German submarine U-594
History | |
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Nazi Germany | |
Name | U-594 |
Ordered | 16 January 1940 |
Builder | Blohm & Voss, Hamburg |
Yard number | 570 |
Laid down | 17 December 1940 |
Launched | 3 September 1941 |
Commissioned | 30 October 1941 |
Fate | Sunk on 5 June 1943 in the North Atlantic in position 35°55′N 09°25′W / 35.917°N 9.417°W, by depth charges from RAF Hudson . |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type VIIC submarine |
Displacement | |
Length |
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Beam |
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Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
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 | |
Test depth |
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Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
Armament |
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Service record[1] | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 38 516 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: |
2 merchant ships sunk (14,390 GRT) |
German submarine U-594 was a
. She wasDesign
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph).
Service history
The boat's career began with training at 8th U-boat Flotilla on 30 October 1941, followed by active service on 1 March 1942 as part of the 7th U-boat Flotilla for the remainder of her service.
In six patrols she sank two merchant ships, for a total of 14,390 gross register tons (GRT).
Convoy ON 127
The
Soon after sunset the convoy set off in eight columns of four. 600 miles out into the Atlantic Wolf Pack
Initial contact came on the evening of 9 September 1942, and by this time Vorwärts had been reinforced with additional boats from Stier. The weather was fine with good visibility but the convoy escorts had been forewarned by the Admiralty about the presence of the enemy.
On 12 September, both U-407 and U-594 launched torpedoes unsuccessfully that night. U-594 eventually sank the straggling 6,131 GRT American-owned Panamanian-flagged steamer Stone Street with a single torpedo which struck the engine room on the port side.
When U-594 surfaced she accidentally capsized the Stone Street’s lifeboat, but the men were taken aboard, questioned and provided with supplies of whiskey and food, then released; except for the master who was retained as a POW.
Fate
U-594 was sunk on 5 June 1943 in the
Wolfpacks
U-594 took part in six wolfpacks, namely:
- Blücher(14 – 28 August 1942)
- Stier (29 August – 2 September 1942)
- Vorwärts(2 – 17 September 1942)
- Jaguar (10 – 31 January 1943)
- Pfeil (1 – 9 February 1943)
- Löwenherz (1 – 10 April 1943)
Summary of raiding history
Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[3] |
---|---|---|---|---|
13 September 1942 | Stone Street | Panama | 6,131 | Sunk |
26 January 1943 | Kollbjørg | Norway | 8,259 | Sunk |
References
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-594". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 August 2014.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-594". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 August 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). Der U-Boot-Krieg, 1939-1945: Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945] (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Edwards, Bernard (1996). Dönitz and the Wolf Packs - The U-boats at War. Cassell. pp. 105, 110. ISBN 0-304-35203-9.
- Gröner, Eric; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). German Warships 1815-1945: U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
- Sharpe, Peter (1998). U-Boat Fact File. Great Britain: Midland Publishing. ISBN 1-85780-072-9.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-594". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 2014.