German submarine U-569
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany
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| Name: | U-569 |
| Ordered: | 24 October 1939 |
| Builder: | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
| Yard number: | 545 |
| Laid down: | 21 May 1940 |
| Launched: | 20 March 1941 |
| Commissioned: | 8 May 1941 |
| Fate: | Scuttled, May 1943, after damage inflicted by US aircraft[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Type VIIC submarine |
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| Height: | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught: | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
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| Complement: | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
| Armament: |
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| Service record[2] | |
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German submarine U-569 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
She carried out nine patrols, sank one ship of 984 gross register tons (GRT) and damaged one other of 4,458 GRT.
She was a member of 15 wolfpacks.
She was scuttled following damage inflicted by US carrier-borne aircraft in mid-Atlantic, in May 1943.
Design
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-569 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[3] She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in), a pressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), a beam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of 2,800 to 3,200 metric horsepower (2,060 to 2,350 kW; 2,760 to 3,160 shp) for use while surfaced, two Brown, Boveri & Cie GG UB 720/8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 metric horsepower (550 kW; 740 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m (4 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).[3]
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph).[3] When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-569 was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and an anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.[3]
Service history
The submarine was laid down on 21 May 1940 at Blohm & Voss, Hamburg as yard number 545, launched on 20 March 1941 and commissioned on 8 May under the command of Kapitänleutnant Hans-Peter Hinsch.
She served with the 3rd U-boat Flotilla from 1 August 1941 for training and stayed with that organization for operations until her loss from 1 August 1941 to 22 May 1943.
1st and 2nd patrols
U-432's first patrol was from Trondheim in Norway, she headed for the Atlantic Ocean via the gap separating Iceland and the Faroe Islands. She arrived at St. Nazaire in occupied France, on 21 September 1941.
Having left St. Nazaire on 12 October 1941, U-569 made for the Newfoundland and Labrador coast. She returned to her French base on 12 November.
3rd patrol
The submarine was attacked by a Fairey Swordfish west of Gibraltar on 16 December 1941. She, along with four other U-boats, was to have operated in the Mediterranean, but the damage was such that she had to return to St. Nazaire.[2][4]
4th and 5th patrols
U-569 sank the Hengist on 8 March 1942 northwest of Cape Wrath (Scotland)[5] and returned to France (La Pallice), on 2 April 1943.
On her fifth sortie, she damaged the Pontypridd northeast of St. Johns, Newfoundland, on 11 June 1942 and took the master prisoner. She returned to La Pallice on the 28th.
6th and 7th patrols
The boat was attacked by the Norwegian corvette HNoMS Potentilla on 25 August 1942. The warship lost the element of surprise and her intention to ram when her 4 in gun opened fire prematurely. Several hits were scored on the conning tower by 20mm AA guns, but the larger weapon failed to register in the encounter in mid-Atlantic.
The boat's seventh patrol was relatively peaceful with no contacts.
8th patrol
U-569 was attacked by the escorts of Convoy UC-1 on 23 February 1943 and seriously damaged. She had departed La Pallice on 7 February 1943 and returned there on 13 March.
9th patrol and loss
The boat was badly damaged by depth charges dropped by two TBM Avengers from the escort carrier USS Bogue on 22 May 1943. She was scuttled in mid-Atlantic on 22 May 1943.
Twenty-one men died with U-569; there were 25 survivors.
Wolfpacks
U-569 took part in 15 wolfpacks, namely
- Grönland (14–27 August 1941)
- Markgraf (27 August – 16 September 1941)
- Schlagetot (20 October – 1 November 1941)
- Raubritter (1–8 November 1941)
- Westwall (2–12 March 1942)
- York (12–26 March 1942)
- Hecht (8 May – 18 June 1942)
- Lohs (11 August – 21 September 1942)
- Draufgänger (1–11 December 1942)
- Ungestüm (11–22 December 1942)
- Robbe (16–26 February 1943)
- Amsel 3 (3–6 May 1943)
- Rhein (7–10 May 1943)
- Elbe 1 (10–14 May 1943)
- Mosel (19–22 May 1943)
Summary of raiding history
| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate[6] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 March 1942 | Hengist |  United Kingdom |
984 | Sunk |
| 11 June 1942 | Pontypridd | United Kingdom |
4,458 | Damaged |
References
- ↑ Kemp 1997, p. 120.
- 1 2 Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-569". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
- 1 2 3 4 Gröner 1991, pp. 43-46.
- ↑ Paterson, Lawrence - U-Boats in the Mediterranean 1941-1944, 2007, Chatham Publishing, ISBN 9781861762900, p. 94
- ↑ The Times Atlas of the World - Third edition, revised 1995, ISBN 0 7230 0809 4, p. 10
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U569". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German) IV (Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler). ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel (London: Conway Maritime Press). ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
- Kemp, Paul (1997). U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-569". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 28 December 2014.