U 552

U 552 ( previous / next - all submarines )
KptLt. Top with crew members on deck
Type :	VII C
Field Post Number :	20 052
Shipyard:	Blohm & Voss , Hamburg
Construction contract:	September 25, 1939
Build number:	528
Keel laying:	December 1, 1939
Launch:	September 14, 1940
Commissioning:	4th December 1940
Commanders:	February 1941 - September 1942 Lieutenant Captain Erich Topp September 1942 - July 1944 Lieutenant Captain Klaus Popp July 1944 - May 2, 1945 First Lieutenant Günther Lube
Calls:	15 activities
Sinkings:	30 ships (152,250 GRT ) 2 warships (1,710 t)
Whereabouts:	self-sunk on May 5, 1945 ( rainbow order ).

U 552 was a German type VII C submarine . It entered service on December 4, 1940. The commander of the boat was Lieutenant Erich Topp until September 1942 , after which the boat was commanded by Lieutenant Klaus Popp .

history

With a total of 15 operations and a sunk tonnage of 152,250 GRT, U 552 was  one of the most successful German submarines during the Second World War .

In addition to the freighters, the destroyer USS Reuben James was sunk on October 31, 1941 - before the official declaration of war on the USA . This was the first US warship to be sunk by German submarines during World War II.

Because of the successes and the red devil, which was painted as a badge on the tower of the boat, U 552 was also called "devil's boat ".

Convoy battles in the summer of 1942

On June 15, shortly before 1 a.m., Commander Topp torpedoed the Pelayo , the lead ship of convoy HG 74 . This convoy had left Gibraltar on June 10th and was on its way to Swansea . 18 seafarers were killed and 27 men were saved. The survivors of the Pelayo crew were picked up by the convoy's rescue ship and put ashore in Scotland on June 20. Also on June 15, Topp sank several ships from convoy HG 84 . 13 crew members of the Thurso were killed, 29 were rescued by the corvette HMS Marigold and brought to Greenock . The sinking of the Etrib killed four men. 41 survivors first came to the Marigold border , but were then handed over to the Copeland . The Copeland also took on the crew of Lemdal, which was also torpedoed by Topp (37 men), as well as 43 survivors of the sinking of the City of Oxford .

97 day venture

In the winter of 1942 U 552 undertook - meanwhile under the new commander Klaus Popp - an enterprise with the record time of 97 days. In the course of this, the boat sank the British trawler Alouette and the British steamer Wallsend . When U 552 returned on December 15th, it had exceeded the record for the longest trip by VIIC boats - 93 days at sea by U 332 - by four days.

Sinking successes

date	ship	flag	tonnage	location
March 1, 1941	Cadillac	United Kingdom	12,062	location
March 10, 1941	Reykjaborg	Iceland	687
April 27, 1941	Commander Horton	United Kingdom	227	location
April 27, 1941	Beacon Grange	United Kingdom	10.160	location
May 1, 1941	Nerissa	United Kingdom	5,583	location
June 10, 1941	Ainderby	United Kingdom	4,860	location
June 12, 1941	Chinese Prince	United Kingdom	8,593	location
June 18, 1941	Norfolk	United Kingdom	10,948	location
August 23, 1941	locker	Norway	2.129	location
September 20, 1941	TJ Williams	United Kingdom	8.212	location
September 20, 1941	Pink Star	Panama	4,150	location
September 20, 1941	Barbro	Norway	6.325	location
October 30, 1941	USS Reuben James	United States	1,190	location
January 15, 1942	Dayrose	United Kingdom	4.113	location
January 18, 1942	Frances Salman	United States	2,609
January 20, 1942	Maro	Greece	3,838
March 25, 1942	Ocana	Netherlands	6,256	location
April 3, 1942	David H. Atwater	United States	2,438
April 5, 1942	Byron D. Benson	United States	7,953	location
April 7, 1942	British Splendor	United Kingdom	7.138	location
April 7, 1942	Lancing	Norway	7,866	location
April 9, 1942	Atlas	United States	7.137	location
April 10, 1942	Tamaulipas	United States	6,943	location
June 15, 1942	City of Oxford	United Kingdom	2,759	location
June 15, 1942	Attribute	United Kingdom	1,943	location
June 15, 1942	Pelayo	United Kingdom	1,346	location
June 15, 1942	Slemdal	Norway	7,374	location
June 15, 1942	Thurso	United Kingdom	2,436	location
July 25, 1942	Broompark	United Kingdom	5,136	location
August 3, 1942	Perforated atrine	United Kingdom	9,149	location
September 19, 1942	HMS Alouette	United Kingdom	520
December 3, 1942	Wallsend	United Kingdom	3.157	location

Sinking

On May 5, 1945, U 552 was self -scuttled by its crew in the entrance of the western chamber of the Raederschleuse in Wilhelmshaven in accordance with the long-standing rainbow order , which was canceled by Grand Admiral Dönitz on the evening of May 4, 1945 . After the war, the wreck was blown up by the British and then scrapped.

See also

• List of German submarines (1935–1945)

Web links

Commons : U 552  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• U 552

Individual evidence

1. ^ Ian M. Malcolm: "Shipping Company Losses of the Second World War. Book II", Moira Brown, Dundee 2020, ISBN 978-1-65661-255-7 , page 95

 Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap