U 68 (Navy)

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U 68 (Kriegsmarine)
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Type : IX C
Field Post Number : M 29 442
Shipyard: AG Weser , Bremen
Construction contract: August 7, 1939
Build number: 987
Keel laying: April 20, 1940
Launch: October 22, 1940
Commissioning: February 11, 1941
Commanders:
  • Feb. 11, 1941 - Jan. 21, 1943
    Corvette Captain Karl-Friedrich Merten
  • Jan. 21, 1943 - Jun. 16, 1943
    First Lieutenant Albert Lauzemis
  • June 14, 1943 - July 1943
    Oblt.zS Ekkehard Scherraus
  • Jul. 1943 - Jul. 29, 1943
    Kptlt.Gerhard Seehausen
  • Jul. 30, 1943 - Apr. 10, 1944
    Oblt.zS Albert Lauzemis
Calls: 9 activities
Sinkings:

33 ships (197,998 GRT)

Whereabouts: sunk in the Atlantic on April 10, 1944

U 68 was a German submarine of type IX C , which in World War II by the German navy was used.

history

The building contract for the boat was awarded to AG Weser in Bremen on August 7, 1939 . The keel was laid on April 20, 1940 and the launch on October 22, 1940. On February 11, 1941, it was put into service under Lieutenant Karl-Friedrich Merten .

U 68 was subordinated to the 2nd U-Flotilla ( Wilhelmshaven ) as a training boat until May 31, 1941 . After that it belonged to the 2nd U-Flotilla ( Lorient ) as a front boat until it was sunk . As a coat of arms, the boat initially had a card game symbol, the spade , on the tower . It was misinterpreted by a shipyard worker while it was in dock and replaced with a three-leaf clover. After a year of service with the boat, a private angle was added to this.

Use statistics

Under the command of several commanders, U 68 completed nine operations during its service, on which 33 ships with a total tonnage of 197,998  GRT were sunk.

First venture

The boat left Kiel on June 30, 1941 at 5:00 a.m. and entered Lorient on August 1, 1941 at 10:02 a.m. No ships were sunk or damaged on this 33-day, 6,416.5 nm above and 96.3 nm underwater undertaking in the central North Atlantic .

Second venture

The boat left Lorient on September 11, 1941 at 8:01 p.m. and returned there on December 25, 1941 at 10:50 a.m. U 68 took over on 27./28. September 1941 in the Tarafal Bay ( Santo Antão , Cape Verde ) from U 111 four G7a torpedoes and on 2/3. October 1941 from U 67 seven torpedoes, 55 m³ fuel and provisions. U 68 initially unsuccessfully patrolled the sea area around Ascension and then went to Sankt Helena. Commander Merten decided to penetrate the port of Jamestown and destroyed a British tanker lying there. On November 14, 1941 it was again supplied with fuel and provisions by the auxiliary cruiser Atlantis . On the way to the new area of ​​operations off South Africa one heard of the sinking of the Atlantis and that the crew of U 126 had been handed over to the Z-ship Python . U 68 took advantage of the renewed supply option and reached the Python on November 30, 1941. This time it took over 100 m³ of fuel and twelve torpedoes.

The next day, shortly before casting off, the Python - like the Atlantis before it - was surprised by the British heavy cruiser HMS Dorsetshire and sunk by its own crew . U 68 took 104 survivors on board and started the journey home with UA . On December 16, 1941, 60 men could be handed over to the Italian submarine Enrico di Tazzoli .

On this 114-day (17,481 nm above and 119 nm underwater) long undertaking in the Central Atlantic, around Cape Verde and in the South Atlantic with trips to the islands of Ascension and St. Helena , four ships with a total of 23,659 GRT were sunk.

  • September 22, 1941: Sinking of the British motor ship Silverbelle ( Lage ) with 5,302 GRT. The ship was sunk by two torpedoes. It had 6,000 tons of phosphates along with palm oil , copper , cocoa beans and three passengers on board and was on the way from Durban via Freetown to Liverpool . There were no casualties and 57 survivors.
  • October 22, 1941: Sinking of the British tanker Darkdale ( Lage ) with 8,145 GRT. The tanker was sunk by four torpedoes. He had loaded 3,000 tons of heating oil , 850 tons of aviation fuel and 500 tons of diesel and lubricating oil and was in the port of Jamestown (St. Helena) . There were 41 dead and eight survivors.
  • October 28, 1941: sinking of the British steamer Hazelside ( Lage ) with 5,297 GRT. The steamer was sunk by four torpedoes. He had loaded 3,476 t of general cargo and military cargo and was on the way from Cardiff via Durban to Alexandria . There were two dead and 44 survivors.
  • November 1, 1941: sinking of the British motor ship Bradford City ( Lage ) with 4,953 GRT. The ship was sunk by three torpedoes. He had loaded 9,500 tons of sugar and was on his way from Port Louis via Cape Town and Freetown to Great Britain.

Third company

The boat left Lorient on February 11, 1942 at 6:00 p.m. and returned there on April 13, 1942 at 9:15 a.m. On this 60-day journey, the boat covered 10,985 nm above and 237 nm under water. In the course of this undertaking in the mid-Atlantic and off the West African coast, Commander Merten sank seven ships with a total of 39,350 GRT.

  • March 3, 1942: sinking of the British steamer Helenus ( Lage ) with 7,366 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes. It had 4,248 t of rubber , 1,350 t of copper and two passengers on board and was on its way from Penang via Cape Town (South Africa) and Freetown (Sierra Leone) to Liverpool. There were six dead and 76 survivors.
  • March 8, 1942: sinking of the British steamer Baluchistan ( Lage ) with 6,992 GRT. The steamer was sunk by three torpedoes and artillery . He had 8,000 t of dates , general cargo and five passengers on board and was on the way from Basra via Cape Town (South Africa) to Great Britain. There were three dead and 68 survivors.
  • March 16, 1942: sinking of the British steamer Baron Newlands ( Lage ) with 3,386 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded 4,800 t of manganese ore and was on the way from Takoradi to Freetown (Sierra Leone). There were 18 dead and 20 survivors.
  • March 17, 1942: sinking of the British steamer Ile de Batz ( Lage ) with 5,755 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo and artillery. He had loaded 6,605 t of rice and general cargo and was on the way from Rangoon via Cape Town (South Africa) to Great Britain. There were four dead and 39 survivors.
  • March 17, 1942: sinking of the British motor ship Scottish Prince ( Lage ) with 4,917 GRT. The ship was sunk by two torpedoes and artillery. He had loaded 6,000 t of palm kernels , 900 t of pig iron and 600 t of castor seeds and was on the way from Calcutta via Cape Town (South Africa) and Freetown (Sierra Leone) to Great Britain. There was one dead and 38 survivors.
  • March 17, 1942: sinking of the British steamer Allende ( Lage ) with 5,081 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes. He had loaded 7,700 tons of general cargo and was on the way from Calcutta (India) and Sandheads via Cape Town (South Africa) and Freetown (Sierra Leone) to Great Britain. There were six dead and 33 survivors.
  • March 30, 1942: sinking of the British motor ship Muncaster Castle ( Lage ) with 5,853 GRT. The ship was sunk by three torpedoes. He had 3,000 tons of military equipment, trucks and 265 passengers on board and was on the way from Glasgow via Freetown (Sierra Leone) and Cape Town (South Africa) to Colombo . Five crew members and 19 passengers were killed, 82 crew members and 246 passengers were rescued.

Fourth venture

The boat left Lorient on May 14, 1942 at 8:00 p.m. and returned there on July 10, 1942 at 1:10 p.m. U 68 was supplied with 13 m³ of fuel oil in El Ferrol (Spain) on May 17, 1942 . On this 57 day trip, the boat covered 11,490 nm above and 189 nm under water. On this venture in the western Atlantic and the Caribbean, Commander Merten sank seven ships with a total of 50,898 GRT. When he reported his sinkings, he was informed by radio that the Knight's Cross had been awarded .

  • June 5, 1942: sinking of the American tanker LJ Drake with 6,693 GRT. The tanker was sunk by three torpedoes. He was carrying 72,961 barrels of gasoline and was en route from Aruba to San Juan . It was a total loss with 42 dead.
  • June 6, 1942: sinking of the Panamanian tanker CO Stillman ( Lage ) with 16,436 GRT. The tanker was sunk by two torpedoes. He had fuel oil on board and was on his way from Aruba to New York . There were three dead and 55 survivors.
  • June 10, 1942: Sinking of the British motor ship Ardenvohr ( Lage ) with 5,025 GRT. The ship was sunk by a torpedo. It had 8,900 tons of ammunition , tanks and general cargo loaded and was on its way from New York and Hampton Roads via Panama to Sydney and Melbourne . There was one dead and 53 survivors.
  • June 10, 1942: sinking of the British steamer Surrey ( Lage ) with 8,581 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes. He had loaded 9,180 tons of ammunition, tanks and general cargo and was on the way from New York and Hampton Roads via Panama to Sydney (Australia). There were twelve dead and 55 survivors. When he observed the slow sinking of the ship, Commander Merten noticed that the crew members of the Surrey in their lifeboats were trying very hard to move away from the sinking site with a conspicuous speed. He had a survivor recorded who testified that the Surrey had loaded 5,000 tons of dynamite . A short time later the British steamer exploded. The detonation lifted U 68 completely out of the water. The boat's engines and gyrocompass failed, all of the dashboard glasses broke and the crew of U 68 briefly had the impression that they had been torpedoed.
  • June 10, 1942: Sinking of the British motor ship Port Montreal ( Lage ) with 5,882 GRT. The ship was sunk by a torpedo. It had 7,500 tons of ammunition and 14 aircraft loaded and was on the way from Halifax and Hampton Roads via Panama to Melbourne (Australia). There were no casualties and 45 survivors.
  • June 15, 1942: sinking of the French tanker Frimaire with 9,242 GRT. The tanker had an unknown cargo (likely oil or fuel) and was en route from Aruba to Covenas .
  • June 23, 1942: sinking of the Panamanian tanker Arriaga ( Lage ) with 2,469 GRT. The tanker was sunk by three torpedoes. He had loaded 100 tons of general cargo and 2,000 barrels of fresh water and was on the way from Baltimore to Aruba. There was one dead and 24 survivors.

Fifth venture

The boat left Lorient on August 20, 1942 at 7:05 p.m. and returned there on December 6, 1942 at 10:00 a.m. U 68 was supplied with 106 t of fuel and provisions by U 459 from September 22 to 23, 1942 . On November 22, 1942, material for repairs was given to U 505 , and spare parts to U 513 on November 30, 1942 . On this 108-day-long and 17,254 nm above and 553 nm underwater expedition in the South Atlantic near the island of Ascension and off South Africa and Cape Town , nine ships with a total of 56,330 GRT were sunk.

  • September 12, 1942: sinking of the British motor ship Trevilley ( Lage ) with 5,296 GRT. The ship was sunk by a torpedo and artillery. He had loaded 6,000 t of general cargo and military cargo and was on the way from Middlesbrough and Oban to Cape Town (South Africa) and Beira . The ship belonged to the disbanded convoy OS-38 with 31 ships. There were two dead and 51 survivors.
  • September 15, 1942: sinking of the Dutch steamer Breedijk ( Lage ) with 6,861 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded 7,700 tons of general cargo and was on the way from Calcutta via Table Bay in South Africa to Freetown in Sierra Leone. There were two dead and 50 survivors.
  • October 8, 1942: sinking of the Greek steamer Koumoundouros with 3,598 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes. He had loaded 5,539 t of maize and was on the way from Rosario via Table Bay in South Africa to Buenos Aires . There were five dead and 26 survivors.
  • October 8, 1942: sinking of the Dutch steamer Gaasterkerk ( Lage ) with 8,679 GRT. The steamer was sunk by three torpedoes. He drove in ballast and was on the way from Alexandria , Aden and Cape Town (South Africa) to New York. There were no casualties and 64 survivors.
  • October 8, 1942: Sinking of the American tanker Swiftsure ( Lage ) with 8,207 GRT. The tanker was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded 70,000 barrels of diesel oil and was on his way from Abadan to Cape Town (South Africa). There were no casualties and 31 survivors.
  • October 8, 1942: sinking of the British steamer Sarthe ( Lage ) with 5,271 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes. He had loaded 6,000 tons of bauxite and wood and was on the way from Port Said , Aden and Lourenco Marques ( Mozambique ) to Rio de Janeiro and Buenos Aires (Argentina). There were no casualties and 57 survivors.
  • October 9, 1942: sinking of the American steamer Examelia ( Lage ) with 4,981 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded 5,778 t of chrome ore , jute and general cargo and was on the way from Colombo (Sri Lanka) to Cape Town (South Africa). There were eleven dead and 51 survivors.
  • October 9, 1942: sinking of the Belgian steamer Belgian Fighter ( Lage ) with 5,403 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes. He had loaded 2,500 t of manganese ore and was on the way from Aden (Yemen) via Cape Town (South Africa) to New York. There were five dead and 46 survivors.
  • November 6, 1942: sinking of the British steamer City of Cairo ( Lage ) with 8,034 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes. He had 7,422 t of wood, iron, wool and 101 passengers on board and was on the way from Bombay via Durban (South Africa) and Cape Town (South Africa) via Recife to Great Britain. 82 crew members and 22 passengers were killed, 128 crew members and 79 passengers were rescued.

Sixth venture

The boat left Lorient on February 3, 1943 at 4:00 p.m. and returned there on May 7, 1943 at 3:30 p.m. U 68 was supplied with 25 m³ of fuel and provisions by U 117 on April 24, 1943 . On this 94 day long and 11,051 nm over and 1,433 nm underwater expedition in the western Atlantic and the western Caribbean, two ships with a total of 10,186 GRT were sunk.

  • March 13, 1943: sinking of the Dutch steamer Ceres ( Lage ) with 2,680 GRT. The steamer was sunk by three torpedoes. He had loaded 3,386 t of general cargo and was on the way from New York via Guantanamo Bay and Curacao to Paramaribo . The ship belonged to convoy GAT-49. There were two dead and 35 survivors.
  • March 13, 1943: Sinking of the American tanker Cities Service Missouri ( Lage ) with 7,506 GRT. The tanker was sunk by two torpedoes. He was in ballast and was on his way from New York to Aruba. The ship belonged to convoy GAT-49. There were two dead and 52 survivors.

On April 2, 1943 at 4:06 p.m., the boat was slightly damaged by a Martin PBM Mariner (aircraft: P-6, unit: VP-204) with three bombs.

Seventh venture

The boat left Lorient on June 13, 1943 at 9:00 p.m. and returned there on June 16, 1943 at 2:45 p.m. In an air raid in the Bay of Biscay, the boat lost the commander and three men to injury, one man had gone overboard. After consulting the doctor from U 155 , the journey was canceled. No ships were sunk or damaged on this four-day expedition into the Bay of Biscay.

Eighth venture

The boat left Lorient on August 1, 1943 at 7:50 p.m. and returned there on December 23, 1943 at 12:26 p.m. U 68 returned to Lorient on August 3, 1943 to install a radio measurement monitoring device (FuMB) from the Hagenuk company and left again on August 14, 1943 at 7:20 p.m. During the deep dive test, a weld seam tore and the boat ran in again on August 15, 1943 at 8:43 p.m. It finally left Lorient on September 8, 1943 at 7:00 p.m. It was supplied with 41.8 m³ of fuel and provisions by U 488 on September 29, 1943 . On this 106 day long and about 10,830 nm over and 2,375 nm underwater operation in the mid-Atlantic west of the Azores and West Africa, three ships with a total of 17,116 GRT and an auxiliary submarine hunter with 545 GRT were sunk.

  • October 21, 1943: Sinking of the British auxiliary submarine hunter HMS Orfasay ( Lage ) with 545 GRT. The ship was sunk by a torpedo.
  • October 22, 1943: sinking of the Norwegian tanker Litiopa ( Lage ) with 5,356 GRT. The tanker was sunk by artillery. He drove in ballast and was on the way from Lagos to Freetown (Sierra Leone). There were no casualties and 35 survivors.
  • October 31, 1943: sinking of the British steamer New Columbia ( Lage ) with 6,574 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two FAT- I torpedoes. He had loaded 1,500 tons of copper, 2,500 tons of cotton, 350 tons of palm oil, 600 tons of beer , 100 tons of palm kernels, 100 tons of rice, 350 tons of cobalt ore and mail and was on the way from Matadi and Libreville to Lagos . There were no casualties and 84 survivors.
  • November 30, 1943: sinking of the French steamer Fort de Vaux with 5,186 GRT. The steamer was sunk by four torpedoes. He had loaded 5,800 tons of coffee , cotton and palm oil and was on the way from Takoradi to Freetown (Sierra Leone). There were no casualties and 61 survivors.

Ninth venture

The boat left Lorient on March 22, 1944 at 18:30; due to damage, it returned to Lorient on March 23, 1944 and left again on March 27, 1944. U 68 was sunk in the Atlantic on April 10, 1944. It was supplied again by U 488 before it was sunk . No ships were sunk or damaged on this 17-day venture in the Central Atlantic and West Africa.

Whereabouts

The boat was discovered on the morning of April 10, 1944 in the mid-Atlantic at around 6 a.m. by aircraft belonging to the US escort aircraft carrier USS Guadalcanal via on-board radar. They attacked the submarine northwest of Madeira Island with depth charges and missiles. An F4F Wildcat and two TBF Avenger machines from Squadron VC-58 were involved. Two explosions could be observed, one on deck and one under water. It was to be assumed that this was fatal to the boat. The barges arrived at the scene two hours later . They found four air bottles that were recovered. These looked very good, as if they had not been stowed on deck. Two sailors were discovered floating in the water, but only one was still alive and was taken on board. The USS Flaherty later took the dead sailor and other equipment on board. Various body parts, jackets, pants, pillows, oil, etc. were found, so that it was to be assumed that the submarine was fatally hit.

The survivor was in poor shape from having been floating in the water for some time. However, he quickly recovered on board and could then be interrogated. He stated that at the time of the attack the flak was on deck. An explosion would have thrown him into the sea. The other 56 crew members were killed. The boat sank at position 33 ° 24 ′  N , 18 ° 59 ′  W in marine grid square DH 2464.

Remarks

  1. ↑ Actually, steel cylinders filled with air cannot swim - the question arises what was really meant here.
  1. ^ Georg Högel: Emblems, coats of arms, Malings German submarines 1939-1945. 5th edition. Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Hamburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-7822-1002-7 , page 49
  2. ↑ Clay Blair : The Submarine War. Volume 1: The Hunters. 1939-1942. Heyne, Munich 1998, page 479
  3. ^ A b Clay Blair : The Submarine War. Volume 1: The Hunters. 1939-1942. Heyne, Munich 1998, pages 712-713

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 .
  • 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).
  • Georg Högel: Emblems, coats of arms, Maling's German submarines 1939–1945. 4th edition. Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Hamburg 2001, ISBN 3-7822-0826-9 .
  • Paul Kemp: The German and Austrian submarine losses in both world wars. Urbes Verlag, Graefelfing before Munich 1998, ISBN 3-924896-43-7 .
  • Karl Friedrich Merten: According to compass. The memories of the commanders of U-68. Unabridged edition, licensed edition approved. Ullstein, Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-548-26402-6 .

See also

Web links