U 61 (Navy)
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U 61 (Kriegsmarine) ( previous / next - all submarines ) |
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| Type : | II C |
| Field Post Number : | M-05 425 |
| Shipyard: | German works , Kiel |
| Construction contract: | July 21, 1937 |
| Build number: | 260 |
| Keel laying: | October 1, 1938 |
| Launch: | June 15, 1939 |
| Commissioning: | August 12, 1939 |
| Commanders: |
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| Calls: | 10 patrols |
| Sinkings: |
6 ships (20,754 GRT) |
| Whereabouts: | self-sunk on May 5, 1945 |
U 61 was a submarine of type II C , which in World War II by the German navy was used.
history
The order for the boat was awarded to Deutsche Werke in Kiel on July 21, 1937 . The keel was laid on October 1, 1938, the launch on June 15, 1939, and commissioning under Lieutenant zur See Jürgen Oesten on August 12, 1939.
From its commissioning until December 31, 1939, the boat belonged to the “Emsmann” U-Flotilla in Kiel as a training and front boat . When the U-Flotilla was reorganized, U 61 joined the 1st U-Flotilla in Kiel on January 1, 1940 . After its time as a front boat, it was used as a school boat in the 21st U-Flotilla in Pillau from November 15, 1940 to March 1945 . It was finally sunk in Wilhelmshaven on May 5, 1945.
U 61 took ten patrols , on which there are six ships with a total tonnage of 20,754 GRT sunk and damaged a ship with 4,434 tons.
Use statistics
First patrol
The boat left Kiel on October 24, 1939 at 2:10 p.m. and returned there on November 14, 1939 at 1:48 p.m. No ships were sunk or damaged on this 22-day expedition into the North Sea .
Second patrol
The boat left Kiel on November 28, 1939 at 1:00 a.m. and entered Wilhelmshaven on December 3, 1939 . On this six-day mining operation, nine TMB mines were laid off Newcastle , a ship with 1,086 GRT sunk and a ship with 4,434 GRT damaged.
- 22nd December 1939: Damage to the British steamer Gryfevale with 4,434 GRT. The steamer was damaged by a mine hit. The ship had loaded 4,980 tons of cottonseed , 2,050 tons of oil cake and 250 tons of rice and was on its way from Alexandria to Leith .
- January 21, 1940: sinking of the British steamer Ferryhill ( Lage ) with 1,086 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a mine hit. He had loaded 1,200 tons of coal and was on the way from Blyth to Aberdeen . There were nine dead and two survivors.
Third patrol
The boat left Wilhelmshaven on December 7, 1939 at 12:44 p.m. and entered Kiel on December 18, 1939 at 0:51 a.m. No ships were sunk or damaged on this eleven day mining operation off the Firth of Forth . Due to the adverse circumstances, no mines could be laid.
Fourth patrol
The boat left Kiel on January 15, 1940 at 9:00 a.m. and entered Wilhelmshaven on January 30, 1940 at 0:30 a.m. During this 16-day and approx. 1,900 nm above and 36 nm underwater expedition in the North Sea and on the British east coast, a ship with 2,434 GRT was sunk.
- January 22, 1940: sinking of the Norwegian steamer Sydfold ( Lage ) with 2,434 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo . He had an unknown cargo and was on his way from Kristiansand to the Tyne . There were five dead and 19 survivors.
Fifth patrol
The boat left Wilhelmshaven on February 12, 1940 at 7:12 a.m. and returned there on February 27, 1940 at 1:05 p.m. During this 16-day and approx. 1,800 nm above and 190 nm underwater expedition into the North Sea, two ships of 5,703 GRT were sunk.
- February 18, 1940: sinking of the Panamanian steamer El Sonador with 1,406 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded 713 tons of coal and was on his way from Methil to Gothenburg . It was a total loss with 17 dead.
- February 18, 1940: sinking of the Norwegian steamer Sangstad ( Lage ) with 4,297 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded grain and was on his way from Buenos Aires to Stavanger . There was one dead.
The boat moved from Wilhelmshaven to Kiel on February 29, 1940, where it arrived on March 1, 1940.
Sixth patrol
The boat left Kiel on April 11, 1940 at 10:45 p.m. for the Weser Exercise Company and returned there on May 7, 1940 at 4:15 p.m. The boat entered Bergen on April 20, 1940 at 4:45 p.m. to supplement it and left again on April 23, 1940 at 1:00 a.m. No ships were sunk or damaged during this 15-day and approx. 2,600 nm above and 296 nm underwater expedition off Norway.
Seventh patrol
The boat left Kiel on June 6, 1940 at 2:15 a.m. and entered Bergen on July 1, 1940 at 5:50 a.m. No ships were sunk or damaged on this 26-day venture in the North Atlantic and the Hebrides .
Eighth patrol
The boat left Bergen on July 6, 1940 at 9:00 p.m. and entered Kiel on July 25, 1940 at 8:58 p.m. Two ships with 11,531 GRT were sunk on this 20-day and 2,507 nm above and 272 nm underwater expedition in the North Atlantic, the North Minch and the North Canal .
- July 10, 1940: sinking of the Dutch steamer Alwaki ( Lage ) with 4,533 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two G7e torpedoes. He drove in ballast and was on his way to Durban for Calcutta . The ship belonged to convoy OA-180. There were no casualties and 51 survivors.
- July 16, 1940: Sinking of the British tanker Scottish Minstrel ( Lage ) with 6,998 GRT. The tanker was sunk by a G7e torpedo. It had loaded 9,200 tons of heating oil and was on its way from New York via Halifax to London . The ship belonged to convoy HX-55 with 38 ships. There were nine dead and 32 survivors.
Ninth patrol
The boat was launched on August 29, 1940 at 6:12 AM from Kiel and expired on September 15, 1940 at 16:30 in Lorient one. The boat entered Bergen on September 1, 1940 at 7:57 p.m. to supplement it and left there on September 2, 1940 at 7:00 p.m. No ships were sunk or damaged on this 18-day, 2,725-nm over and 160-nm-long expedition in the North Atlantic, the Hebrides and the North Canal.
Tenth patrol
The boat left Lorient on September 24, 1940 at 10:30 a.m. and entered Kiel on October 10, 1940 at: 10 a.m. The boat entered Bergen on October 6, 1940 at 4:50 p.m. to supplement it and left again on October 7, 1940 at 6:38 p.m. No ships were sunk or damaged during this 17-day and 2,484 nm above and 148 nm underwater expedition in the North Atlantic, North Minch and the North Sea.
Whereabouts
The boat was self- sunk by its crew on May 5, 1945 in the western chamber of the IV entrance (Raederschleuse) in Wilhelmshaven according to the rainbow order that had existed for a long time, but was canceled by Grand Admiral Dönitz on the evening of May 4, 1945, and scrapped after the end of the war.
literature
- Clay Blair : The Submarine War. Volume 1: The Hunters. 1939-1942. Heyne, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-453-12345-X .
- Clay Blair: The Submarine War. Volume 2: The Hunted, 1942–1945. Heyne, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-453-16059-2 .
- Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 1: The German submarine commanders. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 1996, ISBN 3-8132-0490-1 .
- Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 2: U-boat construction in German shipyards. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0512-6 .
- Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine 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 .
- Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 4: German submarine losses from September 1939 to May 1945. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 1999, ISBN 3-8132-0514-2 .
- Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 5: The knight's cross bearers of the submarine weapon from September 1939 to May 1945. ES Mittler and Son, Hamburg et al. 2003, ISBN 3-8132-0515-0 .
- Erich Gröner : Die Handelsflotten der Welt 1942 and supplement 1944. JF Lehmanns Verlag, Munich 1976, ISBN 3-469-00552-4 (reprint of the 1942–1943 edition).
- Erich Gröner: Search list for ship names (= The merchant fleets of the world. Supplementary volume). JF Lehmanns Verlag Munich 1976, ISBN 3-469-00553-2 (reprint of the 1943 edition).
See also
Web links
- u-bootarchiv.de , a detailed site about German submarines (German)
Map with all coordinates: