U 49 (Navy)

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U 49 (Kriegsmarine)
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Type : VII B
Field Post Number : M 06 383
Shipyard: Germania shipyard , Kiel
Construction contract: November 21, 1936
Build number: 587
Keel laying: September 15, 1938
Launch: June 24, 1939
Commissioning: August 12, 1939
Commanders:

August 12, 1939 - April 15, 1940
Lieutenant Captain Kurt von Goßler

Calls: 4 patrols
Sinkings:

1 ship (4,258 GRT)

Whereabouts: in the April 15, 1940 Narvik sunk

U 49 was a German submarine of type VII B , which in the Second World War by the Navy was used.

history

The order for the boat was awarded to the Germania shipyard in Kiel on November 21, 1936 . The keel was laid on September 15, 1938, the launch on June 24, 1939, the commissioning under Lieutenant Kurt von Goßler on August 12, 1939.

Until December 31, 1939, the boat belonged to the U-Flotilla "Wegener" in Kiel as a training and front boat . After the reorganization of the U-Flotilla, U 49 belonged to the 7th U-Flotilla in Kiel until it was sunk on April 15, 1940.

U 49 undertook four patrols during its service, during which it sank a ship with a tonnage of 4,258 GRT .

Use statistics

First patrol

The boat left Kiel on November 9, 1939 at 11 p.m. and returned there on November 29, 1939 at 6:45 a.m. A ship with 4,258 GRT was sunk on this 20 day trip west of Ireland , in the English Channel and in the Bay of Biscay .

  • November 19, 1939: Sinking of the British steamer Pensilva (4,258 GRT) ( location ) by a G7a torpedo . He had loaded 6,985 t of  maize and was on the way from Durban via Gibraltar to Rouen and Dunkirk . The ship belonged to convoy HG-7 with 32 ships. There were no dead.

Second patrol

The boat was running at 7.00 from Kiel and on March 5, 1940 at 14:04 in the February 29, 1940 Wilhelmshaven one. The boat called Helgoland on March 1 , because the commander was ill. The planned operation was canceled and U 49 instead carried out diving exercises off Helgoland from March 2, 1940 to March 4, 1940.

Third patrol

The boat left Wilhelmshaven on March 11, 1940 at 2:25 p.m. and returned there on March 29, 1940 at 1:38 p.m. No ships were sunk or damaged during this 19-day, 2,689 -m above and 301- nautical underwater expedition  in the North Sea , the Shetland Islands and the Orkneys .

Fourth and last patrol

The boat left on April 3, 1940 at 1:25 p.m. for the Weser Exercise company in Wilhelmshaven. On April 15, 1940, it was sunk near Narvik , Norway , by depth charges from the British destroyers HMS Fearless and HMS Brazen . One seaman was killed, the remaining 41 were saved. The position was 68 ° 53 '  N , 16 ° 59'  E in marine grid reference AG 1116.

During the rescue of the survivors, the British found various secret documents under the floating debris, including a map showing the submarine positions in Norwegian waters.

U 49 did not suffer any losses among its crew until its sinking.

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