German submarine U-509
U-505, a typical Type IXC boat
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History | |
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Nazi Germany | |
Name | U-509 |
Ordered | 20 October 1939 |
Builder | Deutsche Werft, Hamburg |
Yard number | 305 |
Laid down | 1 November 1940 |
Launched | 19 August 1941 |
Commissioned | 4 November 1941 |
Fate | Sunk on 15 July 1943[1] |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type IXC submarine |
Displacement | |
Length |
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Beam |
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Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
Draught | 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Range |
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Test depth | 230 m (750 ft) |
Complement | 4 officers, 44 enlisted |
Armament |
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Service record[2][3] | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 37 143 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: |
German submarine U-509 was a
The U-boat served with the 4th U-boat Flotilla for training, before being assigned to the 10th U-boat Flotilla from 1 July 1942, for front-line service.
Design
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph).
Service history
First patrol
U-509 sailed from Kiel on 25 June 1942, across the Atlantic, into the Caribbean Sea and along the coast of South America, without any successes. She arrived at her new home port of Lorient in occupied France on 12 September after 80 days at sea.[5]
Second patrol
U-509 departed from Lorient on 15 October 1942, now under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Werner Witte. Operating in the waters west of the Canary Islands as part of wolfpack Streitaxt (English : "Battle axe") she attacked Convoy SL 125, sinking four ships and damaging three more.[6]
Convoy SL 125
At 17:40 on 26 October the U-boat attacked the 7,705 GRT British
At 22.33 and 22.38 hours on 27 October, U-509 fired torpedoes at the convoy and sank two British merchant ships. The 7,951 GRT Pacific Star did not sink immediately, but the crew abandoned ship, and she was last seen on 30 October, very low in the water, and probably sank shortly afterwards.
On 28 October, U-509 fired five torpedoes at the convoy and hit two more British merchant ships, while on 10 November, the fourth engineer and 18 men landed at La Orotava, Tenerife, Canary Islands, after being adrift for 14 days.[10] The 5,178 GRT Hopecastle was badly damaged. Three crewmen and two gunners were lost, and her crew abandoned ship. The master and 20 survivors were picked up by the British merchant ship Mano, and another 19 survivors later landed at Funchal, Madeira. Around 05:00 on 29 October, the abandoned Hopecastle was hit by torpedoes from U-203, but the ship stayed afloat and was finally sunk at 10:10 by gunfire.[11]
At 22:16 on 29 October 1942, the U-boat hit the 7,131 GRT British merchant ship Corinaldo with a single torpedo. The ship, loaded with 5,141 tons of frozen meat from Buenos Aires, dropped out of the convoy and was abandoned. Seven crew members and one gunner were lost. The master, 41 crewmen and eight gunners were picked up by HMS Cowslip. At 02:07 the next day, U-659 struck the ship with two torpedoes, but she remained afloat. At 04:16 on the 30th the wreck was finally sunk by a torpedo and gunfire from U-203.[12]
Finally, at midnight on 30 October the U-boat torpedoed and sank the 4,772 GRT British merchant ship Brittany near Madeira. Twelve crewmen, one gunner, and one passenger were lost. The master, 32 crewmen, seven gunners, and three passengers were picked up by the British auxiliary patrol vessel HMS Kelantan.[13]
U-509 then sailed for the waters off Morocco to operate against the Allied ships taking part in the Operation Torch landings. The U-boat operated for three days in waters less than 200 feet (61 m) deep and was constantly bombed and depth charged by Allied surface vessels and aircraft. U-509 received some damage, forcing her to abort the patrol and return to Lorient on 26 November after 43 days at sea.[6]
Third patrol
U-509's next patrol took her far south, to the waters off South Africa.[14] Leaving Lorient on 23 December 1942, she made her first kill at 02:19 on 10 February, sinking the 4,937 GRT British merchant ship Queen Anne eight miles south-south-west of Cape Agulhas. The U-boat was attacked by the ASW trawler HMS St. Zeno with gunfire and seven depth charges, but was not damaged and made her escape. The master, two crewmen and two gunners from Queen Anne were lost. Eighteen survivors were picked up by St. Zeno, while 22 survivors later made landfall at Bredasdorp.[15]
The U-boat struck again at 22:00 on 2 April, torpedoing the 7,129 GRT British passenger ship City of Baroda of Convoy NC-9 north-west of
U-509 returned to Lorient on 11 May after a voyage lasting 140 days.
Fourth patrol
The U-boat's final patrol began on 3 July 1943, under the command of the newly promoted Korvettenkapitän Werner Witte, and sailing south-west to the waters south of the
Wolfpacks
U-509 took part in two wolfpacks, namely:
- Streitaxt (20 October – 2 November 1942)
- Schlagetot (9 – 15 November 1942)
Summary of raiding history
Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[18] |
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26 October 1942 | Anglo Mærsk | United Kingdom | 7,705 | Damaged |
27 October 1942 | Pacific Star | United Kingdom | 7,951 | Sunk |
27 October 1942 | Stentor | United Kingdom | 6,148 | Sunk |
28 October 1942 | Hopecastle | United Kingdom | 5,178 | Damaged |
28 October 1942 | Nagpore | United Kingdom | 5,283 | Sunk |
29 October 1942 | Corinaldo | United Kingdom | 7,131 | Damaged |
30 October 1942 | Brittany | United Kingdom | 4,772 | Sunk |
10 February 1943 | Queen Anne | United Kingdom | 4,937 | Sunk |
2 April 1943 | City of Baroda | United Kingdom | 7,129 | Total loss |
References
- ^ Kemp 1999, p. 132.
- ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC boat U-509 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-509 - Boats - uboat.net". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, p. 68.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-509 from 25 Jun 1942 to 12 Sep 1942". U-boat patrols - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-509 from 15 Oct 1942 to 26 Nov 1942". U-boat patrols - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Anglo Mærsk (Motor tanker)". Ships hit by U-boats - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Pacific Star (Steam merchant)". Ships hit by U-boats - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Stentor (Motor merchant)". Ships hit by U-boats - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Nagpore (Steam merchant)". Ships hit by U-boats - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Hopecastle (Motor merchant)". Ships hit by U-boats - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Corinaldo (Steam merchant)". Ships hit by U-boats - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Brittany (Motor merchant)". Ships hit by U-boats - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-509 from 23 December 1942 to 11 May 1943". U-boat patrols - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Queen Anne (Motor merchant)". Ships hit by U-boats - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "City of Baroda (Steam passenger ship)". Ships hit by U-boats - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-509 from 3 Jul 1943 to 15 Jul 1943". U-boat patrols - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-509". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
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.
- 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. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC boat U-509". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
- convoyweb.org.uk British convoy SL-125