U 574
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U 574 ( previous / next - all submarines ) |
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|---|---|
| Type : | VII C |
| Field Post Number : | 43 973 |
| Shipyard: | Blohm and Voss Hamburg |
| Construction contract: | October 24, 1939 |
| Build number: | 550 |
| Keel laying: | June 15, 1940 |
| Launch: | April 12, 1941 |
| Commissioning: | June 12, 1941 |
| Commanders: |
Dietrich Gengelbach |
| Flotilla: |
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| Calls: | 1 patrol |
| Sinkings: |
1 warship (1190 t) |
| Whereabouts: | sunk by ramming in the Atlantic off Lisbon on December 19, 1941 |
U 574 was a German type VII C submarine- also known as the "Atlantic boat " - which was used by the navy during the submarine war in the Atlantic.
Technical specifications
The Type VII C boats were called "Atlantic boats" due to their seaworthiness and the larger operating radius compared to their predecessor types. Such a submarine had a length of 67 m and a displacement of 865 m³ under water. Two diesel engines ensured a speed of 17 knots when sailing above water . Two electric motors allowed a speed of 7 knots under water. The armament of the Type VII C boats until 1944 consisted of an 8.8 cm cannon and a 2.0 cm flak on deck, as well as four bow torpedo tubes and a stern torpedo tube. U 574 was put into service on June 12, 1941 by Oberleutnant zur See Dietrich Gengelbach. The crew chose a lucky penny on a four-leaf clover as their boat sign .
"Pirates" against HG 76
In mid-December 1941, U 574 of the submarine group "pirates" assigned to the front of Cape St. Vincent the convoy HG 76 , that of Gibraltar to Britain was attacked. The convoy was secured above average by the escort ships of the 36th Escort Group. The boat reached on 19 December, the HMS Stanley at a former US destroyer of the Town-class , which is now sailing under the British flag. Commander Gengelbach sank the enemy ship, there were 25 survivors ( location ) and was in turn directly from the sloop HMS Stork , commanded by the commander of the escort group Frederic John Walker with water bombs attacked. ( Location ). This attack severely damaged U 574 . The pressure hull of the boat was dented and a fire broke out in the control center. The chief engineer of U 574 contradicted the commandant's subsequent order to remain at depth, and a dispute arose between the two, in which the LI prevailed. When U 574 broke through the surface of the water, the Stork , only 200 m away, turned in and ran towards the submarine to ram it. Commander Gengelbach also turned it over, but could not prevent the Stork U 574 from ramming on the starboard side. There were 28 dead. Four officers and 16 NCOs and men were rescued from the Stork . Some of them were later killed when the Stork collided with another British sloop, the HMS Deptford . Dietrich Gengelbach was promoted to lieutenant captain after his death .
Literature and Sources
- Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 1: The German submarine commanders. ES Mittler and Son, Hamburg a. a. 1996, ISBN 3-8132-0490-1 .
- Paul Kemp: The German and Austrian submarine losses in both world wars. Urbes Verlag, Graefelfing before Munich 1998, ISBN 3-924896-43-7 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Georg Högel: Emblems, coat of arms of Maling's German submarines 1939–1945. Koehler, Hamburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-7822-1002-7 , page 124
- ↑ sinking
- ↑ R. Busch, H.-J. Röll: The Submarine War 1939–1945. Volume 1: The German submarine commanders. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg 1996, page 77
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