U-13 is a small type IIB submarine from World War II . An order for construction was given on February 2, 1935 . The boat was laid at the shipyard of the shipbuilding company Deutsche Werke , Kiel on June 20, 1935 under serial number 248. Launched on November 9, 1935 . November 30, 1935 adopted and, under the command of Lieutenant Hans-Gerrit von Stockhausen, became part of the 1st Flotilla . [one]
| U-13 | |
|---|---|
| Ship history | |
| Flag state |  Germany |
| Port of registry | Kiel , Wilhelmshaven |
| Launching | November 9, 1935 |
| Withdrawn from the fleet | May 31, 1940 |
| Current status | sunk |
| Main characteristics | |
| Type of ship | Small DPL |
| Project designation | IIB |
| Speed (surface) | 13 knots |
| Speed (underwater) | 7.0 knots |
| Immersion depth | 150 m |
| Crew | 26 people |
| Dimensions | |
| Surface displacement | 279 t |
| Underwater displacement | 328 t |
| Length is the greatest (on design basis) | 42.7 m |
| The width of the body naib. | 4.08 m |
| Height | 8.6 m |
| Average draft (on design basis) | 3.90 m |
| Power point | |
| 6- cylinder 4-stroke "MWM" RS127S 2x350 hp electric motor "Siemens" 2x180 hp | |
| Armament | |
| Artillery | 1 x 2 cm / 65 C / 30 (1000 shells) |
| Torpedo mine weapons | 3 TA caliber 533 mm, 5 torpedoes or 18 min TMB or 12 TMA |
Service History
She made 9 military campaigns, sunk 9 vessels (28,056 gross ), damaged 3 vessels (26,218 gross ). Sunk on May 31, 1940 southeast of Lowestoft at a point with coordinates deep bombs of the British sloop Weston. All 26 crew members were rescued.
First and second campaigns
On August 25, 1939, U-13 left Wilhelmshaven on her first military campaign. The order was to monitor maritime traffic in the North Sea , but on August 29 it was recalled to prepare for an operation to install minefields.
Since August 31, the U-boat arrived in Wilhelmshaven , and, after a short preparation, on September 2 again went to sea in the Orford-Ness area .
September 4 from 03:02 to 04:04 U-13 set 9 minutes TMB. Immediately before returning to Wilhelmshaven on September 6 , the boat lay on the ground briefly. [2]
On September 10, 1939 at 17:25, a Magdapur cargo ship (under the command of Arthur George Dixon ) was blown up on this minefield, sinking after that in a matter of minutes. Killed 6 crew members. Another 75 people were rescued by boats and coastal vessels from Oldboro .
On September 10, 1939, the City of Paris passenger airliner was blown up on the same mines, and suffered serious injuries. One man died. The ship was delivered to Tilburi British tugs Contest and Atlantic Cock , where they stood for a month in repair, and then returned to duty. From 1940 to 1944 it was used as a military transport ship for the transfer of troops, and then was again returned to civilian lines.
On September 24, 1939, another cargo ship fell victim to this minefield. At 01:00, a Phryné mine was blown up. The entire crew was picked up by rescuers from Oldboro , but several people were seriously injured and sent to the hospital.
Since September 11, U-13 itself has been patrolling the North Sea . October 2, and not finding goals, the boat came to Kiel . [3]
Third Campaign
October 25, 1939 U-13 left Keel on the third campaign in the North Sea , having the order to patrol along the east coast of Scotland .
On October 30, the U-boat discovered the Cairnmona freighter breaking away from the HX-5 convoy (under the command of Fred Wilkinson Fairley), and at 22:50 attacked it with torpedoes , sinking at a distance of 3 miles (4.8 km ) east-northeast of Rattray Head . Three crew members were killed, the captain and 41 others were rescued by the British drifter HMS River Lossie .
On November 3, the boat returned safely to Kiel . [four]
Fourth and Fifth Campaigns
November 15, 1939 , after the change of commander, U-13 went to sea on alert, again having the order to patrol the east coast of Scotland .
On November 19, the boat discovered the Bowling freighter , and attacked it at 23:28. A single hit by a G7a torpedo in the bow was followed by a powerful explosion, breaking the ship in two, and leading to the flooding of the latter in 40 seconds. The boat recorded the destruction of a tanker of approximately 2,000 gb that observed blackout at a distance of 6 miles (9.7 km ) north-northeast of Longstone , Farn Islands . It is generally accepted that this was Bowling , due to its characteristic arrangement of machines and cabin in the rear of the hull.
On November 25, the U-boat returned to Kiel . [five]
On December 9 , replenishing supplies and getting ready, the boat again went to sea to set up a minefield near Dundee .
On December 12 , from 02:16 to 02:56, 9 minutes of TMB were installed at the mouth of the Tey River.
On December 15, U-13 successfully returned to Kiel . [6]
On January 6, 1940 , in the morning, the City of Marseilles freighter was blown up and seriously damaged. Immediately after the pilot arrived on the ship, an explosion occurred under the wheelhouse, jamming the engines and causing a roll of 10 to 15 ° to the starboard side. The team began the evacuation, however, two boats were destroyed by an explosion, and another overturned during the descent, dropping 14 people in it into the water. One crew member was killed. The survivors discovered from Lockheed Hudson ( No. 224 Squadron RAF ) were picked up by a pilot boat and several other ships nearby, and then landed at Brogty Ferry . HMS Cranefly (FY 539) (Skipper HB Soames, RNR), HMS Sturton (FY 1595) and the HMS Suilven harbor patrol boat climbed onto the abandoned ship , and officers and the pilot returned to the ship shortly after. The next day it was towed to Dundee for temporary repairs. After that, it went under its own power to Clyde base for repairs, which ended in April 1940 , and the ship returned to service.
On February 6, 1940, the Estonian freighter Anu (under the command of Johannes Raudsoo ( Spanish: Johannes Raudsoo )) was blown up on the same mines. The captain, his wife and four crew members were killed. Subsequently, at the hospital, Dundee died of burns from a ship cook.
Sixth and seventh campaigns
January 24, 1940 , after the next change of commander, U-13 went on duty, again having the order to patrol the east coast of Scotland .
January 31 at 00:43 a single torpedo was attacked by the cargo ship Start (under the command of Jacob Bartmann Jacobsen ( born Jacob Bartmann Jacobsen )). After hitting, the ship sank instantly, taking the whole crew with it. There were no survivors.
The next day, February 1, at 01:43, a single G7e torpedo was attacked by the freighter Fram , anchored near the Roshaurty buoy in Aberdur Bay , Scotland . 9 crew members perished. The 14 survivors were matched by HMS Khartoum (F45) and the British armed trawler HMS Viking Deeps .
On February 5, the boat, having finished the campaign, came to Wilhelmshaven . [7]
On February 16, the U-boat again went to sea with an order to patrol the area of the Shetland and Orkney Islands .
On February 17, having already set sail, U-13 was ordered to change the patrol area for one day and go to Josingfjord , Norway .
This trip, however, was unremarkable and on February 29 the boat returned to Wilhelmshaven . [eight]
On March 2, U-13 made the transition to Kiel .
Eighth Campaign
March 25, 1940 U-13 made the reverse transition from Kiel to Wilhelmshaven .
March 31 , after a short preparation, the boat went on a military campaign to support the invasion forces in Operation Weserubung (invasion of Norway). Together with U-19 , U-57 , U-58 and U-59, it constituted the Sixth Group .
On April 11, U-13 received an order to patrol the waters in the Orkney Islands .
On April 17, a U-boat discovered an unaccompanied Swainby freighter (under the command of Hugh Thompson) and attacked it at 17:33. A single torpedo hit the engine room in the stern, and after 25 minutes the ship sank at a distance of 25 miles (40 km ) north of Mackle Flagg , Shetland Islands . The captain and all 37 crew members landed in Norvik Bay on Anste .
On April 19, U-13 went to Bergen to replenish supplies and current repairs, and, on April 21 , again went on patrol to support Operation Weserubung .
On April 26, at 00:28, the boat attacked the unmanned cargo ship Lily , and hit him with one torpedo. However, detonation did not occur. At 01:17, a second attack led to a torpedo hitting the bow, which simply detached from the ship. Damage caused flooding in 45 seconds. Lily was declared missing after the ship left Kirkwall with a prize crew on board (one officer and five sailors). Together with the ship, all 24 people on board died - there were no survivors.
On April 26, at 01:29 a U-boat attacked a Scottish American tanker west of the Pentland Firth . One torpedo hit led to a fire aboard the ship. After firing its last torpedo, the boat left the ship when the bow was already submerged, but the British blende ship was HMS Looe (X63) and boarding ship HMT Northern Reward under cover of HMS Delight (H38) , HMS Diana (H49) and HMS Imperial (D09) were able to tow it to Loch Erriball . By May 2, 8,200 tons of oil were pumped to the British tanker Oil Pioneer . On May 5 , in four days, Scottish American was delivered by tugboat HMS St. Mellons (W81) Accompanied by HMS Juniper (T123) at the mouth of the Tyne River. Repair at North Shields ended in August 1940 and the ship returned to service.
On May 2, U-13 , having successfully completed all tasks, returned to Kiel . [9]
Ninth Campaign and Fate
May 26, 1940 U-13 left Kiel on her ninth and last campaign.
May 31 in the North Sea at a distance of 11 miles (18 km ) southeast of Lowestoft at a point with coordinates was destroyed by the depth charges of the British sloop HMS Weston (L72) . All 26 crew members were rescued. [ten]
Commanders
- November 30, 1935 - September 30, 1937 - Lieutenant zur See (since April 1, 1936 captain-lieutenant ) Hans-Gerrit von Stockhausen ( German Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Gerrit von Stockhausen ) ( Knight of the Knight's Iron Cross )
- October 1, 1937 - November 5, 1939 - Chief Lieutenant Zur See (since August 1, 1938 Captain-Lieutenant ) Karl Daublebsky von Eichhain ( German Oberleutnant zur See Karl Daublebsky von Eichhain )
- November 6, 1939 - January 2, 1940 - Captain-Lieutenant Heinz Scheringer ( German: Kapitänleutnant Heinz Scheringer )
- December 16, 1939 - December 28, 1939 - Oberleutnant zur See Wolfgang Lüth ( German Oberleutnant zur See Wolfgang Lüth ) ( Knight of the Knight's Iron Cross )
- January 3, 1940 - May 31, 1940 - Lieutenant Zur See Max-Martin Schulte ( German: Oberleutnant zur See Max-Martin Schulte )
Flotillas
- November 30, 1935 - May 31, 1940 - 1st Flotilla
Sunken ships
| Title | Type of | Affiliation | date | Tonnage ( gross tonnage ) | Cargo | Fate | A place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magdapur | cargo ship | Great Britain | September 10, 1939 | 8 641 | in ballast | sunk (mine) | |
| City of paris | passenger liner | Great Britain | September 16, 1939 | 10 902 | ? | damaged (mine) | |
| Phryné | cargo ship | France | September 24, 1939 | 2 660 | coal | sunk (mine) | |
| Cairnmona | cargo ship | Great Britain | October 30, 1939 | 4 666 | general cargo , including wool, copper, cereals | sunk (convoy HX-5 ) | |
| Bowling | cargo ship | Great Britain | November 19, 1939 | 793 | general cargo | sunk | |
| City of marseilles | cargo ship | Great Britain | January 6, 1940 | 8 317 | general cargo jute | damaged (mine) | |
| Start | cargo ship | Norway | January 31, 1940 | 1 168 | 1,478 tons of coal | sunk | |
| Fram | cargo ship | Sweden | February 1, 1940 | 2 491 | in ballast | sunk | |
| Anu | cargo ship | Estonia | February 6, 1940 | 1 421 | general cargo | sunk (mine) | |
| Swainby | cargo ship | Great Britain | April 17, 1940 | 4 935 | in ballast | sunk | |
| Lily | cargo ship | Denmark | April 26, 1940 | 1 281 | Chinese porcelain | sunk | |
| Scottish american | tanker | Great Britain | April 28, 1940 | 6 999 | 9491 tons of oil | damaged |
See also
- List of submarines of the Third Reich
Notes
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur U-13 . German U-boats of World War II . Uboat.net. Archived May 15, 2013.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur Trekking Data U-13 (First Campaign) . U-boat patrols . Uboat.net. Archived May 15, 2013.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur Trekking Data U-13 (Second Campaign) . U-boat patrols . Uboat.net. Archived May 15, 2013.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur Trekking Data U-13 (Third Campaign) . U-boat patrols . Uboat.net. Archived May 15, 2013.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur Trekking Data U-13 (Fourth Campaign) . U-boat patrols . Uboat.net. Archived May 15, 2013.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur Trekking Data U-13 (Fifth Campaign) . U-boat patrols . Uboat.net. Archived May 15, 2013.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur Trekking Data U-13 (Sixth Campaign) . U-boat patrols . Uboat.net. Archived May 15, 2013.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur Trekking Data U-13 (Seventh Campaign) . U-boat patrols . Uboat.net. Archived May 15, 2013.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur Trekking Data U-13 (8th Campaign) . U-boat patrols . Uboat.net. Archived May 15, 2013.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur Trekking Data U-13 (Ninth Campaign) . U-boat patrols . Uboat.net. Archived May 15, 2013.