U 32 (Navy)

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U 32 (Kriegsmarine)
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Type : VII A
Field Post Number : M 00 459
Shipyard: AG Weser , Bremen
Construction contract: April 1, 1935
Build number: 913
Keel laying: March 15, 1936
Launch: February 25, 1937
Commissioning: April 15, 1937
Commanders:
Calls: 9 patrols
Sinkings:

20 ships (116,836 GRT )

Whereabouts: Sunk on October 30, 1940 northwest of Ireland

U 32 was a German submarine of type VII A , which in the Second World War by the Navy was used.

history

The boat was on 15 March 1936 at the AG Weser in Bremen set to Kiel , on 25 February 1937 launched in and on April 15, 1937, Lieutenant asked Werner Lott in service. The commissioning also accompanied the district administrator Rudolf Kriele , who represented the city of Lübben (Spreewald) and the district of Lübben (Spreewald) , who took over the sponsorship of the boat.

After its commissioning until December 31, 1939, the boat belonged to the U-Flotilla Saltzwedel in Wilhelmshaven as an operational or front boat . When the flotilla was reorganized on January 1, 1940, it came to the 2nd U-Flotilla in Wilhelmshaven as a front boat until it was sunk on October 30, 1940 .

The boat was used in the Spanish Civil War from February 1938 to May 1938 . It was used for maritime surveillance off El Ferrol .

U 32 undertook nine patrols on which it sank 20 ships with a total tonnage of 116,836 GRT and damaged five with a total tonnage of 40,274 GRT.

On October 28, 1940, under the command of Hans Jenisch, U 32 sank the passenger ship Empress of Britain (42,348 GRT), which had previously been damaged by German bombs and then abandoned by passengers and crew. The Empress of Britain was the largest merchant ship sunk by a German submarine.

Use statistics

First patrol

The boat was launched on August 27, 1939 at 15:40 of Memel for Fall Weiss and September 1, 1939 at 21:30 in Kiel one. No ships were sunk or damaged on this five-day operation to monitor maritime traffic in the Baltic Sea north of Hela . The trip served to explore the situation in front of the Polish Baltic coast and the Gdańsk Bay .

Second patrol

The boat left Kiel on September 5, 1939 at 5:00 p.m. and entered Wilhelmshaven on September 30, 1939. On this 25-day combat and mine operation, twelve mines were laid off Portsmouth , two ships with 5,738 GRT were sunk and two ships with 17,525 GRT were damaged.

  • September 28, 1939: Sinking of the Norwegian steamer Jern (875 GRT) ( Lage ) by three explosive cartridges. He had cellulose loaded and was on his way from Namsos to London .
  • October 5, 1939: The British steamer Marwarri (8,063 GRT) was damaged by a mine hit. He had loaded government goods and was on his way from Belfast to Newport . There were two dead and 91 survivors.
  • October 6, 1939: The British steamer Lochgoil (9,462 GRT) was damaged by a mine hit. The steamer had general cargo and was on its way from Newport to Vancouver . There were no dead.

Third patrol

The boat left Wilhelmshaven on December 28, 1939 at 10:00 p.m. and returned there on January 22, 1940 at 11:30 a.m. On this 25-day and 3,675.5 nm long undertaking in the North Atlantic , eight mines were laid southeast of Ailsa Craig and a ship with 959 GRT was sunk.

  • December 31, 1939: Sinking of the Norwegian steamer Luna (959 GRT) ( location ) by a torpedo. He had zinc plates and burlap loaded and was on his way from London to Trondheim . There were no dead.

Fourth patrol

The boat left Wilhelmshaven on February 26, 1940 at 7 a.m. and returned there on March 23, 1940. On this 27-day and approximately 3,850 nm long undertaking in the North Atlantic and the English Channel , twelve mines were laid off Liverpool and a ship with 2,818 GRT was sunk.

Fifth patrol

The boat left Wilhelmshaven on April 27, 1940 at 11 a.m. and returned there on May 14, 1940. The boat brought supplies for the Weser Exercise company to Trondheim , which it reached on May 5, 1940 and left again on May 8, 1940. No ships were sunk or damaged on this 18-day and approximately 2,180 nm long transport company.

Sixth patrol

The boat left Wilhelmshaven on June 3, 1940 at 1:25 p.m. and returned there on July 1, 1940 at 3:45 a.m. On this 28-day and approximately 4,470 nm long journey into the North Atlantic, west of the English Channel and in the Bay of Biscay , five ships with 16,098 GRT were sunk.

  • June 18, 1940: sinking of the Norwegian steamer Altair (1,522 GRT) ( location ) by a torpedo. He had an unknown cargo on board and was en route from Digby to King's Linn . There were no dead.
  • June 18, 1940: Sinking of the Spanish fishing liner Sálvora (108 GRT) ( location ) by artillery. He was fishing . There were no dead, twelve survivors.
  • June 18, 1940: sinking of the Spanish fishing liner Nuevo-Ons (108 GRT) ( location ) by artillery. There were seven dead and seven survivors.
  • June 19, 1940: Sinking of the Yugoslavian steamer Labud (5,334 GRT) by artillery and torpedo. He had loaded wheat and corn and was on his way from Table Bay to Liverpool. There were no deaths, 34 survivors.
  • June 22, 1940: sinking of the Norwegian tanker Eli Knudsen (9,026 GRT) ( location ) by a torpedo. He had loaded 9,000 tons of diesel oil and 3,000 tons of heating oil and was on his way from Aruba to Swansea . The ship belonged to convoy HX-49 . There were no deaths, 37 survivors.

Seventh patrol

The boat was launched on August 15, 1940 at 13:01 of Wilhelmshaven and on September 8, 1940 at 22:10 in Lorient one. On this 24-day and approximately 4,150 nm long operation in the North Atlantic, near the Hebrides , on the North Canal and at Rockall Bank , three ships with 13,093 GRT were sunk and a warship with 8,000 t was damaged.

  • August 30, 1940: Sinking of the British steamer Mill Hill (4,318 GRT) ( location ) by a torpedo. He had loaded 3,755 tons of pig iron and 3,000 tons of steel and was on the way from Boston via Halifax to Middlesbrough . The ship belonged to convoy HX-66A with 51 ships. It was a total loss with 34 dead.
  • August 30, 1940: sinking of the Norwegian motor vessel Norne (3971 BRT) ( position ) by a torpedo. It was loaded with junk and on its way from New York to Grangemouth . The ship belonged to convoy HX-66A with 51 ships. There were 17 dead.
  • August 30, 1940: Sinking of the British steamer Chelsea (4,804 GRT) ( location ) by a torpedo. He had loaded 7,600 tons of corn and was on the way from Montreal via Halifax (Nova Scotia) to Methil and London. The ship belonged to convoy HX-66A with 51 ships. There were 24 dead and 11 survivors.

Eighth patrol

The boat left Lorient on September 18, 1940 at 4:48 p.m. and returned there on October 6, 1940 at 12:15 p.m. On this 18-day and approximately 3,117 nm long undertaking in the North Atlantic, near the Hebrides, on the North Channel, off Ireland and the Rockall Bank, seven ships with 35,782 GRT were sunk and two ships with 14,749 GRT were damaged.

  • September 22, 1940: Damage to the British steamer Collegian (7,866 GRT) by artillery and a torpedo. The ship belonged to convoy HX-72.
  • September 25, 1940: Sinking of the British steamer Mabriton (6,694 GRT) ( location ) by a torpedo. He was ballasted and on his way from the Tyne to Father Point . The ship belonged to convoy OB-216 with 27 ships. There were twelve dead and 37 survivors.
  • September 26, 1940: Damage to the British steamer Corrientes (6,863 GRT) by a torpedo. He had loaded 1,800 tons of general cargo and was on the way from Glasgow via Halifax (Nova Scotia) to Montreal. The ship belonged to convoy OB-217 with 38 ships. There were no dead.
  • September 26, 1940: Sinking of the Norwegian motor ship Tancred (6,094 GRT) ( location ) by a torpedo. It was ballasted and on its way from Liverpool to New York . The ship belonged to convoy OB-217. There were no dead.
  • September 26, 1940: Sinking of the British steamer Darcolia (4,084 GRT) ( location ) by a torpedo. He was in ballast and was on his way from Barry to Philadelphia . The ship belonged to convoy OB-217. It was a total loss with 31 dead.
  • September 28, 1940: Sinking of the British steamer Empire Ocelot (5,759 GRT) ( location ) by two explosive charges, artillery and a torpedo. He was ballasted and on his way from Liverpool to Philadelphia and Baltimore. The ship belonged to convoy OB-218 with 25 ships. There were two dead and 32 survivors.
  • September 29, 1940: Sinking of the British steamer Bassa (5,267 GRT) ( location ) by a torpedo. He was in ballast and was on his way from Liverpool to New York. It was a total loss with 49 dead.
  • October 1, 1940: sinking of the Dutch steamer Haulerwijk (3,278 GRT) ( location ) by artillery. He was ballasted and on his way from Newport to Tampa . There were 4 dead and 27 survivors.
  • October 2, 1940: Sinking of the British steamer Kayeson (4,606 GRT) ( location ) by a torpedo. He had loaded 3,901 tons of coal and 2,802 tons of general cargo and was on the way from Liverpool to Montevideo . It was a total loss with 38 dead.

Ninth patrol

The boat sailed from Lorient on October 24, 1940 and was sunk in the North Atlantic on October 30, 1940. A ship with 42,488 GRT was sunk on this seven-day expedition to the North Atlantic, northwest of the Donegal Bay .

  • October 28, 1940: Sinking of the British passenger liner Empress of Britain (42,348 GRT.) Set on fire on the morning of October 26, 1940 by a Focke-Wulf FW 200 maritime patrol aircraft bombed by the Luftwaffe , the ship sank after two torpedo hits by U 32 at night October 28 on the position 55 ° 16 '  N , 9 ° 50'  W . The steamer had 300 t of sugar and 300 t of general cargo as well as 205 military personnel and their families on board and was on the way from Port Taufiq near Suez (Egypt) via Cape Town to Liverpool . Of the 205 passengers on board, 20 were killed; likewise 25 of the 416 members of the crew.

Whereabouts

On October 30, 1940, U 32 was sunk northwest of Ireland by depth charges from the British destroyers HMS Harvester and HMS Highlander at position 55 ° 37 ′  N , 12 ° 19 ′  W in naval grid reference AM 4374. Nine crew members were killed, the remaining 33 were picked up by HMS Harvester and taken to a prison camp in Oldham / England. Winston Churchill announced in a House of Commons meeting on November 5 that the submarine that had sunk the Empress of Britain had been sunk himself.

On January 10, 1941, the prisoners of war from U 32 , including the commandant Jenisch, were brought to Canada on the ship Duchess of York and brought there to the POW camp in Lethbridge / Alberta. Jenisch spent six and a half years in British / Canadian captivity and returned to Germany in June 1947.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Rolf Ebert: On the history of the city of Lübben (Spreewald). Chronological outline. Heimat-Verlag, Lübben 2003, ISBN 3-929600-27-7 , p. 430 ( excerpt ); there indicated as source: Lübbener Kreisblatt. April 28, 1937