U 518
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U 518 ( previous / next - all submarines ) |
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|---|---|
| Type : | IX C |
| Field Post Number : | M 44690 |
| Shipyard: | German shipyard , Hamburg |
| Construction contract: | February 14, 1940 |
| Build number: | 314 |
| Keel laying: | June 12, 1941 |
| Launch: | February 11, 1942 |
| Commissioning: | April 25, 1942 |
| Commanders: |
|
| Calls: | 7 activities |
| Sinkings: |
10 ships (62,923 GRT ) |
| Whereabouts: | Sunk on April 22, 1945 in the central North Atlantic northwest of the Azores |
U 518 was a German type IX C submarine that was used by the German Navy during World War II .
history
Construction and commissioning
The construction contract was awarded to the Deutsche Werft in Hamburg on February 14, 1940 . The keel was laid there on June 12, 1941, the launch on February 11, 1942. The boat was put into service on April 25, 1942 under the command of frigate captain Hans-Günther Brachmann.
Time as a training boat
After its commissioning, the boat was used by the 4th U-Flotilla in Stettin as a training boat for training the crew until September 30, 1942. After that it served as a front boat in the 2nd U-Flotilla and in the 33rd U-Flotilla until it was sunk . Hans-Günther Brachmann commanded U 518 until August 19 and then handed over command to Oberleutnant Friedrich-Wilhelm Wissmann.
Calls
U 518 took seven patrols , where nine ships were sunk with 55,747 GRT and damaged three ships with 22,616 tons.
First venture
U 518 left Kiel on September 26, 1942. Six ships with 45,188 GRT were sunk on this 81-day undertaking. On December 15, 1942, the boat entered Lorient .
- November 2, 1942: sinking of the British steamer PLM 27 (5,633 GRT, 7 dead, 42 survivors)
- November 2, 1942: sinking of the Canadian steamer Rose Castle (7,803 GRT, 23 dead, 20 survivors)
- November 21, 1942: Damage to the British tanker British Promise (8,443 GRT, no dead, 61 survivors in convoy ON-145)
- November 21, 1942: Damage to the British tanker British Renown (6,997 GRT, no dead, 50 survivors in convoy ON-145)
- November 21, 1942: sinking of the British tanker Empire Sailor (6,140 GRT, 23 dead, 40 survivors in convoy ON-145)
- 23 November 1942: sinking of the American tanker Caddo (10,172 GRT, 51 dead, 8 survivors)
Second venture
The boat left Lorient on January 11, 1943 and returned there on April 27. On this 107-day operation, four ships with 22,598 GRT were sunk.
- February 18, 1943: sinking of the Brazilian tanker Brasiloide (6,075 GRT, no dead, 50 survivors)
- March 1, 1943: Sinking of the American steamer Fitz-John Porter (7,176 GRT, 1 dead, 54 survivors in convoy BT-6)
- March 20, 1943: sinking of the Dutch steamer Mariso (7,659 GRT, 2 dead, 107 survivors)
- March 25, 1943: sinking of the Swedish tanker Industria (1,688 GRT, 1 dead, 25 survivors)
Third company
U 518 left Lorient on June 24, 1943. No ship was sunk or damaged in the process. On July 3, 1943, the boat entered Bordeaux .
Fourth venture
U 518 left Bordeaux on August 18, 1943. No ship was sunk or damaged in the process. After 106 days, the boat entered Lorient on December 1, 1943.
Fifth venture
U 518 left Lorient on January 23, 1944 under the command of the new commander Hans-Werner Offermann. The boat had the order to hand over a navigator to the incoming Japanese submarine 129 , which was under the code name "U-Kiefer" on the way to northern France. Arriving at the meeting point, Commander Offermann discovered a collection of opposing naval forces, which he identified as a group of four "destroyers" who were accompanied by a "tender ship". In fact, it was a submarine fighter group around the USS Croatan , a US escort carrier of the "Bogue" -class , which was accompanied by some frigates. Offermann reported a successful torpedo attack, but no hit could be confirmed. After meeting the Japanese submarine, U 518 headed for the intended area of operation, the Caribbean . After Commander Offermann had unsuccessfully attacked a freighter in the Mona Passage , he finally succeeded in sinking near Aruba .
- March 7, 1944: sinking of the Panamanian steamer Valera (3,401 GRT, 1 dead, 34 survivors)
On April 2, Commander Offermann also reported the successful torpedoing of a freighter with 7,000 GRT. However, this sinking could not be confirmed. After 106 days, the boat entered Lorient on May 7, 1944. The submarine command, which had promised itself considerably greater success from Offermann's patrol, asked the hapless commander sharply why he had not sunk more ships.
Sixth venture
The boat left Lorient on July 15, 1944. A ship with 7,176 GRT was sunk on this 102-day undertaking. The boat entered Kristiansand on October 24, 1944 .
- September 12, 1944: Damage to the American steamer George Ade (7,176 GRT, no dead, 68 survivors)
Seventh venture and sinking
The boat left Kristiansand on March 12, 1945. U 518 was sunk northwest of the Azores ( location ) on April 22, 1945 by depth charges from the USS Carter and USS Neal A. Scott . There were no survivors, all 56 men were killed. U 518 was the third German submarine sunk during " Operation Teardrop ". It has been prepared by the American sonar Eskorters USS Carter recorded the USS Neal A. Scott resulted in a sneak attack and then around 23:09 a hedgehog attack drove. An explosion and several powerful underwater detonations heralded the end of U 518.
successes
| date | Surname | nationality | Tonnage (GRT) | success |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2, 1942 | PLM 27 |
 United Kingdom
|
5,633 | sunk ( location ) |
| November 2, 1942 | Rose Castle |
 Canada
|
7,803 | sunk ( location ) |
| November 21, 1942 | British Promise |
United Kingdom
|
8,443 | damaged |
| November 21, 1942 | British Renown |
United Kingdom
|
6,997 | damaged |
| November 21, 1942 | Empire Sailor |
United Kingdom
|
6.140 | sunk ( location ) |
| November 21, 1942 | Caddo |
 United States
|
10.172 | sunk |
| February 18, 1943 | Brasiloids |
 Brazil
|
6,075 | sunk ( location ) |
| March 1, 1943 | Fitz-John Porter |
United States
|
7.176 | sunk ( location ) |
| March 20, 1943 | Mariso |
 Netherlands
|
7,659 | sunk ( location ) |
| March 25, 1943 | Industria |
 Sweden
|
1,688 | sunk ( location ) |
| March 7, 1944 | Valera |
 Panama
|
3,401 | sunk ( location ) |
| September 12, 1944 | George goodbye |
United States
|
7.176 | damaged |
Individual evidence
- ↑ 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. 74.
- ↑ 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. 368.
- ↑ Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The U-Boat War 1939-1945. Volume 1: The German submarine commanders. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 1996, ISBN 3-8132-0490-1 , p. 321.
- ↑ a b 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. 224.
- ↑ a b c d 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. 497.
- ^ A b Clay Blair : The Submarine War. Volume 2: The Hunted, 1942–1945. Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, Munich 1999, ISBN 3-453-16059-2 . Page 661
- ^ Paul Kemp: The German and Austrian submarine losses in both world wars. Urbes Verlag, Graefelfing vor München 1998, ISBN 3-924896-43-7 , p. 265.
- ↑ Ships hit by U-518 . uboat.net. Retrieved January 18, 2014.
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