U 51 (Navy)

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U 51 (Kriegsmarine)
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Type : VII B
Field Post Number : M 05 671
Shipyard: Germania shipyard , Kiel
Construction contract: November 21, 1936
Build number: 581
Keel laying: February 26, 1937
Launch: June 11, 1938
Commissioning: August 6, 1938
Commanders:
  • August 6, 1938 - August 1939
    Lieutenant Captain Ernst-Günter Heinicke
  • August 1940 - August 20, 1940
    Lieutenant Dietrich Knorr
Calls: 4 activities
Sinkings:

6 ships (31,020 GRT )

Whereabouts: Sunk in the Bay of Biscay on August 20, 1940

U 51 was a German submarine of type VII B , which in the Second World War by the Navy was used.

history

The building contract for the boat was awarded to the Germania shipyard in Kiel on November 21, 1937 . The keel had already been laid on February 26, 1937. The launch took place on June 11, 1938, the commissioning under Lieutenant Ernst-Günther Heinicke on August 6, 1938.

Until December 31, 1939, the boat was part of the “Wegener” submarine flotilla in Kiel . When the U-Flotilla was reorganized, U 51 remained from January 1, 1940 as a front boat with this flotilla, now renamed the 7th U-Flotilla, and was stationed in Kiel. The boat remained with this flotilla until it was sunk on August 20.

Use statistics

Under the command of Dietrich Knorr, U 51 ran out to four operations during his service, on which Lieutenant Knorr sank six ships with a total tonnage of 31,020 GRT.

First venture

The boat was launched on 15 January 1940 at 23.00 from Kiel and on February 8, 1940 at 13.15 in Wilhelmshaven one. On this 22-day undertaking, the boat covered around 3,143  nm . The company led U 51 into the North Atlantic . Commander Knorr sank two ships with 3,143 GRT there.

  • January 22, 1940: sinking of the Swedish motor ship Gothia (1640 GRT) ( location ) by a torpedo . It had sulphates and paper loaded and was on its way to Genoa . There were twelve dead.
  • January 29, 1940: sinking of the Norwegian steamer Eika (1503 GRT) ( location ) by a torpedo. He had loaded salt and was on his way from Torrevieja to Ålesund . There were 14 dead and two survivors.

Second venture

The boat left Wilhelmshaven on March 11, 1940 at 2:40 p.m. and entered Kiel on April 22, 1940 at 11:28 p.m. No ships were sunk or damaged on this 43-day and approximately 5400 nm long undertaking in the North Sea , the Shetland Islands , the Orkneys and the Weser Exercise company in the Westfjord .

Third company

The boat left Kiel on June 6, 1940 at 10 p.m. and returned there on July 5, 1940 at 12 p.m. On this 28-day and approximately 5,400 nm long enterprise west of the English Channel and in the Bay of Biscay , three ships with 22,268 GRT were sunk.

  • June 25, 1940: sinking of the British steamer Windsorwood (5395 GRT) ( location ) by two torpedoes. He had loaded 7100 tons of  coal and was on the way from Tyne to Freetown . The ship belonged to convoy OA-172 with 56 ships. There were no deaths, 40 survivors.
  • June 25, 1940: Sinking of the British tanker Saranac (12,049 GRT) ( location ) by artillery and a torpedo. He was ballasted and on his way from Fawley to Aruba . The ship belonged to convoy OA-172. There were four dead and 40 survivors.
  • June 29, 1940: Sinking of the British submarine supply ship HMS Edgehill (4724 GRT) ( location ) by three torpedoes. There were 15 dead and 24 survivors.

Fourth venture

The boat left Kiel on August 9, 1940 at 3:30 p.m. and was sunk in the Bay of Biscay on August 20, 1940. On this eleven day trip west of the English Channel and in the Bay of Biscay, a ship with 5709 GRT was sunk.

  • August 15, 1940: Sinking of the British tanker Sylvafield (5709 GRT) ( location ) by a torpedo. He had 7,860 t of  heating oil loaded and was on the way from Curaçao via Halifax to Glasgow . The ship was a straggler of Convoy HX-62 with 77 ships. There were three dead and 36 survivors.

Whereabouts

On August 16, 1940, U 51 by a flying boat of the type Short Sunderland of 210 Squadron, 15th (General Reconnaissance) Group, the Coastal Command of the Royal Air Force with water bombs attacked. Oil and air bubbles rose to the surface and the Allied forces believed that they had sunk the boat. U 51 survived the attack, albeit badly damaged. The boat was sighted four days later, on the way back to the base in Lorient , by the British submarine HMS Cachalot , which was returning from a mining operation south of Penmarch . U 51 was torpedoed west of Nantes and sunk at position 47 ° 6 ′  N , 4 ° 51 ′  W in marine grid square BF 5527. All 43 crew members were killed.

Notes and individual references

  1. ↑ Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The U-Boat War 1939-1945. Volume 2: U-boat construction in German shipyards. E. S. Mittler and Son, Hamburg a. a. 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0512-6 , page 20
  2. ↑ Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The U-Boat War 1939-1945. Volume 2: U-boat construction in German shipyards. E. S. Mittler and Son, Hamburg a. a. 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0512-6 , page 339
  3. ^ Paul Kemp: The German and Austrian submarine losses in both world wars. Urbes Verlag, Graefelfing von München 1997, ISBN 3-924896-43-7 , pages 67-68