U 66 (Navy)

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U 66 (Kriegsmarine)
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U-66 U-117 Luftangriff.jpg
Air raid on U 66 (left) and U 117
Type : IX C
Field Post Number : M 21 181
Shipyard: AG Weser , Bremen
Construction contract: August 7, 1939
Build number: 985
Keel laying: March 20, 1940
Launch: October 10, 1940
Commissioning: January 2, 1941
Commanders:
Calls: 10 patrols
Sinkings:

33 ships (196,928 GRT)

Whereabouts: sunk on May 6, 1944 after severe damage (26 dead [incl. 2 British], 36 prisoners of war)

U 66 was a German submarine of the type IX C that was used by the navy during World War II . On its 10 patrols it sank 33 ships with a total of 196,928 GRT, whereby a total of 742 people were killed. During the fighting of the U 66 by the US destroyer escort USS Buckley with subsequent self- sinking on May 6, 1944, 24 of its crew members and two British prisoners of war died , while 36 men of the U 66 were captured by the US .

history

The order for the boat was awarded to AG Weser in Bremen on August 7, 1939 . The keel was laid on March 20, 1940, the launch on October 10, 1940, the commissioning under Corvette Captain Richard Zapp finally took place on January 2, 1941.

After its commissioning on January 2, 1941, the boat belonged to the 2nd U-Flotilla in Wilhelmshaven and Lorient as a training and front boat until it was sunk on May 6, 1944 .

During its service, U 66 undertook ten patrols, on which it sank 33 ships with a total tonnage of 196,928 GRT , killing a total of 742 people and damaging four with a total tonnage of 22,738 GRT.

Use statistics

First patrol

The boat left Kiel on May 13, 1941 at 1.30 p.m. and entered Lorient on June 11, 1941 at 10:08 a.m. No ships were sunk or damaged on this 30-day, 4,600 nm above and 329 nm underwater expedition in the North Atlantic , southeast of Farewell and the western Biscay .

Second patrol

The boat left Lorient on June 23, 1941 at 6:00 p.m. and returned there on August 5, 1941 at 8:05 p.m. On this 43-day and 7,631 nm above and 526 nm underwater expedition in the mid-Atlantic, the Cape Verde Islands and off Freetown , four ships with 19,078 GRT were sunk.

  • June 29, 1941: sinking of the Greek steamer George J. Goulandris ( Lage ) with 4,345 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes . He had loaded sugar and was on his way from Mauritius to Leith . The ship was a straggler of the SL-78 convoys . There were no casualties and 28 survivors.
  • June 29, 1941: sinking of the Greek steamer Kalypso Vergotti ( Lage ) with 5,686 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded 7,000 tons of iron ore and was on the way from Pepel ( Sierra Leone ) to Glasgow . The ship was a straggler of the SL-78 convoys. It was a total loss with 36 dead.
  • June 30, 1941: sinking of the British steamer Saint Anselm ( Lage ) with 5,614 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded 2,500 tons of iron bars , 650 tons of lentils and 5,154 tons of peanuts and was on the way from Calcutta via Freetown to Hull . The ship belonged to the disbanded convoy SL-78 with 25 ships. There were 34 dead and 33 survivors.
  • July 19, 1941: sinking of the British steamer Holmside ( Lage ) with 3,433 GRT. The steamer was sunk by three torpedoes. He was in ballast and was on the way from Hull to Pepel (Sierra Leone). The ship belonged to the disbanded convoy OG-67 with 51 ships. There were 21 dead and 16 survivors.

Third patrol

The boat left Lorient on August 28, 1941 at 9:12 p.m., and returned there on November 9, 1941 at 10:45 a.m. A ship with 7,052 GRT was sunk on this 73-day-long and approximately 10,500 nm above and 238 nm underwater expedition in the Central Atlantic, the Cape Verde Islands and the North Atlantic.

  • September 27, 1941: sinking of the Panamanian tanker IC White ( Lage ) with 7,052 GRT. The tanker was sunk by two torpedoes. He had loaded crude oil and was on his way from Curaçao to Table Bay . There were three dead and 34 survivors.

Fourth patrol

The boat left Lorient on December 25, 1941 at 1:19 p.m. and returned there on February 10, 1942 at 11:40 a.m.

On this 47 day long and about 7,500 nm above and 414 nm underwater expedition in the west Atlantic on the east coast of the USA, five ships with 33,456 GRT were sunk.

  • January 18, 1942: sinking of the American tanker Allan Jackson ( Lage ) with 6,635 GRT. The tanker was sunk by two torpedoes. He had loaded 72,870 barrels of crude oil and was en route from Cartagena to New York . There were 22 dead and 13 survivors.
  • 19 January 1942: sinking of the Canadian steamer RMS Lady Hawkins ( Lage ) with 7,988 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes. He had 2,908 t general cargo as well as 213 passengers and 109 crew members on board and was on the way from Halifax and Boston to Bermuda . 86 crew members and 164 passengers were killed, 22 crew members and 49 passengers were rescued.
  • January 22, 1942: sinking of the US steamer Norvana with 2,677 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes. He had loaded 3,980 tons of ore and was on the way from Nuvitas ( Cuba ) to Philadelphia . It was a total loss with 29 dead.
  • January 24, 1942: Sinking of the British tanker Empire Gem ( Lage ) with 8,139 GRT. The tanker was sunk by two torpedoes. He had loaded 10,629 tons of gasoline and 920 tons of machine oil and was on the way from Port Arthur via Halifax to Great Britain. There were 51 dead and two survivors.
  • January 24, 1942: sinking of the American steamer Venore ( Lage ) with 8,017 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded 22,250 tons of iron ore and was on the way from Chile to Baltimore . There was one dead and 21 survivors.

Fifth patrol

The boat left Lorient on March 21, 1942 at 7:10 p.m., and returned there on May 27, 1942 at 12 p.m. On this 67 day long and 10,447 nm above and 478 nm underwater operation in the western Atlantic and the Caribbean , six ships with 43,956 GRT were sunk and one ship with 12,502 GRT was damaged.

  • April 14, 1942: sinking of the Greek steamer Korthion ( Lage ) with 2,116 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded bauxite and was on his way from Paramaribo to New York (USA). There were 14 dead and nine survivors.
  • April 16, 1942: sinking of the Dutch tanker Amsterdam ( Lage ) with 7,329 GRT. The tanker was sunk by two torpedoes. He had loaded 9,500 tons of oil and was on the way from Beaumont via Freetown (Sierra Leone) to Great Britain. There were two dead and 38 survivors.
  • April 17, 1942: sinking of the Panamanian tanker Heinrich von Riedemann ( Lage ) with 11,020 GRT. The tanker was sunk by three torpedoes. He had 130,000 barrels of refined oil on his load and was on his way to Aruba . There were no casualties, 44 survivors.
  • April 26, 1942: sinking of the US steamer Alcoa Partner ( Lage ) with 5,513 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes. He had loaded 8,500 tons of bauxite and was on his way from Trinidad to Mobile . There were ten dead and 24 survivors.
  • April 29, 1942: sinking of the Panamanian tanker Harry G. Seidel with 10,354 GRT. The tanker was sunk by two torpedoes. He was in ballast and was on his way from Aruba to Caripite . There were two dead and 48 survivors.
  • May 2, 1942: sinking of the Norwegian tanker Sandar ( Lage ) with 7,624 GRT. The tanker was sunk by three torpedoes. He had 11,500 tons of diesel loaded and was on the way from Trinidad to Gibraltar . There were two dead and 35 survivors.
  • May 3, 1942: Damage to the British tanker George W. McKnight with 12,502 GRT. The tanker was damaged by a torpedo and artillery . He drove in ballast. The ship was a straggler from convoy ON-87.

Sixth patrol

The boat left Lorient on June 23, 1942 at 8:35 p.m., and returned there on September 29, 1942 at 3:30 p.m. From September 12, 1942 to September 14, 1942, the boat met U 460, which was providing medical care to U 66 and handed him 30 m³ of fuel and provisions. The boat was serviced a second time on September 25, 1942 in El Ferrol ( Spain ). On this 98-day and approximately 14,050 nm above and 894 nm underwater undertaking, during which one CGC, two MRB and three TMB mines were laid in the entrance of Port Castries , in the west Atlantic, the Caribbean, southeast of Trinidad , nine ships with 49,274 GRT and two motor torpedo boats (MTB) with 64 GRT were sunk.

  • July 9, 1942: sinking of the Yugoslavian steamer Triglav ( Lage ) with 6,363 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes. He had loaded 9,000 t of manganese ore and zinc and was on the way from Lourenco Marques ( Mozambique ) to New York. There were 24 dead and 19 survivors.
  • July 26, 1942: sinking of the Brazilian steamer Tamandaré ( Lage ) with 4,942 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded 6,600 tons of cargo including coffee and was on the way from Pernambuco to La Guaria ( Venezuela ). There were four dead and 48 survivors.
  • July 28, 1942: sinking of the British motor ship Weirbank ( Lage ) with 5,150 GRT. The ship was sunk by a torpedo. It drove in ballast and was on its way from Alexandria via Durban to Trinidad and New York. There was one dead and 66 survivors.
  • 2nd August 1942: sinking of the British motor torpedo boat MTB-339 with 35 GRT. The boat was sunk by a mine hit.
  • August 2, 1942: sinking of the British motor torpedo boat MTB-342 with 35 GRT. The boat was sunk by a mine hit.
  • August 6, 1942: sinking of the Polish motor ship Rozewie ( Lage ) with 766 GRT. The ship was sunk with a torpedo. He had loaded 814 t of general cargo and was on the way from Para via Trinidad to New York. There were three dead and 15 survivors.
  • August 29, 1942: sinking of the American steamer Topa Topa ( Lage ) with 5,356 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes. He had loaded cars , planes and 800 tons of gasoline and was on the way from Trinidad to Takoradi . There were 25 dead and 35 survivors.
  • August 30, 1942: sinking of the Panamanian motor ship Sir Huon ( Lage ) with 6,049 GRT. The ship was sunk by two torpedoes. It had loaded 5,000 tons of manganese and chrome ore and 1.04 tons of sisal and was on its way from Suez , Port Elizabeth and Trinidad to Baltimore . There were no casualties and 46 survivors.
  • August 30, 1942: sinking of the US steamer West Lashaway ( Lage ) with 5,637 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes. He had loaded cocoa beans , tin, copper and palm oil and was on his way from Takoradi to New York via Trinidad. There were 39 dead and 17 survivors.
  • August 31, 1942: sinking of the British tanker Winamac ( Lage ) with 8,621 GRT. The tanker was sunk by two torpedoes. He had loaded 12,500 tons of heating oil and was on the way from Trinidad to Gibraltar . There were 31 dead and 21 survivors.
  • September 9, 1942: sinking of the Swedish motor ship Peiping ( Lage ) with 6,390 GRT. The ship was sunk by two torpedoes. He had loaded 9,950 tons of wool , hides and fats and was on his way from Buenos Aires (Argentina) to New York. There were three dead and 31 survivors.

Seventh patrol

The boat left Lorient on November 9, 1942 at 5.10 p.m. and returned there on November 11, 1942 at 9 p.m. The venture had to be canceled in the Bay of Biscay due to aircraft damage. It lasted two days and no ships were sunk or damaged.

Eighth patrol

The boat left Lorient on January 6, 1943 at 4:30 p.m. and returned there on March 24, 1943 at 6:00 a.m. The boat was supplied with 67 m³ of fuel and provisions by U 461 on March 1, 1943 . On this 77 day long and about 10,870 nm over and 1,012 nm underwater expedition in the Central Atlantic, the Canary Islands and the Azores , two ships with 4,425 GRT were sunk. In addition, the company "Sturm" was to be carried out, on which an agent was to be dropped off on the border between Spanish Morocco and Mauritania . The attempt failed, the French agent surrendered to the authorities. During this operation, two men from the boat's crew were arrested, they were supposed to bring the agent ashore, but did not come back. They were arrested by the Free French .

  • February 1, 1943: sinking of the French fish liner Joseph Elise ( Lage ) with 113 GRT. The steamer was sunk by artillery. He had loaded supplies for the Resistance in France.
  • February 27, 1943: sinking of the British steamer St. Margaret with 4,312 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes. He had 6,000 tons of general cargo and coal and seven passengers on board. He was on his way from Liverpool to Pernambuco and Buenos Aires . There were three dead and 47 survivors.

Ninth patrol

The boat left Lorient on April 27, 1943 at 6 p.m. and returned there on September 1, 1943 at 1:05 p.m. On this 127-day and approximately 11,400 nm above and 2,760 nm underwater undertaking in the west Atlantic , the east coast of the USA, the mid-Atlantic and the Azores, two ships with 20,368 GRT were sunk and one ship with 10,172 GRT was damaged. On August 3, 1943, the commander was wounded in an air raid on the boat. In total, there were two dead and eight injured. The boat met U 117 on August 6, 1943 , the doctor came on board and a man transferred from U 117 to U 66 . On the march back, the boat was once again supplied with 19 m³ of fuel and provisions by U 847 .

  • June 10, 1943: Sinking of the US tanker Esso Gettysburg ( Lage ) with 10,173 GRT. The tanker was sunk by two torpedoes. He had 120,120 barrels of crude oil loaded and was en route from Port Arthur to Philadelphia. There were 42 dead and 15 survivors.
  • July 2, 1943: Sinking of the American tanker Bloody Marsh ( Lage ) with 10,195 GRT. The tanker was sunk by two torpedoes. He had 106,496 barrels of fuel oil destined for the US Navy loaded and was en route from Houston to New York. There were three dead and 75 survivors.
  • July 22, 1943: Damage to the US tanker Cherry Valley with 10,172 GRT. The tanker was damaged by two torpedoes. He was on his way from New York to Aruba. There were no casualties, 79 survivors.

Tenth patrol

The boat left Lorient on January 16, 1944 at 5:30 p.m. and was sunk in the Mid-Atlantic on May 6, 1944 after damage. On this 111-day expedition into the Central Atlantic, off Freetown, in the Gulf of Guinea and back into the Central Atlantic, four ships with 19,754 GRT were sunk.

  • February 26, 1944: Sinking of the British motor ship Silvermaple ( Lage ) with 5,313 GRT. The ship was sunk by a torpedo. It had 5,395 tons of general cargo, mail and a passenger on board and was on its way from Bathurst via Freetown to Takoradi. The ship belonged to the convoy STL-12 with 13 ships. There were seven dead and 57 survivors.
  • March 1, 1944: sinking of the French steamer Saint Louis ( Lage ) with 5,202 GRT. The ship was sunk by a torpedo. It had 1,067 tons of general cargo, 70 legionaries and 16 passengers on board and was on the way from Takoradi to Lomé . 24 crew members, 41 legionnaires and 15 passengers were killed. 16 crew members, 29 legionnaires and one passenger were rescued.
  • March 5, 1944: sinking of the British steamer John Holt ( Lage ) with 4,964 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had 2,600 tons of cement , 100 tons of general cargo, mail and four passengers on board and was on his way from London via Lagos and Douala to Warri . There were no casualties and 86 survivors. The captain and a passenger were captured by U 66 . They died when the boat sank on May 6, 1944.
  • March 20, 1944: Sinking of the British tanker Matadian ( Lage ) with 4,275 GRT. The tanker was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded 5,380 t of palm oil and was on the way from Port Harcourt via Lagos (Nigeria) to Great Britain. There were no casualties and 43 survivors.

Sinking

Consequences of the ram impact on the USS Buckley

On May 1, 1944 U 66 west in the mid-Atlantic to the Cape Verde Islands by several warships of the US Navy as well as Avenger VC-55 aircraft intended the Squadron of the US - escort aircraft carrier USS Block Iceland attacked and the morning of May 6 1944 by the US Escort destroyer USS Buckley posed and shot unclear. After shelling each other with artillery and torpedoes, the USS Buckley under the command of Brent Abel managed to ram the submarine. When this was wedged with the destroyer, a German boarding command under the command of the first officer on watch from U 66 , Klaus Herbig, tried to storm the destroyer, while Commander Seehausen and his crew tried to free the boat. On board the destroyer there was close combat in which several Germans were killed or wounded, while all Americans were uninjured except for scratches on one hand. When the submarine was released, five armed Germans were still on board the Buckley , but they were overwhelmed and captured. Conversely, however, there were two British prisoners from the John Holt in the submarine. The Buckley fired again with her 3-inch cannon at the submarine, which turned, however, ramming Buckley in the engine room and damaging its starboard propeller. U 66 , however, was so badly damaged that it Seehausen own sink and let go of the crew onboard. A total of 24 crew members of U 66 - including the commander Seehausen - and the two British prisoners were killed. The surviving German submarine drivers swam in the water, were taken on board by the Buckley as prisoners of war and later transferred to Block Island together with the five previously captured - a total of 36 prisoners . U 66 sank at position 17 ° 17 ′  N , 32 ° 29 ′  W in marine grid square AM 1314.

Lt Cmdr Brent Able, USNR , received the Navy Cross for this achievement as commanding officer of the USS Buckley .

Photo gallery

The names of the rescued (prisoners of war from U 66 on board the USS Block Island , transferred by the USS Buckley ) are in the description of the picture.

  • Officers

  • NCOs

  • Teams

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 .
  • Robert M. Browning Jr .: US Merchant Vessel War casualties of World War II. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD 1996, ISBN 1-55750-087-8 .
  • 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 .
  • Günther W. Gellermann: The other order. Agent missions of German submarines in World War II. Bernard & Graefe, Bonn 1997, ISBN 3-7637-5971-9 , pp. 15-17.
  • 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).
  • Paul Kemp: The German and Austrian submarine losses in both world wars. Urbes Verlag, Graefelfing before Munich 1998, ISBN 3-924896-43-7 .

See also

Web links