German submarine U-99 (1940)
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| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-99 |
| Ordered: | 15 December 1937 |
| Builder: | Germaniawerft, Kiel |
| Yard number: | 593 |
| Laid down: | 31 March 1939 |
| Launched: | 12 March 1940 |
| Commissioned: | 18 April 1940 |
| Fate: | Scuttled, 17 March 1941, south-east of Iceland. 3 dead and 40 survivors. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Type VIIB U-boat |
| Displacement: | Surfaced 753 tons tons submerged 857 tons |
| Length: | Overall 66.6 m pressure hull 48.8 m |
| Beam: | Overall 6.2 m pressure hull 4.7 m |
| Draught: | 4.74 m |
| Propulsion: | Surfaced: two supercharged MAN, 6 cylinder, 4-stroke M6V 40/46 diesels totalling 2,800 - 3,200bhp(2,400 kW). Max rpm: 470-490. |
| Speed: | Surfaced 17.9 knot (33 km/h) submerged 8 knot (15 km/h) |
| Range: | Surfaced: 16,095 km submerged: 175 km |
| Test depth: | 230 m (754 ft). Calculated crush depth: 250-295 m (820-967 ft) |
| Complement: | 44 to 48 officers & ratings |
| Armament: | • 5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes: 4 bow, 1 stern • 14 × torpedoes or 26 TMA mines • 1 × 8.8 cm (3.5 in) deck gun with 220 rounds • 1 × C30 20 mm AA |
| Service record | |
| Part of: | Kriegsmarine: 7th U-boat Flotilla |
| Identification codes: | M 17 046 |
| Commanders: | Otto Kretschmer |
| Operations: | 11 |
| Victories: | 35 ships sunk (totaling 198,218 gross register tons (GRT)) 3 auxiliary warships sunk (46,440 GRT) 5 ships damaged (37,965 GRT) 1 ship taken as prize (2,136 GRT) |
German submarine U-99 was a Type VIIB U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Her keel was laid on 31 March 1939 at the Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft in Kiel. She was launched on 12 April 1940 under the command of Otto Kretschmer and was assigned to the 7th U-boat Flotilla based in Kiel and later in St Nazaire.
U-99 was one of the most successful boats in the entire war, succeeding in sinking 38 ships for a total tonnage of 244,658 GRT of allied shipping in eight patrols, damaged five more ships and took one ship as prize.
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[edit] Career
From April to June 1940, the crew of U-99 were under training, based at Kiel and St. Nazaire.[1]
- 1st patrol
On 18 June, U-99 departed Kiel for operations in the North Sea west of Norway.[1] U-99 was attacked by an Arado Ar-96 from Scharnhorst having been mistaken for a British submarine. Two days later, U-99 was attacked by two aircraft with minor damage being inflicted.[2] She returned to Kiel on 25 June.[1]
- 2nd patrol
On 27 June, U-99 departed Wilhelmshaven to patrol south west of Ireland.[1] On 29 June, U-99 was attacked by German aircraft. A crash dive was carried out with the result that the ship hit the seabed causing some damage which was able to be repaired.[2] During this patrol, U-99 sank six ships.[1] A seventh ship was captured.[3] On 7 July, an attack on the 5,360 GRT Manistee was called off when the armed merchant ship fired upon U-99.[4] On 8 July, over 100 depth charges were dropped by the escorts of Convoy HX 53 but U-99 escaped undamaged.[2] The patrol ended on 21 July.[1]
| Date | Ship | Flag | Tonnage (GRT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 July | Magog † |  |
2,053 |
| 7 July | Bissen |  |
1,514 |
| Manistee # |  |
5,360 | |
| Sea Glory | |
1,964 | |
| 8 July | Humber Arm ‡ | |
5,758 |
| 12 July | Ia |  |
4,861 |
| Merisaar * |  |
2,136 | |
| 18 July | Woodbury | |
4,434 |
† Convoy HX 52, # Attack failed, ‡ Convoy HX 53, * Captured, later sunk by German bombing
- 3rd patrol
On 25 July, U-99 departed Lorient to patrol in the North Atlantic. During this patrol, four ships were sunk and three others were damaged.[1] On 31 July, the escorts of Convoy OB 191 dropped 20 depth charges on U-99 without damage. Later that evening, a flying boat attacked U-99, again without causing any damage.[2] The patrol ended on 5 August.[1]
| Date | Ship | Flag | Tonnage (GRT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28 July | Auckland Star | |
13,212 |
| 29 July | Clan Menzies | |
7,226 |
| 31 July | Jamaica Progress | |
5,475 |
| Jersey City † | |
6,322 | |
| 2 August | Alexia †, ‡ | |
8,016 |
| Lucema †, ‡ | |
6,556 | |
| Strinda †, ‡ |  |
10,973 |
† Convoy OB 191, ‡ Damaged
- 4th patrol
On 4 September, U-99 departed Lorient to patrol in the North Atlantic. During this patrol, seven ships were sunk. The patrol ended on 25 September.[1] U-99 was slightly damaged in an air raid on Lorient on 27 September.[2]
| Date | Ship | Flag | Tonnage (GRT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 September | Albionic | |
2,468 |
| 15 September | Kenordoc † | |
1,780 |
| 16 September | Lotos † | |
1,327 |
| 17 September | Crown Arun ‡ | |
2,372 |
| 21 September | Baron Blythswood * | |
3,668 |
| Elmbank * | |
5,156 | |
| Invershannon* | |
9,154 |
† Convoy SC 3, ‡ Convoy HX 71, * Convoy HX 72
- 5th patrol
On 13 October, U-99 departed Lorient to patrol the North West Approaches. During this patrol six ships from Convoy SC 7 were sunk and another was damaged. The patrol ended on 22 October.[1]
| Date | Ship | Flag | Tonnage (GRT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 18 October | Empire Miniver | |
6,055 |
| Fiscus | |
4,815 | |
| Niritos | |
3,854 | |
| 19 October | Clintonia † | |
3,106 |
| Empire Brigade | |
5,154 | |
| Snefjeld | |
1,643 | |
| Thalia | |
5,875 |
† Damaged
- 6th patrol
On 30 October, U-99 departed Lorient to patrol the North West Approaches. During this patrol, four ships were sunk. The patrol ended on 8 November.[1]
| Date | Ship | Flag | Tonnage (GRT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 November | Casanare | |
5,376 |
| Laurentic |  |
18,724 | |
| 4 November | Patroclus | |
11,314 |
| 5 November | Scottish Maiden † | |
6,993 |
† Convoy HX 83
- 7th patrol
On 27 November, U-99 departed Lorient to patrol in the North Atlantic. During this patrol, four ships were sunk. The patrol ended on 12 December.[1]
| Date | Ship | Flag | Tonnage (GRT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 December | Forfar | |
16,402 |
| Samnanger | |
4,276 | |
| 3 December | Conch † | |
8,376 |
| 7 December | Farmsum ‡ |  |
5,237 |
† Convoy HX 90, ‡ Convoy OB 252
- 8th patrol
U-99 departed Lorient on 22 February 1941 to patrol in the North Atlantic. During this patrol eight ship were sunk. U-99 was attacked herself, with severe damage inflicted. Kretschmer surrendered and scuttled the submarine with the loss of three lives.[1]
| Date | Ship | Flag | Tonnage (GRT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 March | Athelbeach † | |
6,268 |
| Terje Viken | |
20,638 | |
| 16 March | Beduin ‡ | |
8,136 |
| Ferm ‡ | |
6,593 | |
| Franche-Comté ‡ | |
9,312 | |
| J B White | |
7,375 | |
| Korshamn ‡ | |
6,673 | |
| Venetia † | |
5,728 |
† Convoy OB 293, ‡ Convoy HX 112
[edit] Fate
On March 17, 1941 U-99 had just fired the last of her torpedoes and sunk Korshamn when the Watch Officer spotted a destroyer, south-east of Iceland in approximate position 61°N 12°W / 61°N 12°W. He immediately ordered a dive, but once the boat was under it was quickly fixed on ASDIC and attacked by HMS Walker and HMS Vanoc. U-99 was driven deep by the attack and severely damaged. Kretschmer had no choice but to surface and he ordered that the boat should be scuttled. 40 crew including Kretschmer were rescued to become POWs, while 3 crewmen lost their lives.
[edit] Wolfpack operations
U-99 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
- Wolfpack 1 (20 Sep 1940 - 22 Sep 1940)
- Wolfpack 2 (17 Oct 1940 - 19 Oct 1940)
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "U-99". Ubootwaffe. http://ubootwaffe.net/ops/boat.cgi?boat=99. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
- ^ a b c d e "U-99". Uboat. http://uboat.net/boats/u99.htm. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
- ^ "Merisaar". Uboat. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/420.html. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
- ^ "HMS Manistee (F104)". Uboat. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/775.html. Retrieved 17 November 2009.
