U 659

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
U 659
( previous / next - all submarines )
Type : VII C
Field Post Number : 47 074
Shipyard: Howaldtswerke Hamburg
Construction contract: October 9, 1939
Build number: 808
Keel laying: February 12, 1941
Launch: October 14, 1941
Commissioning: December 9, 1941
Commanders:

First Lieutenant
Hans Stock

Flotilla:
Calls: 5 patrols
Sinkings:

1 ship (7518 GRT , 50 dead)

Whereabouts: sunk on May 4, 1943 in the mid-Atlantic in a collision with U 409 (44 dead, 3 prisoners of war)

U 659 was a German type VII C submarine, which was also known as the “Atlantic boat ” due to its performance. The Navy put U 659 during the submarine war one in the North and Central Atlantic. The submarine sank a British tanker of 7,518 GRT, killing 50 people and damaging three ships. During the attack on a convoy , U 659 was rammedby U 439 in the mid-Atlantic on May 4, 1943and sank very quickly. 44 crew members died through the fault of their own people , and only three escaped from the sinking boat. These weretaken on boardas prisoners of war by a British speedboat.

Technical specifications

After the start of the war, the production of the Hamburg Howaldtswerke was essentially converted to submarine construction. Nevertheless, this shipyard could not achieve the planned annual output of 16 submarines - increased to 22 boats from mid-1943. By the end of the war, the Hamburg Howaldtswerke delivered 33 Type VII C submarines to the Navy. Such a boat had a length of 67 m and a displacement of 865 m³ under water. It was propelled over water by two diesel engines, which enabled a speed of 17 knots . Two electric motors produced a speed of 7 knots under water. The armament consisted of a 8.8 cm cannon and a 2.0 cm flak on deck as well as four bow torpedo tubes and a stern torpedo tube.

Convoy battles

Commander Hans Stock (1915–1943) sank a ship on his trips with the U 659 and damaged three others. On September 9, 1942, U 584 reported a convoy. On the afternoon of the following day, several submarines attacked the 32-ship convoy, ON 127. In this attack, Commander Stock damaged a tanker that was later sunk by Commander Deecke of U 584 .

  • Damaged British tanker Empire Oil (8,029 GRT) on September 10, 1942

During the attack on the convoy SL 125 in autumn of the same year, Commander Stock sank a tanker with a shot that had already been hit by Commander Massmann of U 409 and was drifting along. 50 crew members of the tanker were killed and only six were saved.

  • on October 30, 1942 British tanker Bullmouth (7519 GRT) sunk ( Lage )

About 20 hours later that same day, Commander Stock damaged two more ships.

  • Damaged British steamer Corinaldo (7131 GRT) on October 30, 1942
  • Damaged British freighter Tasmania (6405 GRT) on October 30, 1942

Loss of the boat

On May 3, 1943, U 659 pursued an Allied convoy, which consisted of motor torpedo boats that had been ordered to support the Tunisian campaign in the Mediterranean , but lost it out of sight. To the west of Cape Finisterre , Commander Stock spotted another convoy and decided to approach it at 15 knots. In doing so, U 659 cut the course of U 439 , whose tower watch observed the convoy and did not notice the approaching boat. U 439 rammed U 659 near the tower , which led to water ingress, as a result of which U 659 sank rapidly ( position ). 44 crew members were torn to their deaths - among them Commander Hans Stock - and only three managed to get out of the sinking boat. A British speedboat took the three on board as prisoners of war .

literature

  • Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 1: The German submarine commanders. Preface by Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rohwer, Member of the Presidium of the International Commission on Military History. ES Mittler and Son, Hamburg / Berlin / Bonn 1996, p. 235. ISBN 3-8132-0490-1 .
  • Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 2: Submarine construction in German shipyards. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg / Berlin / Bonn 1997, pp. 63, 235. ISBN 978-3-8132-0512-1 .
  • Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 3: The German submarine successes from September 1939 to May 1945. ES Mittler and Son, Hamburg / Berlin / Bonn 2008, pp. 281f. ISBN 978-3-8132-0513-8 .
  • Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 4: The German submarine losses from September 1939 to May 1945. ES Mittler and Son, Hamburg / Berlin / Bonn 2008, p. 89f. ISBN 978-3-8132-0514-5 .
  • Erich Gröner, Dieter Jung, Martin Maas: The German warships 1815-1945. Volume 3: Submarines, auxiliary cruisers, mine ships, net layers. Bernhard & Graefe Verlag, Munich 1985, ISBN 3-7637-4802-4 .
  • Clay Blair: The Submarine War - The Hunters 1939–1942 . Heyne Verlag, 1998. pp. 642f. ISBN 3-4531-2345-X .
  • Paul Kemp: The German and Austrian submarine losses in both world wars. Urbes Verlag, Graefelfing before Munich 1998, ISBN 3-924896-43-7 .

Web links