German submarine U-53 (1939)
U-52, a typical Type VIIB boat
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History | |
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Nazi Germany | |
Name | U-53 |
Ordered | 15 May 1937 |
Builder | Germaniawerft, Kiel |
Cost | 4,439,000 Reichsmark |
Yard number | 588 |
Laid down | 13 March 1937 |
Launched | 6 May 1939 |
Commissioned | 24 June 1939 |
Fate | Sunk by Orkney Islands |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type VIIB U-boat |
Displacement | |
Length |
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Beam |
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Draught | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Range |
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Test depth |
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Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
Sensors and processing systems | Gruppenhorchgerät |
Armament |
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Service record | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 10 424 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: |
German submarine U-53 was a
Design
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.9 knots (33.2 km/h; 20.6 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph).
Service history
First patrol
U-53 began her first patrol on 29 August 1939, just prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, under the command of Ernst-Günter Heinicke. Also aboard was Ernst Sobe, the commander of the 7th ("Wegener") Flotilla.[2] U-53 sank two British ships on this patrol: the tanker SS Cheyenne and the freighter SS Kafiristan.[3]
Second patrol
A second patrol under Heinicke, beginning on 21 October produced no results. U-53, along with U-25 and U-26, was to penetrate the Strait of Gibraltar and raid Allied shipping in the Mediterranean Sea. Daunted by the strong British forces at the straits, Heinicke did not attempt to force them and was transferred to the merchant raider German auxiliary cruiser Widder on his return to Germany.[4][5]
Third patrol
Harald Grosse replaced Heinicke for U-53's third and final war patrol, which began on 2 February 1940. Grosse sank six ships for 21,230
In popular culture
In the 1953 film The Cruel Sea U53 was sunk by the fictitious frigate HMS Saltash Castle, her only kill.
In the film Eye of the Needle U-53 is the escape U-boat of the Needle (played by Donald Sutherland) waiting offshore. This is supposed to happen in 1944 in the timeline of the film.
In the 1958 film I Was Monty's Double U-53 is the U-boat which drops off the German commandos attempting to kidnap who they think is General Montgomery (actually his double played by M.E. Clifton James).
In the 1959 British comedy film Don't Panic Chaps U-53 is depicted as the submarine that surfaces to pick up the "stranded" German forces on an unnamed Adriatic Island.
Summary of raiding history
Date[8] | Ship | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) | Fate[8] |
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15 September 1939 | Cheyenne | United Kingdom | 8,825 | Sunk |
17 September 1939 | Kafiristan | United Kingdom | 5,193 | Sunk |
11 February 1940 | Imperial Transport | United Kingdom | 8,022 | Damaged |
11 February 1940 | Snestad | Norway | 4,114 | Sunk |
12 February 1940 | Dalarö | Sweden | 3,927 | Sunk |
13 February 1940 | Norna | Sweden | 1,022 | Sunk |
14 February 1940 | Martin Goldschmidt | Denmark | 2,095 | Sunk |
18 February 1940 | Banderas | Spain | 2,140 | Sunk |
References
- ^ a b c d Gröner, Jung & Maass 1991, pp. 43–44.
- ^ Blair 1996, p. 56.
- ^ Blair 1996, pp. 90, 94.
- ^ Blair 1996, pp. 115–119.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Korvettenkapitän Ernst-Günter Heinicke". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
- ^ Blair 1996, pp. 140–141.
- ^ Kemp 1997, p. 64.
- ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-53". WWII U-boat successes – uboat.net. Retrieved 21 November 2010.
Bibliography
- ISBN 0-394-58839-8.
- 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 (1997). U-Boats Destroyed – German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIB boat U-53". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 53". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 – u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 1 February 2015.