German submarine U-567
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-567 |
| Ordered: | 24 October 1939 |
| Builder: | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
| Yard number: | 543 |
| Laid down: | 27 April 1940 |
| Launched: | 6 March 1941 |
| Commissioned: | 24 April 1941 |
| Fate: | Sunk, 21 December 1941[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and 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 |
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| Service record[2] | |
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| Victories: | two merchant ships sunk (6,809 GRT) |
German submarine U-567 (U-567) was a type VII C submarine in Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during the Second World War.
Her keel was laid down on 27 April 1940 at the Blohm & Voss yard in Hamburg as yard number 534. She was launched on 6 March 1941 and was commissioned on 24 April under Kapitänleutnant Theodor Fahr. She entered service with the 3rd U-boat Flotilla for training. She began operations with that flotilla on 1 August 1941 and joined the 7th Flotilla on 1 November.
The U-boat was sunk with the loss of all crew on 21 December 1941.
Contents
Design[edit]
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-567 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-567 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 a 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.[3]
Service history[edit]
1st patrol[edit]
She left Trondheim in Norway on 5 August 1941 and entered the Atlantic via the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands, sinking the 3,485-ton British merchant ship Fort Richepanse west of Ireland on 3 September. She docked at St. Nazaire in occupied France on 12 September.
2nd patrol[edit]
The boat switched captains to Kapitänleutnant Engelbert Endrass, (who had been IWO [first watch officer] on Günther Prien's U-47 when she sank the battleship HMS Royal Oak in 1939),[1] on 15 October. The boat left St. Nazaire on 25 October 1941 and returned on 26 November. The patrol was unsuccessful.
3rd patrol and loss[edit]
She attacked convoy HG 76 in the North Atlantic, north-east of the Azores, which was made up of 32 cargo ships and escorted by five destroyers, seven corvettes and one aircraft carrier, sinking the 3,324-ton Norwegian merchant ship Annavore on 21 December 1941. U-567 was herself sunk later the same day at 44°02′N 20°10′W / 44.033°N 20.167°W by depth charges dropped by HMS Deptford and Samphire - there were no survivors from her crew of 47.
Wolfpacks[edit]
U-567 took part in five wolfpacks, namely.
- Grönland (10–23 August 1941)
- Kurfürst (23 August – 2 September 1941)
- Seewolf (2–9 September 1941)
- Stosstrupp (30 October – 4 November 1941)
- Störtebecker (15–24 November 1941)
Summary of raiding history[edit]
| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 September 1941 | Fort Richepanse | 3,485 | Sunk | |
| 21 December 1941 | Annavore | 3,324 | Sunk |
Sources[edit]
- ^ a b Kemp 1997, p. 77.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-567". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43-46.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-567". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
Bibliography[edit]
- 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.
- Kemp, Paul (1997). U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
External links[edit]
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-567". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
- German Type VIIC submarines
- 1941 ships
- U-boats sunk in 1941
- U-boats sunk by British warships
- U-boats sunk by depth charges
- Ships built in Hamburg
- Ships lost with all hands
- World War II submarines of Germany
- World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean
- U-boats commissioned in 1941
- Maritime incidents in December 1941