Germany to America The great U boat trail

[Kapitan]

St Nazaire by Blair shaw, on Flickr

U boat pens St Nazaire France

In a small Chateau overlooking the French harbour of Lorient one man presided over many men’s fate, the small chateau or Kerneval was home and headquarters to one of the most important men in the Nazi third Reich Admiral Karl Doenitz.

After the fall of France in 1940 Doenitz was keen to commence untersee boot operators from the Atlantic coast of France, it would have dire consequences for the allies in the prevailing years, by operating from these coast lines it would give the U-boat a direct and unobstructed passage into the Atlantic ocean to hunt down and destroy allied merchant ships at will.

Three main bases; St Nazaire, Lorient, and Brest were chosen, with the headquarters located in Lorient and known as BDu.
Built in 1941 and continually upgraded until 1944 these giant fortresses would be home to one of the most murderess weapons of war the world had yet seen the submarine.
This small under hand, unfair and dammed un English weapon of war had shown just what can be achieved in the previous world war when German submarines wreaked havoc on allied shipping 20 years on they were about to leave their mark once more.

Approaching the structure at St Nazaire you cannot but feel in awe and the sight that greets you, built for practicality not looks the drab grey and brown structures were once home to the Nazi menace, today they are home to shops and a couple of museums two French submarines are housed in these pens one in Lorient Flore Daphne class and at St Nazaire Espandon, (just a note the pens at La Rochelle are still used by the French navy and are not open to the public).

St Nazaire by Blair shaw, on Flickr

Inside the U Boat pens at St Nazaire

It was here in St Nazaire I got my first glimpse of what I had read about for so many years, I could now walk up to and touch a piece of real history that shaped the lives of nearly everyone in the Northern Hemisphere my own family included.

These foreboding structures would repair and maintain the weapon of war that would come to terrorise one man’s life for many years he was Winston S Churchill.

The only thing that ever frightened me during the war was the U boat peril.



The German U boat would come to symbolise just how close Britain could come to defeat it would also show that in such a time just how the British public with help from her friends could bring down a vile and brutal regime and support the freedom that many of us know today, but it would eventually bankrupt a super power and ultimately lead to a generation of division in continental Europe but this was far from the minds of Admiral Doenitz and Adolf Hitler in autumn 1939.

After the declaration of war on September 3rd 1939 many German U Boats had already left port and made for sea many being on station the only issue for Doenitz was numbers, he lacked sorely the numbers of u boats to make any mark in the early years a total of 52 boats were available when Doenitz had already calculated that a war with great Britain would require nearly 300.

On that very day of the declaration of war the lone U boat U30 a Type VIIA under the Command of Captain Fritz Julius Lemp torpedoed and sank the anchor Donaldson liner S.S Athenia in direct violation of the Hauge convention, the whole affair would not come out until the Nuremberg trials after the end of the war.

Captain Fritz Julius Lemp would go on to command the much larger type IXB submarine U110 where in 1941 the destroyers HMS Broadway HMS Bulldog and the corvette HMS Aubretia forced the submarine to surface by depth charging her, believing his ship was doomed Captain Lemp ordered scuttling charges to be set and the men to abandon ship it was his last mistake, the scuttling charges failed to detonate allowing a boarding party time to scour the vessel for her secrets ultimately finding the enigma machine and code books which helped allied intelligence break the code, a similar fate would bestow her later sister U505, as for Captain Lemp he was never seen again.

The most successful U boat captain of the second world war was the commander of U99 a Type VIIB U boat under the command of Otto Kretschmer or Silent Otto, he would be crowned the tonnage king despite having a very short career he was later quoted as saying “ 1 torpedo 1 ship” and using his own tactics became the most successful skipper of world war II.

U99 while transiting home after another successful patrol saw a passing destroyer despite Kretschmers standing orders the officer on watch dived the vessel it was quickly picked up on ASDIC and attacked by HMS Walker and Vanoc. U-99 was driven deep by the attack but was nonetheless severely damaged. Kretschmer had no choice but to surface; immediately a barrage of fire greeted the boat. Kretschmer sent a message to Donald Macintyre, Walker's captain, "CAPTAIN TO CAPTAIN. I AM SUNKING PLEASE RESCUE MY CREW." He then ordered that the boat should be scuttled. Forty crew, including Kretschmer, were rescued to become POWs. Three crewmen the engineering officer and two ratings lost their lives, The engineering officer re-entered the sinking U-boat and perished while opening the galley hatch, to hasten the boat's sinking and prevent the British from boarding it they were transported to Canada and became POW’s.

The most notable achievement made by a German submarine was by Captain Gunther Prien in command of a type VIIB U47 when he snuck in to the anchorage at scapa flow torpedoed and sank the Elderly British battleship HMS Royal oak he and his boat would ultimately become one of the many lost.

During the second world war the U boats would number 1,154 built and losses would number 768 nearly 30,000 men or 7 in every 10 including Doenitz own son would die in their iron coffins making it the deadliest profession of the war.

They are remembered


U995 and Memorial by Blair shaw, on Flickr
U995 with the Laboe memorial tower behind

On a cold windswept Baltic coast line close to the Danish Border lies a memorial dedicated to all those who have perished in German U boats, it is also the home to the only one of her kind fully intact the type VIIC/42 U995.
U995 a type VIIC/41 and is now on dry land close to the shores of the Baltic sea, Commissioned in September 1943 the U995 would have an unusual life, she was launched during one of the darkest years of the war for German U boats, in 1943 U boat losses numbered 244 many of which were experienced crews and by now the design of the U boat had become obsolete.

These submarines could be dived very quickly in under 30 seconds by a well-trained crew somewhat smaller than their larger type IX cousins this made them ideal for hit and run attack during the early years of the war and also getting close to coast lines, but like all boats of her time there was one major Achilles heel her restricted underwater performance.

In the first years of the war the type VII relied on the lack of escort ships and their impressive speed to out run the slow often lumbering merchant ships they preyed on by remaining on the surface, but by 1943 that had all changed and now all their attacks had to be made submerged due to the allied advances in radar, their slow speed underwater coupled with lack of endurance made them an easy target for escorting destroyers and corvettes.

The U995 is located at Laboe Germany and is open to the public, next door is the memorial with the tower which you can get to the roof and take some nice downwards shots of the submarine.

Approaching the vessel you are immediately in awe, this is a museum which you need to spend some time absorbing it all in a lot of emotion and excitement does fill you and also some thoughts of apprehension after all this is the only symbol dedicated to 30,000 men’s lives many of whom still rest at the bottom of the ocean inside their deadly craft.

The U 995 is probably the very best example of world war II, it created fear among the British public caused doubt in the British parliament caused a lot of sleepless nights for our allies and very nearly defeated the largest empire the world has ever seen.
One thing is for sure it has shaped a dying generation it also ensured that the name U boat is known all over the world.
Now a symbol of peace the U995 rests at her place after serving two navies the German Kriegsmarine and also the Norwegian Navy, the U995 would strike at the allies and would indeed be assigned to five wolf packs during the war she would ultimately sink five Soviet vessels and damage an American liberty ship before hostilities ceased in May 1945.

After the war she was surrendered to the British at Trondheim Norway ultimately the Norwegians took position of her and re named her Kaura, she remained in service until 1968 before being offered to the German government for the sum of one mark, the offer was refused but she was instead saved by the Germany navy and became the centre piece for the Laboe memorial in 1971.

U995 and Memorial by Blair shaw, on Flickr
U995 looking down from the memorial tower

U995 stands today as a monument to a twice tried and failed method of war that came so close to succeeding that maybe just a few more could have defeated the largest naval power in the world.



“To the Drum beater Hardegen good beating”

On December 7th 1941 a date which will live in infamy the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
days later the 11th the German ambassador in Washington delivered Germanys formal declaration of war, this would lead to the U boats 2nd Happy time.

After the declaration a handful of long range large Type IX submarines set off for the east coast of America, among them was Captain Reinhardt Hardegen, he is believed to still be alive at the age of 104.

The type IX is an enlarged version of the type VII it does have many differences but from the outside you can see the resemblance, these boats had some range to them and were able to cruise waters that were un reachable to the smaller type VII, as such they have been found in the South Atlantic, Indian and Gulf of Mexico and indeed one vessel at wars end was en route to Japan.

DSCN0391 by Blair shaw, on Flickr
U505 sits peacefully in her basement home


The type IX boats will always be remembered for their role in the second happy time, this was operation drumbeat where long range U boat would hunt off the unprotected east coast of America, they would become so successful it nearly caused a split in UK USA relations during a key moment of the war.

Type IX U505 Is open to the public she is located in the Chicago Science and technology museum near the Adler Planetarium and Shedd aquarium, however she is the most popular attraction and thus you don’t get long inside around 10 to 15 minutes at the most and the guided tours which is a separate ticket normally sell out within 45 minutes of the museum opening so best to pre-book!

U505 is the best and only example of a German type IX in the world she has been painstakingly restored, it is hard to believe that this once menacing vessel now resides peacefully inside a large air conditioned basement, she looks as if she could go to sea tomorrow and hunt down a container ship but naturally this ship is well over 70 years old.

IMG_5093 by Blair shaw, on Flickr
Captains Quarters her final Captain was 6ft 2in his bed was 5ft 9in

U505 had a wild career she survived 11 war patrols most were unsuccessful which culminated in the suicide of one of her captains, this is the only recorded suicide of a commanding officer during battle.
Although scoring some hits U505 wasn’t really a lucky ship the crew suffered from bad moral and just plain bad luck on one patrol they returned to Lorient to find a sign painted on the dock wall “U505 hunting ground” and indeed the entire ships company became the butt of many jokes.

Her last patrol in 1944 would see her fall into the hands of the allies, she had been hunted down by the carrier group Guadal canal and forced to surface, this was a time when most U boats were being lost and so while the ship was forced to surface the captain ordered the crew to set scuttling charges needless to say they didn’t go off.

DSCN0393 by Blair shaw, on Flickr
Her war wounds still show after these many years

The crew abandoned ship while the United states navy salvaged the vessel and towed it to Bermuda, re naming her USS Nemo so as not to alert German intelligence.
If you look closely to the sail you can still see some shell holes from the destroyer group machine guns while she was surfaced, the fact that she didn’t sink and the scuttling charges didn’t go off meant that for the first time since 1812 the United states navy had captured a war ship, this would include like U110 the converted enigma machine with code books.

After the war the U505 lay in a state of disrepair in the Portsmouth navy yard, when it was decided she would be donated to the museum, nearly all her usable interior features were stripped and the process to restore her looked a tough one it led to the museum asking the original companies who made items for U boats to make replacement parts, nearly all the companies supplied parts free of charge some even enclosed notes saying “sorry you have our submarine but as she will be with you for some years we would like her to stand as a testament to German technology”

DSCN0424 by Blair shaw, on Flickr

And they were not kidding she is in very good condition today


In the early 2000’s it was found that U505 condition was deteriorating, years of harsh weather had taken its toll and it was decided to move her into the basement of the museum and restore her she was re-opened in 2005.

U505 is a special submarine to myself she marks the end of my goal to visit all complete WWII German U boats, having been on board the Wilhelm Bauer and the U995 the trio is now complete and U505 will mark the end of my many scheduled travels , although not the end of me visiting more museums in the future the last 16 months has been a very wild adventure and one I can certainly say I have had fun doing and also learnt a lot from, while this marks the end it also marks the start of a new life for me one that will take me away from Europe to a new continent hopefully forever.



They came to late it was truly the end

Built between 1943 and 1945 the electro boat was Germanys answer to solving the issue of losses and it was hoped these vessels could turn the tide of war back into German favour, unfortunately they came too late with only two boats being ready for actual war patrols.

Two new type XXI submarines would be under the command of the third highest scoring ace of the war Erich Topp although none would be taken on a war patrol.
These boats were revolutionary faster underwater than surfaced and more endurance than the preceding type VII & IX allowing them to out run some of the slower escort ships.

Wilhelm Bauer Type XXI U-Boat by Blair shaw, on Flickr

Her lines could almost be mistaken for a modern submarine


Captain Erich Topp who scored most of his kills on the type VII boat U552 would later write the battle manual for the type XXI before taking command of one just before the end of world war II during his career he was most noted for the sinking of the USS Rueben James in April 1941 months before the official entry into the war by the United States he would go on to sink a total of 196,460tons of allied shipping ranking him 3rd highest.

The type XXI located in Bremerhaven Germany never saw action being commissioned in February 1945 she was scuttled at wars end, later she was raised and used as a research vessel before becoming a naval vessel again with the west German navy, she wouldn’t be paid off until 1980.

The Type XXI is revolutionary and is responsible for the influence of cold war submarines notably GUPPY and Tang class in the United states Excalibur (experimental submarine nicknamed the exploder class) Porpoise class in the Royal Navy and it is indeed responsible for the Zulu, Whiskey, Romeo and Quebec class submarines of the Soviet navy much of what the Type XXI has to offer is still used today in modern submarines including the streamlining of the sail and many uprated design features copied or borrowed from the type XXI.

Wilhelm Bauer Type XXI U-Boat by Blair shaw, on Flickr

Her sail no more deck guns just Anti Aircraft guns

Today only one boat remains as a museum this is Wilhelm Bauer she is open to the public but almost gutted inside many of the original fixtures are no longer in place due to the many refits and roles she has played over her long life she is worth the visit and is located at the Bremerhaven maritime museum Germany which is also recommended.

German Shipping Museum by Blair shaw, on Flickr

Some of the other out door displays many indoor ones including a seehund are inside the main building

The type XXI came too late to change the outcome of the war and the later type XXIII would also share the same fates but also find its way into allied hands, the type XXI is a testament to German technology at least a decade ahead of anything the allies had at sea at the time it had come just too late, had they arrived in 1942 with the new anechoic coatings the outcome of the war would have been different.

I hope you have enjoyed the write up my pictures from all my escapades are available on the link in my signature any questions or recommendations please feel free to ask away I will be visiting other museums but for now I have to focus on my life right now and hopefully this new direction will be for the very best (it also brings me closer to many US Museums &#128521

Thanks for reading

[Rhodes]

As always a great post! By the way, the photo with both engine rpms and rudder indicator, is what and where on the u-boat?

[Commander Wallace]

As always, great post Blair. I always wondered about the visible damage to U-505's sail. Now you have cleared that up as well.


Thanks for posting another interesting read.

[August]

It always impressed me how close a thing it was.

Some very brave US Navy men went into that and stopped her from sinking altogether. Respect.

[Commander Wallace]

Originally Posted by August

It always impressed me how close a thing it was.

Some very brave US Navy men went into that and stopped her from sinking altogether. Respect.

Couldn't say that any better. Admiral King, US Chief of Naval Operations considered court-martial- ling Captain Daniel V. Gallery,Commander of Task Group 22.3 for bringing U-505 back and not scuttling the ship.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_submarine_U-505

U-505 had things of value besides the Enigma coding machines such as the U-boat itself. Better to have an opportunity to study a long range U-boat and determine it's strengths and weaknesses and perhaps incorporate those strengths into their own designs.

[Schroeder]

Very nice report.

[Jimbuna]

Another great post with the quality and detail we have come to expect from you

[Rhodes]

About my question, let me guess, the escape hatch of the galley or the diesel engine room, correct? I look at a picture inside a u-boat and saw a similar scene.

[Kapitan]

Originally Posted by Rhodes

As always a great post! By the way, the photo with both engine rpms and rudder indicator, is what and where on the u-boat?

It is in the aft engine room just above the hatch mounted on the bulkhead facing forward.

Thanks guys i am rather shagged from my trips probably got arthritis sitting in those plane seats all this time still stand by there is atleast one more i will be doing but nothing on the scale that you have seen in the past 16 months it will be as and when.

[Catfish]

Hello Kapitan Blair,
thank you very much for the report along with all those photos, very much appreciated!

Hope you get well soon, wishing you a speedy recovery

[mapuc]

Thank you for sharing this report

I myself have been so lucky to have seen both subs in real life.

Markus

[Kapitan]

It has been a very good experience on that i can say i have learnt from and one that if im fortunate enough to have children and grand children be able to share.