German submarine U-518

Career (Nazi Germany)
Name:	U-518
Ordered:	14 February 1940
Builder:	Deutsche Werft, Hamburg
Yard number:	314
Laid down:	12 June 1941
Launched:	11 February 1942
Commissioned:	25 April 1942
Fate:	Sunk, 22 April 1945[1]
General characteristics [2]
Class and type:	Type IXC submarine
Displacement:	1,120 t (1,100 long tons) surfaced 1,232 t (1,213 long tons) submerged
Length:	76.76 m (251 ft 10 in) o/a 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in) pressure hull
Beam:	6.76 m (22 ft 2 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 M 9 V 40/46 supercharged 9-cylinder diesel engines, 4,400 hp (3,281 kW) 2 × SSW 2 GU 345/34 double acting electric motors, 1,000 hp (746 kW)
Speed:	18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) surfaced 7.7 knots (14.3 km/h; 8.9 mph) submerged
Range:	13,450 nmi (24,910 km; 15,480 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 64 nautical miles (119 km; 74 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth:	230 m (750 ft)
Complement:	48 to 56
Armament:	6 × torpedo tubes (four bow, two stern) 22 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedoes 1 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK L/45 deck gun (180 rounds) anti-aircraft guns

German submarine U-518 was a Type IXC U-boat of the Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She saw considerable success from her launch in 11 February 1942 until she was sunk on 22 April 1945.^[5] The U-boat was laid down at the Deutsche Werft in Hamburg as yard number 314 on 12 June 1941, and commissioned on 25 April 1942 with Fregattenkapitän Hans-Günther Brachmann in command. He was replaced on 19 August 1942 by Kapitänleutnant Friedrich-Wilhelm Wissmann.^[6] She sank nine ships and damaged three more in ten active patrols. U-518 had a crew of 56, and was by then commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Werner Offermann from 13 January 1944.

Operational career

First patrol

She left Kiel on 26 September 1942, by-passed the British Isles via the gap between Iceland and the Faeroe Islands and crossed the Atlantic. She entered Conception Bay, Newfoundland and near Bell Island sank the British PLM 27 and the Canadian Rose Castle on 2 November. A week later, on November 9, she put a German spy named Werner von Janowski ashore at New Carlisle, Quebec.^[7]

Moving out into the Atlantic proper, she attacked other ships, such as the British Empire Sailor on the 21st and the American Caddo on the 23rd. With these and other successes behind her, she moved to her new home base, Lorient in occupied France, arriving on 15 December 1942.

Second patrol

Leaving Lorient on 11 January 1943, she sailed to the eastern Brazilian coast and on 14 February 1943 came under attack from unidentified Allied aircraft; she sustained minimal damage Between 18 February and 25 March, she sank another four ships.On the return journey, she passed through the Cape Verde Islands, west of the Canaries and east of the Azores, arriving back at Lorient on 27 April 1943 after a patrol lasting 107 days.

Third patrol

Her third sortie was marred by a depth charge and strafing attack on 27 June 1943 by a Sunderland flying boat of 201 Squadron, RAF. The damage incurred was serious enough to warrant her return which was hampered by another attack by a Sunderland, this time from 10 Squadron, RAAF on 30 June in the Bay of Biscay. This incident caused no further damage, but the aircraft's rear gunner was mortally wounded.The boat docked in Bordeaux on 3 July.

Fourth patrol

She spent fifteen weeks on patrol which included a presence in the Gulf of Mexico, between 18 August and 1 December 1943, with no results.

Fifth patrol

Another long patrol saw the boat in the Caribbean where she torpedoed the Panamanian Valera. The ship broke in two before sinking. The submarine had departed Lorient on 23 January 1944 and returned there on 10 July.

Sixth patrol

This was a non-active Patrol, traveling from port to port, lasted from 4–10 July 1944, with no results

Seventh patrol

By now, the Allies were besieging the Atlantic ports on the landward side; the boat departed Lorient for the last time on 15 July 1944. Allied escort ships attacked a submarine in mid-ocean, probably U-518, on 9 August. She next turned up, on the eastern US coast, where she damaged the American George Ade. She then withdrew to Kristiansand in Norway, arriving on 24 October 1944.

Eighth and ninth patrols

Both of these voyages from 25–28 October 1944 and 5–10 March 1945 were between ports and produced no results.

Tenth and final patrol

Her last foray began when she departed Kristiansand on 12 March 1945. She was sunk northwest of the Azores on 24 April by depth charges from USS Carter and USS Neal A. Scott. There were no survivors.

Wolfpacks

U-518 took part in two wolfpacks, namely.

• Panther (7–11 October 1942)
• Seewolf (14–22 April 1945)

Summary of raiding career

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage (GRT)	Fate[8]
2 November 1942	P.L.M. 27	United Kingdom	5,633	Sunk
2 November 1942	Rose Castle	Canada	7,803	Sunk
21 November 1942	British Promise	United Kingdom	8,443	Damaged
21 November 1942	British Renown	United Kingdom	8,443	Damaged
21 November 1942	Empire Sailor	United Kingdom	6,997	Sunk
21 November 1942	Caddo	United States	10,172	Sunk
18 February 1943	Brasiloide	Brazil	6,075	Sunk
1 March 1943	Fitz-John Porter	United States	7,176	Sunk
20 March 1943	Mariso	Netherlands	7,659	Sunk
25 March 1943	Industria	Sweden	1,688	Sunk
7 March 1944	Valera	Panama	3,401	Sunk
12 September 1944	George Ade	United States	7,176	Damaged

References

Bibliography

• Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German) IV (Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler). ISBN 3-8132-0514-2. 
• Gröner, Erich (1985). U-Boote, Hilfskreuzer, Minenschiffe, Netzleger, Sperrbrecher. Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815-1945 (in German) III (Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe). ISBN 3-7637-4802-4. 
• Kemp, Paul (1999). U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3. 

External links

• Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC boat U-518". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014. 
• U-518 at ubootwaffe.net
• Hofmann, Markus. "U 518". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 7 December 2014. 

Coordinates: 43°26′N 38°23′W / 43.433°N 38.383°W / 43.433; -38.383