Английская Википедия:German submarine U-68 (1940)

Содержание

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

Шаблон:Infobox ship imageШаблон:Infobox ship careerШаблон:Infobox ship characteristicsШаблон:Infobox service record

German submarine U-68 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 20 April 1940 at the DeSchiMAG AG Weser yard at Bremen as yard number 987, launched on 22 October and commissioned on 1 January 1941 under the command of Korvettenkapitän Karl-Friedrich Merten as part of 2nd U-boat Flotilla.

U-68 conducted ten combat patrols, sinking 32 merchant ships, for a total of Шаблон:GRT; she also sank one auxiliary warship of Шаблон:GRT. She was a member of one wolfpack.

On 10 April 1944, during her tenth patrol, she was sunk northwest of Madeira by US aircraft from the escort carrier Шаблон:USS.

Design

German Type IXC submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXBs. U-68 had a displacement of Шаблон:Convert when at the surface and Шаблон:Convert while submerged.Шаблон:Sfn The U-boat had a total length of Шаблон:Convert, a pressure hull length of Шаблон:Convert, a beam of Шаблон:Convert, a height of Шаблон:Convert, and a draught of Шаблон:Convert. The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of Шаблон:Convert for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of Шаблон:Convert for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two Шаблон:Convert propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to Шаблон:Convert.Шаблон:Sfn

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of Шаблон:Convert and a maximum submerged speed of Шаблон:Convert.Шаблон:Sfn When submerged, the boat could operate for Шаблон:Convert at Шаблон:Convert; when surfaced, she could travel Шаблон:Convert at Шаблон:Convert. U-68 was fitted with six Шаблон:Convert torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 torpedoes, one [[10.5 cm SK C/32 naval gun|Шаблон:Convert SK C/32 naval gun]], 180 rounds, and a [[3.7 cm SK C/30|Шаблон:Convert SK C/30]] as well as a [[2 cm FlaK 30|Шаблон:Convert C/30]] anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of forty-eight.Шаблон:Sfn

Service history

First patrol

U-68 left Kiel on 30 June 1941 for the Atlantic Ocean via the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. She was unsuccessfully attacked with 24 depth charges by the British corvette Шаблон:HMS west northwest of Cape Finisterre in Spain. She docked at her new base at Lorient, on the French Atlantic coast, on 1 August. She would be based there for the rest of her career.

Second patrol

Heading for the south Atlantic, the boat came across Silverbelle southwest of the Canary Islands and sank her on 22 September 1941. On 28 September she was involved in an action in Tarrafal Bay, Cape Verde islands, but escaped unscathed. The following month she sank RFA Darkdale while the ship was at anchor off Jamestown, Saint Helena on 22 October. Her third victim, Hazelside, was destroyed on the 28th, Шаблон:Convert southeast of Saint Helena. U-68 also sank Bradford City west of South West Africa (now Namibia) on 1 November. The U-boat collided with the stricken ship while diving underneath her. The submarine's bow was bent.

Nevertheless, the submarine returned to Lorient on 25 December.

Third patrol

U-68Шаблон:'s third sortie was also conducted off the west coast of Africa. She sank Helenus on 3 March 1942 Шаблон:Convert south of Freetown in Sierra Leone, followed by Baluchstan on the eighth. The boat's crew were kept busy, sinking Baron Newlands on the 16th and Ile de Batz on the 17th; all the vessels met their end in the vicinity of Liberia.

She also sank Scottish Prince about Шаблон:Convert west of Takoradi in Gold Coast and Allende, both on the 17th.

U-68 had turned for home when she sank Muncaster Castle with two torpedoes south southwest of Monrovia. More than ten lifeboats were seen by the Germans; there were 329 survivors.

Fourth patrol

For her fourth patrol U-68 moved to the Caribbean Sea, leaving Lorient on 14 May 1942. On the night of 5 June she sank Шаблон:MV, which at 13,006 GRT was then the world's largest oil tanker.

On the night of 10 June, northeast of the Panama Canal, she torpedoed the 8,581 GRT British freighter Surrey. 5,000 tons of dynamite in the cargo detonated after the ship sank. The shock wave lifted the U-boat out of the water as if she had been hit herself; both diesel engines and the gyrocompass were disabled.

Another victim was Port Montreal. She was sunk with what Merten noted in the boat's war diary as a lucky [torpedo] hit.

In all, U-68 sank seven ships during this patrol before returning to Lorient on 10 July.

Fifth patrol

The submarine left Lorient on her fifth patrol on 20 August 1942. She would not see her base again until December. At 109 days, this was to be her longest and most successful sally. Heading once more into the South Atlantic, she attacked and sank Trevilley east northeast of Ascension Island on 12 September. The Master and Chief Officer were taken prisoner.

She travelled further south, sinking ships such as Gasterkerk on 8 October and Sarthe on the same date, both in the area of the Cape of Good Hope. She also disposed of Belgian Fighter on the ninth.

Turning for home on 16 October, she sank City of Cairo on 6 November. U-68 returned a month later to Lorient on December 6.

Sixth patrol

The boat's sixth patrol in the first half of 1943 was again to northern South America. Having sunk two ships, she was attacked by a US Mariner flying boat on 2 April; damage was slight.

Seventh and eighth patrols

U-68 was attacked by one of four British De Havilland Mosquitos on the western edge of the Bay of Biscay on 14 June 1943. One man was killed, three were wounded

Patrol number eight was relatively uneventful.

Ninth patrol

The boat returned to her most successful hunting ground - the South Atlantic. In another mammoth patrol (107 days), she sank four more ships.

One of them, the Norwegian tanker Litiopa, had numerous torpedoes and rounds from the deck gun fired at her, but stubbornly refused to succumb. Having been initially encountered at night on 21 October 1943, it was not until the following day that she sank.

The LitiopaШаблон:'s sole escort was the mine-sweeping trawler HMS Orfasy. She was sunk relatively easily on 21 October before the attack on the tanker.

The other two ships were New Columbia, (sunk southwest of Bingerville, Ivory Coast) on 31 October and the French Fort de Vaux on 30 November. The latter vessel met her end after 'Aphrodite' radar decoys had been used to lure the escort vessels away.

U-68Шаблон:'s inbound route took her close to the northwest Spanish coast. She docked at Lorient on 23 December 1943.

Tenth patrol and loss

The boat left Lorient for the last time on 22 March 1944. On 10 April, she was sunk at position Шаблон:Coord, northwest of the Portuguese island of Madeira, by depth charges and rockets from Grumman Avenger and Grumman Wildcat aircraft from the United States escort carrier Шаблон:USS.

56 men died; there was one survivor, who was the lookout left top-side when the submarine crash-dived in an attempt to avoid attack.

Wolfpacks

U-68 took part in one wolfpack, namely:

• Eisbär (25 August - 1 September 1942)

Summary of raiding history

Date	Ship	Nationality	Tonnage	Fate
22 September 1941	Silverbelle	Шаблон:Flagcountry	5,302	Sunk
22 October 1941	Darkdale	Шаблон:Flagcountry	8,145	Sunk
28 October 1941	Hazelside	Шаблон:Flagcountry	5,297	Sunk
1 November 1941	Bradford City	Шаблон:Flagcountry	4,953	Sunk
3 March 1942	Helenus	Шаблон:Flagcountry	7,366	Sunk
8 March 1942	Baluchistan	Шаблон:Flagcountry	6,992	Sunk
16 March 1942	Baron Newlands	Шаблон:Flagcountry	3,386	Sunk
17 March 1942	Allende	Шаблон:Flagcountry	5,081	Sunk
17 March 1942	Ile de Batz	Шаблон:Flagcountry	5,755	Sunk
17 March 1942	Scottish Prince	Шаблон:Flagcountry	4,917	Sunk
30 March 1942	Muncaster Castle	Шаблон:Flagcountry	5,853	Sunk
5 June 1942	L.J. Drake	Шаблон:Flagcountry	6,693	Sunk
5 June 1942	Шаблон:MV	Шаблон:Flagcountry	13,006	Sunk
10 June 1942	Ardenvohr	Шаблон:Flagcountry	5,025	Sunk
10 June 1942	Port Montreal	Шаблон:Flagcountry	5,882	Sunk
10 June 1942	Surrey	Шаблон:Flagcountry	8,581	Sunk
15 June 1942	Frimaire	Шаблон:Flagcountry	9,242	Sunk
23 June 1942	Arnaga	Шаблон:Flagcountry	2,345	Sunk
12 September 1942	Trevilley	Шаблон:Flagcountry	5,296	Sunk
15 September 1942	Breedijk	Шаблон:Flagcountry	6,861	Sunk
8 October 1942	Gaasterkerk	Шаблон:Flagcountry	8,679	Sunk
8 October 1942	Koumoundouros	Шаблон:Flagcountry	3,598	Sunk
8 October 1942	Sarthe	Шаблон:Flagcountry	5,271	Sunk
8 October 1942	Swiftsure	Шаблон:Flagcountry	8,207	Sunk
9 October 1942	Belgian Fighter	Шаблон:Flagcountry	5,403	Sunk
9 October 1942	Examelia	Шаблон:Flagcountry	4,981	Sunk
6 November 1942	Шаблон:SS	Шаблон:Flagcountry	8,034	Sunk
13 March 1943	Ceres	Шаблон:Flagcountry	2,680	Sunk
13 March 1943	Cities Service Missouri	Шаблон:Flagcountry	7,506	Sunk
21 October 1943	HMT Orfasy	Шаблон:Navy	545	Sunk
22 October 1943	Litiopa	Шаблон:Flagcountry	5,356	Sunk
31 October 1943	New Columbia	Шаблон:Flagcountry	6,574	Sunk
30 November 1943	Fort de Vaux	Шаблон:Flagcountry	5,186	Sunk
Total amount of tonnage:			197,998 gross register tons

Bibliography

• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite book
• Шаблон:Cite book

External links

• Шаблон:Cite web
• Шаблон:Cite web
• Шаблон:Cite web