U 509

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U 509
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Type : IX C
Field Post Number : 37 143
Shipyard: German shipyard , Hamburg
Construction contract: October 20, 1939
Build number: 305
Keel laying: November 1, 1940
Launch: August 19, 1941
Commissioning: November 4, 1941
Commanders:
Calls: 4 activities
Sinkings:

5 ships (29,091 GRT)

Whereabouts: sunk in the Atlantic on July 15, 1943

U 509 was a German type IX C submarinethat was used by the German Navy during World War II .

history

Construction and commissioning

The construction contract was given to the Deutsche Werft in Hamburg on October 20, 1939 . The boats of this type were originally manufactured by Deschimag AG Weser in Bremen . At the beginning of the Second World War, the German shipyard was commissioned to manufacture the Type IX submarines as replicas in large series. By the end of the war, the Deutsche Werft produced 24 Type IX C submarines for the Navy. The keel was laid on November 1, 1940 and the launch on August 19, 1941. The commissioning under the commandant, Korvettenkapitän Karl-Heinz Wolf, took place on November 4, 1941.

Flotilla membership, commanders and stationing

After its commissioning, the boat belonged to the 4th U-Flotilla in Stettin until November 4, 1942 and was used in the Baltic Sea as a training boat for training the crew. From November 4, 1942 until its sinking, U 509 was subordinate to the 10th U-Flotilla in Lorient, France, as a front boat . During the entire training period and during the first patrol of the boat, FKpt. Karl-Heinz Wolff Commander of U 509 . From September 1942 until the sinking of the boat on July 15, 1943, Corvette Captain Werner Witte was in command.

Calls

U 509 undertook four enemy voyages , on which five ships with 29,091 GRT were sunk and four ships with 27,143 GRT were damaged.

First venture

U 509 left Kiel on June 25, 1942 and entered Lorient on September 12 after 80 days at sea. The first patrol of the boat was uneventful.

Second venture

The boat left Lorient on October 15, 1942 and returned there on November 26. On this 43-day long undertaking four ships with 24,154 GRT were sunk and three ships with 20,014 GRT were damaged.

  • October 26, 1942: Damage to the British tanker Anglo Mærsk , was sunk shortly afterwards by U-604 (7,705 GRT, traveling in convoy SL-125)
  • October 27, 1942: sinking of the British steamer Pacific Star (7,951 GRT, in convoy SL-125)
  • October 27, 1942: sinking of the British steamer Stentor (6,148 GRT, driving in convoy SL-125, 44 dead)
  • October 28, 1942: sinking of the British steamer Nagpore (5,283 GRT, in convoy SL-125, 20 dead)
  • October 28, 1942: Damage to the British steamer Hopecastle (5,178 GRT, driving in convoy SL-125)
  • October 29, 1942: Damage to the British steamer Corinaldo (7,131 GRT, traveling in convoy SL-125)
  • October 30, 1942: sinking of the British steamer Brittany (4,772 GRT, driving in convoy SL-125, 14 dead)
  • November 13, 1942: U 509 triggers a mine near Casablanca , but suffers only minor damage

Third company

U 509 left Lorient on December 23, 1942 and returned there on May 11, 1943 after 140 days at sea. On this enterprise a ship with 4,937 GRT was sunk and a ship with 7,129 GRT was damaged.

  • February 10, 1943: sinking of the British steamer Queen Anne (4,937 GRT, driving in convoy CA-11, 5 dead)
  • April 2, 1943: Damage to the British passenger liner City of Baroda (7,129 GRT, traveling in convoy NC-9)

Fourth venture

In July 1943, the submarine command put together a submarine group that was to run from the bases in northern France into the Indian Ocean in order to hunt Allied ships over the summer. The boats were scheduled to reach the target area at the end of the monsoon rain . U 509 was assigned to this group Monsun and left Lorient on July 3rd. On July 15, the boat was at the height of Madeira when it was discovered by a Wildcat that attacked U 509 at low altitude and exposed it to machine gun fire. Commander Witte decided to initiate the alarm dive when an Avenger reached the battlefield.

Whereabouts

On July 15, 1943, U 509 was sunk north of the Portuguese island of Madeira by a target-seeking torpedo dropped by an American torpedo bomber ( Lage ). The entire 54-man crew of the boat was killed.

successes

date Surname nationality Tonnage (GRT) success
October 26, 1942 Anglo Mærsk United KingdomUnited Kingdom (trade flag) United Kingdom 7,705 damaged
October 27, 1942 Pacific Star United KingdomUnited Kingdom (trade flag) United Kingdom 7,951 sunk ( location )
October 27, 1942 Stentor United KingdomUnited Kingdom (trade flag) United Kingdom 6,148 sunk ( location )
October 28, 1942 Hopecastle United KingdomUnited Kingdom (trade flag) United Kingdom 5,178 damaged
October 28, 1942 Nagpore United KingdomUnited Kingdom (trade flag) United Kingdom 5,283 sunk ( location )
October 29, 1942 Corinaldo United KingdomUnited Kingdom (trade flag) United Kingdom 7.131 damaged
October 30, 1942 Brittany United KingdomUnited Kingdom (trade flag) United Kingdom 4,772 sunk ( location )
February 10, 1943 Queen Anne United KingdomUnited Kingdom (trade flag) United Kingdom 4,937 sunk ( location )
April 2, 1943 City of Baroda United KingdomUnited Kingdom (trade flag) United Kingdom 7.129 damaged

Individual evidence

  1. Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The U-Boat War 1939-1945. Volume 2: U-boat construction in German shipyards. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0512-6 , p. 221.
  2. Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The U-Boat War 1939-1945. Volume 2: U-boat construction in German shipyards. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0512-6 , p. 60.
  3. a b c Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The U-Boat War 1939-1945. Volume 2: U-boat construction in German shipyards. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0512-6 , p. 495.
  4. a b c Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The U-Boat 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. 241.
  5. ^ Anglo Mærsk, British Motor tanker , Ships hit by U-boats.
  6. a b c EL NAUFRAGIO DEL PACIFIC STAR, El SUBMARINO U-509 , La Palma y El Mar.
  7. ^ Pacific Star, British Steam merchant , Ships hit by U-boats.
  8. ^ Stentor, British Motor merchant , Ships hit by U-boats.
  9. Nagpore, British Steam merchant , Ships hit by U-boats.
  10. Hope Castle, British Motor merchant , Ships hit by U-boats.
  11. ^ Corinaldo, British Steam merchant , Ships hit by U-boats.
  12. ^ Brittany, British Motor merchant , Ships hit by U-boats.
  13. Clay Blair : The Submarine War. Volume 2: The Hunted, 1942–1945. Heyne, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-453-16059-2 , pp. 475-476.