrol she was spotted and attacked by the British frigates , , the British sloop and a US Liberator aircraft from VPB-112 in the English Channel east of the Scilly Isles. She was sunk on 27 February 1945 by depth charges, killing all 48 of her crew.
The wreck now lies at .