U 31 (Navy)
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U 31 (Kriegsmarine) ( previous / next - all submarines ) |
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| Type : | VII A |
| Field Post Number : | M-28 961 |
| Shipyard: | AG Weser , Bremen |
| Construction contract: | April 1, 1935 |
| Build number: | 912 |
| Keel laying: | March 1, 1936 |
| Launch: | September 25, 1936 |
| Commissioning: | December 28, 1936 |
| Commanders: |
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| Calls: | 7 patrols |
| Sinkings: |
13 ships (27,911 GRT) |
| Whereabouts: | Sunk by bombers on March 11, 1940 , lifted in the same month, sunk by destroyers on November 2, 1940 |
U 31 was a German submarine of type VII A , which in the Second World War by the Navy was used while submerged twice.
history
The order for the boat was awarded to AG Weser in Bremen on April 1, 1935 . The keel was laid on March 1, 1936, the launch on September 25, 1936, the commissioning under Lieutenant Rolf Dau on December 18, 1936.
After the commissioning, the boat belonged to the U-Flotilla "Saltzwedel" in Wilhelmshaven until December 31, 1939 as an operational or front boat . When the U-Flotilla was reorganized, U 31 came to the 2nd U-Flotilla in Wilhelmshaven until its first sinking on March 12, 1940 . After the boat had been lifted, it was decommissioned from March 12, 1940 to July 29, 1940, before being returned to the 2nd U-Flotilla until its second sinking on November 2, 1940.
U 31 undertook seven enemy voyages on which 13 ships with a total tonnage of 27,911 GRT were sunk and a warship with 33,950 t was damaged.
Use statistics
First patrol
The boat left Memel on August 27, 1939 at 3 p.m. and entered Wilhelmshaven on September 2, 1939. No ships were sunk or damaged on this six-day operation in the Baltic Sea and the Bay of Danzig to monitor the Polish coast during the attack on Poland .
Second patrol
The boat left Wilhelmshaven on September 9, 1939 at 11:30 a.m. and returned there on October 2, 1939 at 8:45 a.m. On this 23-day operation in the North Atlantic and the Bay of Biscay , two ships of 8,706 GRT were sunk.
- September 16, 1939: Sinking of the British freighter Aviemore (4,060 GRT) ( location ) by a torpedo . He had loaded 5,105 tons of tinplate and was on the way from Swansea to Montevideo and Buenos Aires . The ship belonged to convoy OB-4 with nine ships. There were 23 dead and 11 survivors.
- September 24th 1939: Sinking of the British freighter Hazelside (4,646 GRT) ( location ) by artillery fire and a torpedo. He had loaded lumber , pulp, and wheat and was on his way from Tacoma to Liverpool . There were twelve dead and 22 survivors.
Third patrol
The boat left Wilhelmshaven on October 21, 1939 at 12:40 p.m. and returned there on October 31, 1939 at 12:15 p.m. Eighteen magnetic mines were laid on this ten day mining operation off Loch Ewe . Two ships with 160 GRT were sunk by these mines and a battleship of 33,950 t was badly damaged.
- December 4, 1939: The British battleship Nelson (33,950 tn.l. ) was seriously damaged by a mine hit.
- December 23, 1939: sinking of the British auxiliary minesweeper Glenalbyn (82 GRT) by a mine hit.
- December 23, 1939: The British auxiliary minesweeper Promotive (78 GRT) was sunk by a mine hit.
Fourth patrol
The boat left Wilhelmshaven on November 19, 1939 at 3:58 p.m. and returned there on December 11, 1939 at 10:45 p.m. Six ships of 12,239 GRT were sunk on this 23-day trip to the North Atlantic near Orkney and the British east coast.
- December 1, 1939: sinking of the Finnish freighter Mercator (4,260 GRT) ( location ) by a torpedo. He had loaded coffee , corn , lentils , and cheese and was on his way to Helsinki . There were nine dead.
- December 3, 1939: Sinking of the Danish freighter Ove Toft (2,135 GRT) ( location ) by a torpedo. He had loaded coal and was on his way from Immingham to Gothenburg . There were six dead.
- December 4, 1939: Sinking of the Norwegian freighter Gimle (1,271 GRT) ( location ) by a torpedo. He had loaded coke and was on his way from Hartlepool to Gothenburg. There were three dead.
- December 4, 1939: sinking of the Norwegian freighter Primula (1024 BRT) ( position ) by a torpedo. He drove in ballast and was on his way from Oslo to Great Britain. There were eight dead.
- December 6, 1939: The Estonian freighter Agu (1,575 GRT) is sunk by a torpedo. He was carrying coal and was on his way from the Tyne to Gothenburg. It was a total loss with 18 dead.
- December 6, 1939: Sinking of the Swedish freighter Vinga (1,974 GRT) ( location ) by a G7e torpedo. He had loaded coal and was on his way from Tyne (Great Britain) to Gothenburg (Sweden). There were no dead.
Fifth patrol
The boat left Wilhelmshaven on January 15, 1940 at 11.50 a.m. and returned there on February 4, 1940. No ships were sunk or damaged on this 21-day and approximately 2,100 nm long mining operation in the North Minch Canal , during which twelve mines were laid.
First sinking
On March 11, 1940 around 12 noon, U 31 was hit by four aerial bombs from a Blenheim "O" of British Squadron 82 on the Schillig roadstead in Wilhelmshaven at position 53 ° 37 ' N , 8 ° 10' E in naval grid square AN 9512 sunk. It was a total loss with 58 dead, including workers from the shipyard. The boat was lifted from 17 meters of water on March 24, 1940, docked in Wilhelmshaven and decommissioned on July 30, 1940 until it was restored.
Sixth patrol
The boat left Wilhelmshaven on September 16, 1940 and entered Lorient on October 8, 1940 . On this 23-day long and approximately 3,400 nm above and 87 nm underwater venture into the North Atlantic, the north channel of the Rockall Bank and the Biscaya, two ships with 4,400 GRT were sunk.
- September 22, 1940: sinking of the Faroese trawler Union Jack (81 GRT) ( location ) by artillery fire. The Union Jack had loaded fish and was on its way from Iceland to Aberdeen . The crew of U 31 gave the sailors enough time to prepare the lifeboats and to stock up on enough food before the ship was sunk. All survived, for which the Faroe Islands were grateful to the commander.
- September 27, 1940: The Norwegian motor ship Vestvard (4,319 GRT) is sunk by two torpedoes. It was ballasted and on its way from Manchester to Montreal . There was one dead and 28 survivors.
Seventh patrol
The boat left Lorient on October 19, 1940 and was sunk on November 2, 1940. A ship with 5,389 GRT was sunk on this 14-day undertaking in the North Atlantic.
- October 29, 1940: Sinking of the British freighter Matina (5,389 GRT) ( location ) by a torpedo. He had loaded 1,500 tons of bananas and was on his way from Port Antonio to Liverpool. It was a total loss with 68 dead. The steamer was damaged by U 29 on October 26, 1939 .
Whereabouts
The second and final sinking of U 31 took place on November 2, 1940 in the North Atlantic northwest of Ireland by depth charges and artillery fire from the British destroyer HMS Antelope . There were two dead and 44 survivors. The position was 56 ° 26 ′ N , 10 ° 18 ′ W in marine grid reference AM 2999.
Footnotes
- ↑ Lt. Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 3: German submarine successes from September 1939 to May 1945. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 2001, ISBN 3-8132-0513-4 , p. 32: “The earlier assumption that U 31 would have sunk the Norwegian Foina , is not applicable. The Foina did not leave Scarpsborg / Norway until December 7, 1939. "
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