German submarine U-67 (1940)

History
Nazi Germany
Name: U-67
Ordered: 7 August 1939[1]
Builder: DeSchiMAG AG Weser, Bremen[1]
Yard number: 986[1]
Laid down: 5 April 1940[1]
Launched: 30 October 1940[1]
Commissioned: 22 January 1941[1]
Fate: Sunk 16 July 1943 in the Sargasso Sea[1]
General characteristics
Class and type: Type IXC submarine
Displacement:
  • 1,120 t (1,100 long tons) surfaced
  • 1,232 t (1,213 long tons) submerged
Length:
Beam:
  • 6.76 m (22 ft 2 in) o/a
  • 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height: 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught: 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in)
Installed power:
  • 4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels)
  • 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric)
Propulsion:
Range:
  • 13,450 nmi (24,910 km; 15,480 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
  • 64 nmi (119 km; 74 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth: 230 m (750 ft)
Complement: 4 officers, 44 enlisted48 to 56
Armament:
Service record
Part of:
Commanders:
Operations:
  • Seven
  • 1st patrol: 14 September – 16 October 1941
  • 2nd patrol: 26 November – 26 December 1941
  • 3rd patrol: 19 January – 30 March 1942
  • 4th patrol: 20 May – 8 August 1942
  • 5th patrol: 16 September – 21 December 1942
  • 6th patrol: 3 March – 13 April 1943
  • 7th patrol: 10 May – 16 July 1943
Victories:
  • 13 ships sunk for a total of 72,138 GRT
  • five ships damaged for a total of 29,726 GRT

German submarine U-67 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine that operated in World War II.[1] She was laid down in the AG Weser yard in Bremen as yard number 986 on 5 April 1940. She was launched on 30 October and was commissioned on 22 January 1941 under Korvettenkapitän Heinrich Bleichrodt.

Her service life began with training with the 2nd U-boat Flotilla on her commissioning date; the boat was declared operational with the same flotilla on 1 September 1941.

Design

German Type IXC submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXBs. U-67 had a displacement of 1,120 tonnes (1,100 long tons) when at the surface and 1,232 tonnes (1,213 long tons) while submerged.[2] The U-boat had a total length of 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in), a pressure hull length of 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in), a beam of 6.76 m (22 ft 2 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in). The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of 4,400 metric horsepower (3,240 kW; 4,340 shp) for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 1,000 metric horsepower (740 kW; 990 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.92 m (6 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).[2]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph).[2] When submerged, the boat could operate for 63 nautical miles (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 13,450 nautical miles (24,910 km; 15,480 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-67 was fitted with six 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 torpedoes, one 10.5 cm (4.13 in) SK C/32 naval gun, 180 rounds, and a 3.7 cm (1.5 in) as well as a 2 cm (0.79 in) anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of forty-eight.[2]

Service history

The boat carried out seven patrols in which she sank 13 ships and damaged another five. She was a member of three wolfpacks.

She was sunk on 16 July 1943 by an Avenger bomber from the US aircraft carrier USS Core. 48 men died, there were three survivors.

Her operational service commenced with a trip from Bergen in Norway to Lorient in France. The submarine was to spend the rest of her career being based in the French port.

1st, 2nd and 3rd patrols

She sank St. Clair II west northwest of the Canary Islands on 24 September 1941 on her first foray.

On her second patrol she was attacked by the British corvette Bluebell on 11 December 1941 west of Gibraltar; slight damage was incurred. U-208 was originally though to have been sunk.

Her third effort, which began with the U-boat's departure from Lorient on 19 January 1942, took her to the Caribbean, where she sank Penelope, about 150 nmi (280 km; 170 mi) west of Dominica on 14 March.

4th, 5th and 6th patrols and loss

Her fourth patrol, as part of Operation Drumbeat,[3] saw the submarine enter the Gulf of Mexico. There she sank eight ships, most of them just off the mouth of the Mississippi River.[4]

Her fifth sortie turned out to be her longest - 97 days. Moving to the area off the north coast of South America, she sank a further six ships, but her success was marred by an explosion while handling torpedoes. One man was killed.

Patrol number six included being part of Seeräuber wolfpack (pirate) which was unfortunate as the boat was badly damaged in an attack on the convoy RS 3. Three U-boats (from a total of eight) were hit in the battle which took place south of the Canary Islands.

The submarine began her seventh and final patrol on 10 May 1943. On 16 July, U-67 was spotted by a Grumman TBF Avenger, piloted by Lt. Robert Pershing Williams of VC-13 embarked in USS Core (CVE-13), who attacked with four Mk 47 Torpex depth charges, sinking the boat. An escort, USS McCormick, was dispatched to the scene and picked up three survivors out of a crew of 51 in position 30°05′N 44°17′W / 30.083°N 44.283°W / 30.083; -44.283Coordinates: 30°05′N 44°17′W / 30.083°N 44.283°W / 30.083; -44.283.[5]

Wolfpacks

U-67 took part in three wolfpacks, namely.

Summary of raiding history

Date Name Nationality Tonnage
(GRT)		 Fate[4]
24 September 1941 St Clair  United Kingdom 3,753 Sunk
16 February 1942 Rafaela  Netherlands 3,177 Damaged
21 February 1942 Kongsgaard  Norway 9,647 Sunk
14 March 1942 Penelope  Panama 8,436 Sunk
16 June 1942 Managua  Netherlands 2,220 Sunk
20 June 1942 Nortind  Norway 9,647 Damaged
23 June 1942 Raleigh Warner  United States 3,664 Sunk
29 June 1942 Empire Mica  United Kingdom 8,032 Sunk
6 July 1942 Bayard  Norway 2,160 Sunk
7 July 1942 Paul H. Harwood  United States 6,610 Damaged
10 July 1942 Benjamin Brewster  United States 5,950 Sunk
13 July 1942 R.W. Gallagher  United States 7,989 Sunk
25 October 1942 Primero  Norway 4,414 Sunk
8 November 1942 Capo Olmo  United Kingdom 4,712 Damaged
9 November 1942 Nidarland  Norway 6,132 Sunk
15 November 1942 King Arthur  United Kingdom 5,224 Sunk
18 November 1942 Tortugas  Norway 4,697 Sunk
28 November 1942 Empire Glade  United Kingdom 7,006 Damaged

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC boat U-67". German U-boats of World War II. Retrieved 3 July 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Gröner 1991, p. 68.
  3. ↑ Gannon, Michael (1990). Operation Drumbeat – the dramatic true story of Germany's first U-boat attacks along the American coast in World War II. Harper and Row. p. 435. ISBN 978-0-06-016155-2.
  4. 1 2 Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-67". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  5. ↑ Busch & Röll 1999, pp. 116–-117.

Bibliography

  • Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6. 
  • Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 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. 
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