German submarine U-537
U-537 in Martin Bay, Labrador
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History | |
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Nazi Germany | |
Name | U-537 |
Ordered | 10 April 1941 |
Builder | Deutsche Werft AG, Hamburg-Finkenwerder |
Yard number | 355 |
Laid down | 10 April 1942 |
Launched | 7 November 1942 |
Commissioned | 27 January 1943 |
Fate | Sunk in the Java sea by USS Flounder on 10 November 1944 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type IXC/40 submarine |
Displacement | |
Length |
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Beam |
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Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
Draught | 4.67 m (15 ft 4 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[1][2] | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 49 804 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: | None |
German submarine U-537 was a
U-537 conducted three patrols and holds the distinction of making the only armed German landing in North America during World War II, when her crew installed the automatic
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-537 left Kiel on 18 September 1943 and sailed to Bergen, Norway, departing from there on her first patrol on 30 September. She sailed across the North Atlantic, and on 22 October she set up Wetter-Funkgerät Land-26 (code-named "Kurt") automatic weather station in Martin Bay, Labrador. The weather station was only discovered by accident by Canadian authorities in 1981.[5]
While on anti-shipping patrol off
Second patrol
U-537 sailed from Lorient on 25 March 1944 and traveled around Africa, and then crossed the Indian Ocean to Batavia, which she reached on 2 August after a voyage of 131 days.[7]
Third patrol
U-537 left Batavia for Surabaya in Indonesia on 1 October 1944, and began her third and final patrol on 9 November.[8] On 10 November, she was spotted and sunk with all hands — 58 officers and men — in the Java Sea, at position 7°13′S 115°17′E / 7.217°S 115.283°E, by torpedoes from USS Flounder (SS-251).[1] U-537 was one of 10 German U-boats lost in Asian or East African waters during the war.[9]
References
- ^ a b c d Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-537". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-537". U-boat patrols - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
- ^ Thorne, R.G. (2004). A Cherished Past: Newfoundland's Front Row Seat to History. St. John's, NL/Thorton Publishing Ltd. (pp. 82-88)
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, p. 68.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Weather station Kurt erected in Labrador in 1943". U-boat.net. Retrieved 18 March 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-537 from 30 Sep 1943 to 8 Dec 1943". U-boat patrols - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-537 from 25 Mar 1944 to 2 Aug 1944". U-boat patrols - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-537 from 9 Nov 1944 to 9 Nov 1944". U-boat patrols - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 March 2010.
- ^ "The U-Boat War in Indian Ocean". Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 20 November 2010.
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.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-537". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.