U 79 (Navy)
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U 79 (Kriegsmarine) ( previous / next - all submarines ) |
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 Würzburg's coat of arms, used by U 79 as an emblem |
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| Type : | VII C |
| Field Post Number : | M 01 828 |
| Shipyard: | Vegesacker shipyard , Bremen |
| Construction contract: | January 25, 1939 |
| Build number: | 007 |
| Keel laying: | April 17, 1940 |
| Launch: | January 25, 1941 |
| Commissioning: | March 13, 1941 |
| Commanders: |
March 13, 1941 - December 23, 1941 |
| Flotilla: |
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| Calls: | 6 activities |
| Sinkings: |
2 ships (2983 GRT) |
| Whereabouts: | sunk in the Mediterranean off Tobruk on December 23, 1941 |
U 79 was a German submarine of type VIIC that in World War II by the German navy was used.
history
The order for the boat was awarded on January 25, 1939 to the Vegesacker Werft , a subsidiary of Bremer Vulkan , which was founded especially for submarine construction, in Bremen . The keel was laid on April 17, 1940, the launch on January 25, 1941, the commissioning under Lieutenant Wolfgang Kaufmann finally took place on March 13, 1941. Like many German submarines of its time, the U 79 had boat-specific symbols that were selected by the crew, changed over the course of the mission and were worn by soldiers on caps and boats . These included various symbols of good luck, such as a brownie, a lucky pig or a teddy bear . The emblem of the boat was the coat of arms of Würzburg .
After its commissioning on March 13, 1941, the boat belonged to the 1st U-Flotilla as a training boat until June 30, 1941 and was stationed in Kiel . After training, U 79 remained from July 1, 1941 to September 30, 1941 as a front boat with the 1st U-Flotilla and was stationed in Brest . From October 1, 1941 until its sinking on December 23, 1941, the boat belonged to the 29th submarine flotilla in La Spezia .
Use statistics
During his service, commander Wilhelm Kaufmann led U 79 on six operations, on which he sank two ships with a total tonnage of 2,983 GRT and damaged one with a tonnage of 10,356 GRT. A ship of 625 GRT was classified as a total loss.
First venture
The boat was launched on June 5, 1941 at 9:20 AM from Kiel and on July 5, 1941 at 14:08 to Lorient one. On this trip into the North Atlantic , which lasted 31 days and was around 6,600 nm above and 150 nm under water , a ship with 1,524 GRT was sunk and a ship with 10,356 GRT was damaged.
- June 11, 1941: sinking of the Norwegian steamer Havtor ( Lage ) with 1,524 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo and artillery . He was in ballast and was on his way from Reykjavík to Pictou ( Nova Scotia ). There were six dead and 14 survivors.
- June 27, 1941: Damage to the Dutch tanker Tibia with 10,356 GRT. The tanker was damaged by a torpedo. He had diesel loaded and was on his way from Curaçao and Bermuda to Old Kilpatrick, Scotland. The ship belonged to convoy HX-113 .
Second venture
The boat left Lorient on July 21, 1941 at 4:55 p.m. and returned there on August 16, 1941 at 1:15 p.m. A ship with 2,475 GRT was sunk on this 26-day, approx. 4,900 nm above and 167 nm underwater undertaking in the North Atlantic and west of Spain .
- July 27, 1941: sinking of the British steamer Hawkinge ( Lage ) with 2,475 GRT. The steamer was sunk by three torpedoes. He had loaded 2,806 tons of coal and was on the way from Glasgow to Lisbon . The ship belonged to convoy OG-69 with 27 ships. There were 15 dead and 16 survivors.
Third company
The boat left Lorient on September 14, 1941 at 8:00 p.m. and returned there on September 18, 1941 at 4:27 p.m. No ships were sunk or damaged on this four-day and approximately 850 nm over and 43 nm underwater expedition into the Biscaya , which had to be canceled due to the commander's illness.
Fourth venture
The boat left Lorient on September 28, 1941 at 11:00 a.m. and entered Salamis on October 23, 1941 . On this 26 day long and about 4,350 nm above and 433 nm long undertaking, the Strait of Gibraltar was breached on October 5, 1941 and operations were carried out in the eastern Mediterranean . A gunboat weighing 625 t was so badly damaged that it is considered a total loss.
- October 21, 1941: Damage to the British gunboat HMS Gnat with 625 tons. The boat was so badly damaged by two torpedoes that it was removed from the list of warships after being towed in.
Fifth venture
The boat left Salamis on November 29, 1941 at 10:00 a.m. and returned there on December 8, 1941 at 9:11 a.m. No ships were sunk or damaged during this nine-day and approximately 1,300 nm above and 131 nm underwater expedition in the Mediterranean Sea off the Cyrenaica coast and Tobruk .
Sixth venture
The boat left Salamis on December 21, 1941 and was sunk on December 23, 1941. No ships were sunk during this three day expedition into the Mediterranean Sea and the Cyrenaica coast.
Whereabouts
U 79 was on 23 December 1941 in the Mediterranean off Tobruk by water bombs British destroyer HMS Hasty and HMS Hotspur in position 32 ° 15 ' N , 25 ° 19' O forced marine-grid square CO 6794 to the emergence and by the crew even sunk . All 44 crew members were saved.
U 79 did not lose any crew members during its service life.
Individual evidence
- ^ 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 51
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