German submarine U-147 (1940)
History | |
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Name | U-147 |
Ordered | 25 September 1939 |
Builder | Deutsche Werke, Kiel |
Yard number | 276 |
Laid down | 10 April 1940 |
Launched | 16 November 1940[1] |
Commissioned | 11 December 1940[1] |
Fate | Sunk by British warships on 2 June 1941[1] |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type IID coastal submarine |
Displacement | |
Length |
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Beam |
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Height | 8.40 m (27 ft 7 in) |
Draught | 3.93 m (12 ft 11 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Range |
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Test depth | 80 m (260 ft) |
Complement | 3 officers, 22 men |
Armament |
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Service record[2][3] | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 19 049 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: |
German submarine U-147 was a
Design
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 12.7 knots (23.5 km/h; 14.6 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.4 knots (13.7 km/h; 8.5 mph).
Operational career
First patrol
U-147's first patrol was preceded by a short trip from Kiel to Bergen in Norway on 22 February 1941. She then left the Nordic port on 22 February and headed for the Atlantic north and west of Scotland. She sank the Norwegian freighter Augvald a straggler from convoy HX 109, about 72 nmi (133 km; 83 mi) north north-west of Ness in the Outer Hebrides on 2 March. Following this patrol Hardegen took command of U-123 and was succeeded by his first watch officer, Eberhard Wetjen.[5]
She arrived back in Kiel on 12 March.
Second patrol
The boat's second foray was similar to her first, except it started from Kiel. She sank another Norwegian ship, Rimfakse, about 130 nmi (240 km; 150 mi) north-west of Scotland on 27 April 1941. She sank no other ships and put into Bergen on 11 May.[3]
Third patrol and loss
U-147's third and final patrol began on 24 May 1941. A week later, she torpedoed the British freighter Gravelines northwest of the
Summary of raiding history
Date | Ship | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Convoy | Fate and location[7] |
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2 March 1941 | Augvald | ![]() |
4,811 | HX 109 | Sunk at 59°30′N 07°30′W / 59.500°N 7.500°W |
27 April 1941 | Rimfakse | ![]() |
1,334 | Sunk at 60°10′N 08°54′W / 60.167°N 8.900°W | |
31 May 1941 | Gravelines | ![]() |
2,491 | HX 127 | Total loss; stern sank at 56°0′N 11°13′W / 56.000°N 11.217°W |
2 June 1941 | Mokambo | ![]() |
4,996 | OB 329 | Damaged at 56°38′N 10°24′W / 56.633°N 10.400°W |
Cultural references
U-147 is erroneously named as the German submarine setting of the 12 May 1959 episode, "The Haunted U-Boat", of the American supernatural anthology series
References
- ^ a b c Kemp 1999, p. 70
- ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IID boat U-147". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
- ^ a b c Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-147". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 39–40.
- ^ Blair 1996, pp. 248, 302.
- ^ Blair 1996, p. 307.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-147". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
- ^ "One Step Beyond": The Haunted U-Boat.
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). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- ISBN 0-394-58839-8.
- Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
- Kemp, Paul (1999). U-Boats Destroyed – German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IID boat U-147". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 147". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 30 January 2015.