German submarine U-147 (1940)

Career (Nazi Germany)
Name: U-147
Ordered: 25 September 1939
Builder: Deutsche Werke, Kiel
Yard number: 276
Laid down: 10 April 1940
Launched: 16 November 1940[1]
Commissioned: 11 December 1940[1]
Fate: Sunk by British warships on 2 June 1941[1]
General characteristics [2]
Class and type:IID
Type:Coastal submarine
Displacement:314 t (309 long tons) surfaced
364 t (358 long tons) submerged
Length:43.97 m (144 ft 3 in)
Beam:4.92 m (16 ft 2 in)
Draft:3.93 m (12 ft 11 in)
Propulsion:2 × propeller shafts
2 × MWM four-stroke diesel engines, 700 shp (520 kW)
2 × Siemens-Schuckert electric motor, 410 shp (310 kW)
Speed:12.7 knots (23.5 km/h; 14.6 mph) surfaced
7.4 knots (13.7 km/h; 8.5 mph) submerged
Range:3,450 nmi (6,390 km; 3,970 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) surfaced
56 nmi (104 km; 64 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth:80 m (260 ft)
Complement:3 officers, 22 men
Armament:
Service record[3][4]
Part of:
Commanders:
  • Kptlt. Reinhard Hardegen (11 December 1940–4 April 1941)
  • Oblt.z.S. Eberhard Wetjen (5 April–2 June 1941)
Operations: 1st patrol:
22 February–12 March 1941
2nd patrol:
16 April–11 May 1941
3rd patrol:
24 May–2 June 1941
Victories:
  • Two ships sunk (6,145 GRT)
  • One ship damaged (4,996 GRT)
  • One ship a total loss (2,491 GRT)

German submarine U-147 was a Type IID U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was laid down on 10 April 1940 at Deutsche Werke in Kiel as yard number 276, launched on 16 November 1940 and commissioned on 11 December under the command of Kapitänleutnant Reinhard Hardegen.[3]

Operational career

1st patrol

U-147‍ '​s first patrol was preceded by a short trip from Kiel to Bergen in Norway in February 1941. She then left the Nordic port on 22 February and headed for the Atlantic north and west of Scotland. She sank the Norwegian freighter Augvald a straggler from convoy HX-109, about 72 nmi (133 km; 83 mi) north northwest of Ness (in the Outer Hebrides on 2 March. Following this patrol Hardegen took command of U-123 and was succeeded by his first watch officer, Eberhard Wetjen.[5]

She arrived back in Kiel on 12 March.

2nd patrol

The boat's second foray was similar to her first, except it started from Kiel. She sank another Norwegian ship, Rimfakse, about 130 nmi (240 km; 150 mi) northwest of Scotland on 27 April 1941. She sank no other ships and put in to Bergen on 11 May.[4]

3rd patrol and loss

U-147‍ '​s third and final patrol began on 24 May 1941. A week later, she torpedoed the British freighter Gravelines northwest of the Bloody Foreland (western Ireland), which broke in two and was declared a total loss; the forward part of the ship was towed to the Clyde and scrapped. On 2 June U-147 encountered convoy OB-239 near the African coast and attacked alone (a decision which historian Clay Blair described as "bold"). She damaged one ship, (Mokambo), before being sunk with all hands by a British destroyer, HMS Wanderer and a corvette, HMS Periwinkle.[4][6]

Summary of raiding career

Ships attacked by U-147[7]
Date Ship Nationality Tons Convoy Fate and location
2 March 1941 Augvald  Norway 4,811 HX-109 Sunk at 59°30′N 07°30′W / 59.500°N 7.500°W
27 April 1941 Rimfakse  Norway 1,334 Sunk at 60°10′N 08°54′W / 60.167°N 8.900°W
31 May 1941 Gravelines  United Kingdom 2,491 HX-127 Declared a total loss; stern sank at 56°0′N 11°13′W / 56.000°N 11.217°W
2 June 1941 Mokambo  Belgium 4,996 OB-329 Damaged at 56°38′N 10°24′W / 56.633°N 10.400°W

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Kemp 1999, p. 70
  2. ↑ Gröner 1985, p. 67.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IID boat U-147". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-147". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
  5. ↑ Blair 1996, pp. 248, 302.
  6. ↑ Blair 1996, p. 307.
  7. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-147". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 2011-07-31.

Bibliography

External links