| Career (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, 10 November 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Type IXC/40 submarine |
| Displacement: | 1,120 t (1,100 long tons) surfaced 1,232 t (1,213 long tons) submerged |
| Length: | 76.8 m (252 ft 0 in) o/a 58.7 m (192 ft 7 in) pressure hull |
| Beam: | 6.9 m (22 ft 8 in) o/a 4.4 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull |
| Height: | 9.6 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draft: | 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × MAN M9V40/46 supercharged 9-cylinder diesel engines, 4,400 hp (3,281 kW) 2 × SSW GU345/34 double-acting electric motors, 1,000 hp (746 kW) |
| Speed: | 19 knots (35 km/h) surfaced 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h) submerged |
| Range: | 25,620 nmi (47,450 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) surfaced 117 nmi (217 km) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h) submerged |
| Test depth: | 230 m (750 ft) |
| Complement: | 48 to 56 |
| Armament: | • 6 × torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern) • 22 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedoes • 1 × Utof 105 mm/45 deck gun (110 rounds) • AA guns |
| Service record[1][2] | |
| Part of: | 4th U-boat Flotilla (Training) (27 January–31 July 1943) 10th U-boat Flotilla (front Boat) (1 August 1943–30 September 1944) 33rd U-boat Flotilla (front Boat) (1 October–9 November 1944) |
| Commanders: | Kptlt. Peter Schrewe (27 January 1943–9 November 1944) |
| Operations: | 3 patrols |
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-537 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine built for service during World War II. Her keel was laid down on 10 April 1942 by Deutsche Werft in Hamburg. She was commissioned on 27 January 1943 with Kapitänleutnant Peter Schrewe in command. Schrewe commanded the boat for nearly two years, until her loss.[1]
U-537 conducted three patrols, and holds the distinction of making the only armed German landing in North America during World War II — installing the automatic Weather Station Kurt in Martin Bay, Labrador on 22 October 1943.[3] She was then sent to the Far East. On 10 November 1944 in the Java Sea east of Surabaya, U-537 was sunk with all hands — 58 officers and men — by torpedoes from USS Flounder (SS-251).[1]
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U-537 left Kiel on 18 September 1943 and sailed to Bergen, Norway, from where she departed on her first patrol on 30 September. She sailed across the North Atlantic where on 22 October she set up Wetter-Funkgerät Land-26 (code-named "Kurt") automatic weather station in Martin Bay, Labrador. The weather station was not discovered by Canadian authorities until 1981.[4]
While on anti-shipping patrol off Newfoundland on 31 October the U-boat was attacked by a Canadian Hudson aircraft from No. 11 Squadron RCAF with eight rockets, all of which missed. On 10 November a Canadian Catalina aircraft from No. 5 Squadron RCAF attacked her with four depth charges off Cape Race. The U-boat escaped unharmed, but the next day another Catalina of 5 Squadron attacked with four depth changes which slightly damaged the U-boat. Surface ships joined the hunt, but failed to locate U-537 and she arrived safely at Lorient on 8 December.[5]
U-537 sailed from Lorient on 25 March 1944 and sailed around Africa, across the Indian Ocean, to Batavia by 2 August after a voyage of 131 days.[6]
The U-boat left Batavia for Soerabaja on 1 October 1944, and sailed on her third and final patrol on 9 November[7] and on that day was sunk with all hands — 58 officers and men — in the Java Sea, in position , by torpedoes from USS Flounder (SS-251).[1]
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