Historically, did the Uboots ever stop traveling through the English Channel?

[Shrike37]

Historically, did the Uboots ever stop traveling through the English Channel because it became too dangerous? If so, what year?

[FIREWALL]

One Way maybe. Straight to the bottom. :haha:

[Torplexed]

Here's a short article on U-Boats in the channel from uboat.net

http://www.uboat.net/maps/channel.htm

Looks like they avoided it after 1939. They reappeared there in 1944 to try and stem the Allied invasion of Normandy and quite a few were lost.

[TigerShark808]

One Way maybe. Straight to the bottom. :haha:


:har:

[Warhawk]

Just like the Straights of Gibraltar it was EXTREMELY dangerous for a u-boat to try and traverse because it was very narrow and quite shallow and once the u-boat was detected everyone and their mother in laws destroyer would show up. There are stories of successful run thru..but they were few and far between and usually done during night and extremely bad weather.

I tried sneaking thru once in 39, about 1/2 way thru I got spotted and spent the rest of the time at about 30 meters because the bottom was at 35 meters.

I was always wondering if they could have devised some way for the u-boat to be towed thru either a captured freighter or perhaps a neutral or non-enemy ship (like a 500-1000 cable attached to the bottom of the ship away from the screws and rudder, this way the sub could stay submerged with the screws possibly free wheeling or even charging the batteries and slip by un-detected)

[Hanomag]

Ingame you can navigate it, but really, why risk it? Its DD alley...

Just expend the extra fuel and live to fight another day .... :salute:

[BulSoldier]

Ive done it just when germany was taking over the french ports :)

I actually never encountered a ships except one time near a city (cant remember the name) when 3 destroyers were sunk by coastal batteries but i cannot confirm were the batteries friendly firing at the allied DDs or the other way around.
The best thing to do (as far as i am concerned) for crossing the chanel is to stay as close as possible to the german(french) coast.

[TarJak]

This archive would probably log most of the activity in the channel:
http://www.uboatarchive.net/BDUKTB30249.htm

You would need to read an awful lot to find out what went on and when.

[mookiemookie]

I remember reading that the Channel was closed per orders from BdU fairly early in the war (end of 1939-ish) and U-boats were ordered all the way around the Shetland Islands to reach the Atlantic.

[Pisces]

Or read the orders from the man himself: Dönitz

http://files.filefront.com/U+boat+movementspdf/;13499409;/fileinfo.html

[grislyatoms]

I'm just south of Portsmouth right now... happy hunting grounds (4 merchants for ~10,000 tons) on my way to BE31. This is early war...Sept 1939. I'm not going to try it later in the war. Learned that from AoD.

Closest enemy warship came within 5 k after a sinking. Kept very close tabs on him for a bit...

It's nerve wracking hearing there's only 33 meters under the keel:o, but so far my Channel trip has been worth it.

[grislyatoms]

Nailed an 8,121 ton large merchant last night 84 km due south of Southampton.

As soon as I hit it I picked up a warship SSW at 20km, closing fast. Turned to 270 and dropped down to 40 meters (d.u.k. 58 or so at the surface), silent running.

Bearing 259, decreasing. Please continue decreasing.:DL

Bearing dropped to 226 before he dropped off the hydrophones.

Still heading west, will pass within 36 km of Cherbourg. 5 merchants for ~18,000 tons on this English Channel jaunt.:D