U 53 (Navy)

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U 53 (Kriegsmarine)
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Type : VII B
Field Post Number : M 10 424
Shipyard: Germania shipyard , Kiel
Construction contract: May 15, 1937
Build number: 586
Keel laying: March 13, 1937
Launch: May 6, 1939
Commissioning: June 24, 1939
Commanders:
  • June 24, 1939 - August 1939
    First Lieutenant Dietrich Knorr
  • August 1939 - December 1939
    Lieutenant Commander . Ernst-Günther Heinicke
  • December 1939 - January 1940
    Oblt.zS Georg Heinrich Schonder
  • January 1940 - January 14, 1940
    Kptlt. Ernst-Günther Heinicke
  • January 15, 1940 - February 23, 1940
    Kkpt . Harald Grosse
Calls: 3 activities
Sinkings:

7 ships (27,316 GRT)

Whereabouts: Sunk on February 23, 1940 west of the Orkney Islands

U 53 was a German submarine of type VII B , which in World War II by the German navy was used.

history

The order for the boat was awarded to the Germania shipyard in Kiel on May 15, 1937 . The keel was laid on March 13, 1937, the launch on May 6, 1939, the commissioning under Oberleutnant zur See Dietrich Knorr finally took place on June 24, 1939.

After its commissioning on June 24, 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 flotilla, U 53 belonged to the 7th U-Flotilla in Kiel as a front boat from January 1, 1940 until it was sunk on February 23, 1940. Like most German submarines of its time, the U 53 also had boat-specific symbols on the tower: a heart pierced by a torpedo with the inscription WC and a depiction of a man with a coat, cylinder and umbrella.

Use statistics

During its service, U 53 ran out of three operations, on which seven ships with a total tonnage of 27,316  GRT were sunk and one with a tonnage of 8,022 GRT was damaged.

First venture

The boat left Kiel on August 29, 1939 at 12 p.m. and returned there on September 30, 1939 at 6:45 a.m. On this 32-day trip to the North Atlantic , southwest of Ireland , two ships with 14,018 GRT were sunk.

  • September 15, 1939: Sinking of the British tanker Cheyenne ( Lage ) with 8,825 GRT. The tanker was sunk by two torpedoes. He had loaded 12,600 tons of gasoline and was on his way from Aruba to Swansea . There were six dead and 37 survivors.
  • September 17, 1939: Sinking of the British steamer Kafiristan ( Lage ) with 5,193 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes. He had loaded 8,870 tons of sugar and was on the way from Jucaro ( Cuba ) to Liverpool . There were six dead and 29 survivors.

Second venture

The boat left Kiel on October 21, 1939 at 7.30 p.m. and returned there on November 30, 1939 at 7.55 p.m. No ships were sunk or damaged on this 39-day venture into the North Atlantic and west of Gibraltar .

The boat moved from Kiel to Wilhelmshaven on January 27, 1940 .

Third company

The boat ran from Wilhelmshaven on February 2, 1940 and was sunk west of the Orkneys on February 23, 1940 . On this 21-day undertaking in the North Atlantic, five ships with 13,298 GRT were sunk and one ship with 8,022 GRT was damaged.

  • February 11, 1940: sinking of the Norwegian motor ship Snestad ( Lage ) with 4,114 GRT. The ship was sunk by a torpedo. He was in ballast and was on his way from Bergen to Philadelphia . There were two dead.
  • February 11, 1940: Damage to the British tanker Imperial Transport with 8,022 GRT. The tanker was damaged by a torpedo. He drove in ballast and was on his way from Scapa Flow to Trinidad . There were two dead.
  • February 12, 1940: sinking of the Swedish steamer Dalarö ( Lage ) with 3,927 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded 5,400 tons of lenses and was on his way from Rosario to Gothenburg . There was one dead.
  • February 13, 1940: sinking of the Swedish steamer Norna ( Lage ) with 1,022 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded salt and was on his way from Savona via Gibraltar to Stockholm . It was a total loss with 18 dead.
  • February 14, 1940: sinking of the Danish steamer Martin Goldschmidt ( Lage ) with 2,095 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had phosphate loaded and was on his way to Fredericia . There were 15 dead and five survivors.
  • February 18, 1940: sinking of the Spanish steamer Banderas with 2,140 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded 3,400 tons of phosphate and was on his way from Bona to Pasajes . There were 22 dead and seven survivors.

Whereabouts

On February 23, 1940, U 53 was sunk west of the Orkney Islands by depth charges from the British destroyer HMS Gurkha at position 60 ° 32 '  N , 6 ° 14'  W in naval grid square AM 3243. All 42 crew members were killed.

U 53 did not lose any crew members during its service before the sinking.

Notes and individual references

  1. ↑ Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The U-Boat War 1939-1945. Volume 2: U-boat construction in German shipyards. ES Mittler and Son, Hamburg a. a. 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0512-6 , page 21
  2. ^ Georg Högel: Emblems, coats of arms, Malings German submarines 1939-1945. 5th edition. Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Hamburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-7822-1002-7 , page 46
  3. ↑ 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 , page 53 - page 54