[joe2897]

The most successful U-boat of WWII, U-48 returning to base after a successful patrol.

U-48​

Type​

VIIB​

Ordered21 Nov 1936
)
Successes 51 ships sunk for a total of 306,875 GRT
1 warship sunk for a total of 1,060 tons
3 ships damaged for a total of 20,480 GRTFateShe was scuttled on 3 May, 1945 off Neustadt, Germany.
http://www.thebassbarn.com/boats/patrols/u48.html​

Wolfpack operations


U-48 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:


13 Apr 1940
The boat, while attempting to attack the HMS Warspite destroyer screen, was herself depth charged but not seriously damaged. (Sources: Blair, vol 1, page 152)
22 Mar 1941
The boat was attacked by British destroyers with depth charges and suffered slight damages.
2 recorded attacks on this boat.

General notes on this boat



U-48 returning to base after a successful patrol.

2 Apr 1941. On 2 April, 1941 U-48 was badly damaged by an explosion on the sinking ship Beaverdale and was forced to return to base.
Men lost from U-boats

Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-48 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.

 

[joe2897]

All U-boats of WWII... uboat.net

U-1 thru U-4712​

uboat.net

U-1, thru, U-4712,

1168 U-boats have their own pages ....


To many to list on this thread .....:huh:


Foreign U-boats

14 submarines captured by the Germans.

U-boats never commissioned

135 U-boats laid down but not finished.:bow:

 

[joe2897]

U-boat types

U-boat types


This section contain technical details on all the German U-boat types; Builders, Werk numbers, Order dates and detailed drawings of all types, and many other interesting details.

The former type XXI boat U-2540, now a museum at Bremerhaven.​

The German U-boats of WWII varied from relatively simple boats little changed from WWI to the highly advanced and ahead of its time Elektro boats of types XXI and XXIII plus many even more advanced research projects.
Coastal boats

A Table of all U-boats and their types​

German Midget Submarines​

U-boat projects and proposals​

16 U-boat types never built.​

 

[joe2897]

Events on this day

What happened on
30 January?
​

Commander file

Georg von Wilamowitz-Möllendorf
(U-2, U-459)
- More officers
​

U-boat of the Day

U-101 - 10 patrols
23 ships sunk (113,808 tons)​

​

Allied Warships

Over 11,300 ships


​

http://www.thebassbarn.com/forum/deadlight.htm
115 German U-boats were scuttled by the Allied post war.
http://www.thebassbarn.com/forum/at-sea.htm
43 U-boats were at sea on May 4 when the cease-fire orders were sent out.
.

Captured U-boats

4 German U-boats and 1 English submarine were captured at sea in the war.
Sunk by Allied Subs

The war was also fought under the sea. 19 German U-boats were lost to allied submarines.
U-boats Today

5 U-boats are still existing today and you can visit 4 of them.
Interned in Spain

Two German U-boats were interned in Spain during the war.
http://www.thebassbarn.com/forum/scuttled.htm
.






Roughly 220 U-boats were scuttled in early May 1945 in Operation Regenbogen.


Losses in May 1943

This was the turning point in Battle of the Atlantic. 41 U-boats lost and many damaged.

 

[Stitcher]

Submarines

There is only two things on the water. Submarines and Targets Diesel boats forever!!! But they are gone but still quieter!!!

 

[snprblue2]

What the U-Boats did was utterly amazing. Imagine if German High Command and Hitler fully realized what a valuable resource this was...Plus the Brits & Poles got lucky and got ahold of a German Sub encryption machine--they were able to read the mail going to the subs and were able to get the kills as a result.

Our Subs in the Pacific essentially shut down Japanese shipping.:thumbsup:

 

[GlennSr.]

My dad is one of the guys that patroled the beach from Cape May north to 7mi Island. Coastie and still fishing at 87. My mom is a Coastie too 87 and still eating Dad's catch. He has some stories about guys and subs.

 

[Blynch]

who needs artificial reef programs just set afew of these guys loose off of nj...

 

[joe2897]

Fairey Swordfish

From the Gallery

Aircraft & Air forces​

Fairey Swordfish​

prepared by Emmauel Gustin

A Fairey Swordfish Mk.III with ASV Mk.XI radar between its wheel legs, dipole arrays on its wings struts, and rocket launching rails under the wings. ​

One of the most unusual combat aircraft of World War II was the Fairey Swordfish. It was a big, unsophisticated biplane, slow and cumbersome. It looked antiquated, because it was, but it served until the end of the war and survived its intended replacement. Initially, Swordfishes operated from the large fleet carriers. Later Swordfishes operated from escort carriers, and were very effective against U-boats. The nickname Stringbag indicated the versatility of the Swordfish, which could carry an unlikely combination of loads, but also referred to its jungle of bracing wires, which belonged to a past age.
. After modifications and replacement of the engine by a Bristol Pegasus IIM radial, it was called the TSR.1 (TSR for Torpedo-Spotter-Reconnaissance). It flew in this form in July 1933, but was lost in September.
The design team then produced a modified aircraft, designated TSR.II. The wings were slightly swept back to correct the center of gravity position, and the fuselage was made longer... and called for a type that could serve as two-seat torpedo-bomber and three-seat reconnaissance aircraft. The Swordfish was a large biplane, but because it is single-engined it tends to look deceptively small from a distance and on photographs. Its fabric-covered metal construction was sturdy and reliable, but lacked refinement. The biplane wing had ailerons on both lower and upper planes, and leading edge slats on the upper wing. For the take-off, the ailerons could be drooped 8 degrees to increase lift. For storage on carriers, the wing folded backwards. In cold weather the open cockpit was uncomfortable, especially for the rear gunner. The wing struts, the robust fixed landing gear, and the generous size of wings and tail produced high drag, and the single 690hp Pegasus IIIM3 engine gave the aircraft a very modest performance. But it was reliable, which was especially important for the lonely night patrols over the arctic seas that were to be the task of the Swordfish.

On 11 November, they became famous by the attack on Taranto, where the battleship Littorio was sunk and two others heavily damaged. In May 1941, Swordfishes from HMS Ark Royal crippled the Bismarck. For such an old-fashioned aircraft this was an impressive series of successes. But it ended in February 1942, when six Swordfishes attacked the Scharnhorst, Gneisenau and Prinz Eugen in the channel, and were all shot down. As a torpedo bomber, the Swordfish was quickly replaced by the Albacore, Barracuda and Avenger.

 

[joe2897]

U-boats sunk by this aircraft

​

1940
U-64,
1941
U-451,
1942
U-577, U-652 +, U-589 +,
1943
U-203 +, U-89 +, U-752, U-617 +, 1944
U-472 +, U-366, U-973, U-653 +, U-288 +, U-277, U-674,
U-959, U-765 +, U-344, U-394 +, U-365, 21 U-boats lost to Swordfish aircraft. + means that the Swordfish shared the credit for the sinking. There is always a very slight chance we might have missed one or two boats in this lookup. If you suspect so please let us know.



Specifications

Fairey Swordfish Mk.II
750hp Bristol Pegasus 30 radial engine
Wing span 13.92m, length 11.12m, height 3.93m, wing area 56.39m2.
Empty weight 2359kg, max. take-off weight 4196kg.
Max speed 224km/h at 1525m, economic cruise speed 167km/h at 1525m.
Service ceiling 3260m.
Max. range 1658km, range with a torpedo 885km.
Armament: One fixed forward-firing Browning .303 machinegun, and one .303 Vickers K gun in the rear cockpit. An 18-inch torpedo (731kg), a 681kg mine, bombs, or four depth charges could be carried. Racks under the wings for eight 3-inch rockets.

 

[joe2897]

My dad is one of the guys that patroled the beach from Cape May north to 7mi Island. Coastie and still fishing at 87. My mom is a Coastie too 87 and still eating Dad's catch. He has some stories about guys and subs.

Would love to hear a few of those stories.... Where was a German Sub. found off of Atlantic City a few years back ... I think a father & son both died diving that U-boat ?

 

[Outbound44]

Joe,

Your thinking of the original "U-who" wreck later proved to be the U869 up off of Pt. Pleasant. I believe Capt. Bill Nagel of the Seeker took the first dive team to the site back in the 90's. Later, it was proved to be the U869 by divers John Chatterton & Richie Kohler. I had the pleasure of speaking to John Chatterton way back about the S.S. Carolina wreck & the U Who wreck as well as many others. His knowlege and effort have led to the discovery of many wrecks off our coast.

The sinking of the Carolina wreck occured on what is called "Black S, unday" June 2, 1918, when the U151 sank 6 vessels off of the NJ Coast during WW1. These wrecks are consistently fished and dived by many. Had it not been for the Seabass closure, I may have been out there fishing one of them today, that is if one of the big Headboats didn't beat me to the spot!

 

[joe2897]

Joe,

Your thinking of the original "U-who" wreck later proved to be the U869 up off of Pt. Pleasant. I believe Capt. Bill Nagel of the Seeker took the first dive team to the site back in the 90's. Later, it was proved to be the U869 by divers John Chatterton & Richie Kohler. I had the pleasure of speaking to John Chatterton way back about the S.S. Carolina wreck & the U Who wreck as well as many others. His knowlege and effort have led to the discovery of many wrecks off our coast.

The sinking of the Carolina wreck occured on what is called "Black S, unday" June 2, 1918, when the U151 sank 6 vessels off of the NJ Coast during WW1. These wrecks are consistently fished and dived by many. Had it not been for the Seabass closure, I may have been out there fishing one of them today, that is if one of the big Headboats didn't beat me to the spot!

Great infor...... what about the father & son diving death ?.... original "U-who" wreck ? ..... didn't they find a fork with a u boat # ... but it was later found not to be that # u-boat , because the fork # was another U-boat that the Germans knew where it had sunk and it wasn't off of NJ ?

 

[Outbound44]

Joe ,

I recall the incident not the names. If memory serves me right, several have died while diving the U869.

 

[joe2897]

Joe ,

I recall the incident not the names. If memory serves me right, several have died while diving the U869.

I think you are correct ... Do you remember how they know it was U869 ?

 

[joe2897]

U-869

U-869


Type

IXC/40

Ordered25 Aug 1941
Laid down5 Apr 1943AG Weser, Bremen (werk 1077)Launched5 Oct 1943
Commissioned26 Jan 1944Kptlt. Hellmut NeuerburgCommanders26 Jan 1944- 11 Feb 1945 Kptlt. Hellmut NeuerburgCareer
1 patrol26 Jan 1944-30 Nov 1944 4. Flottille (training)
1 Dec 1944-11 Feb 1945 33. Flottille (front boat)
SuccessesNo ships sunk or damagedFateThe boat was sunk on Feb 11, 1945 off New Jersey, USA in position 39.33N, 73.02W by Hedgehogs and depth charges from the American destroyer escorts USS Howard D. Crow and USS Koiner. 56 dead (all hands lost).
View the 1 war patrol

​

The boat was sunk near convoy CU 58 off New Jersey.
The fate for this boat was revised once again, probably for the last time, in June 2005. Read more about it here on the US Coast Guard site.
U-869 is confirmed as the mysterious "U-Who"

A German U-boat was found off the coast of New Jersey, USA on 2 Sept, 1991 by several divers. On 31 August, 1997 these same divers reported evidence that the boat they found is the U-869 (knife inscribed with a U-869 crew member's name, UZO torpedo aiming device, machinery-numbers from the engine room). This location is at 39.33N, 73.20W in about 230 feet (around 73m) of water. She is thus a very advanced dive site.

http://www.thebassbarn.com/maps/index.html

This location is extremely far from the Gibraltar area which the U-869 is claimed to have been sunk in (see the red X for the old estimated position). The explanation is that the boat never received the orders from BdU to change its operational area to Gibraltar and thus stayed in its North American area after passing through the Straits of Denmark. According to this the boat was lost in February 1945.

 

[joe2897]

U-869's

U-869's final fate discovered

Posted on: 23 Jul 2005 at 17:59.
A new article has been brought to my attention that does a very convincing job of explaining the actual and very elusive fate for the U-869. According to this she was sunk on Feb 11, 1945 by American destroyer escorts screening convoy CU 58.

 

[joe2897]

2001 U-869 Memorial Service

2001 U-869 Memorial Service Photos I
All images on this page © 2001 by Christina Young, unless otherwise noted.
The U-869 is a type IXC/40 German U-boat. It is 252 feet long and lies 230 feet beneath the North Atlantic, 60 miles east of Manasquan Inlet, New Jersey. It was discovered in 1991 on a Seeker deep exploration trip. The problem was the lack of any record of a U-boat being sunk off of New Jersey. With the concerted and persistent efforts of John Chatterton, Richie Kohler, John Yurga and others, it was finally identified as the U-869 in 1997. The U-869 is listed in the German U-boat archive as having been sunk off Gibralter in 1945. How she sunk is also a mystery, quite possibly from her own malfunctioning torpedo which blew off the conning tower and demolished the control room. There is a large hole in the stern, also the source of much mystery and research. One theory suggests that the passing freighter Harpers Ferry could have been the intended victim, saw the U-boat and fired its gun, hitting the stern, but this theory is in dispute primarily due to its reported location.
Last fall the PBS documentary show Nova had a 2-hour special on the mystery of the U-869, which introduced us to Barbara Bowling of Maryland (USA), whose brother Otto Brizius was a crewmember aboard the U-869 when it disappeared. She was born after the war, and thus never met her brother. In the show, Richie Kohler told her that John Chatterton and himself had identified her brother's ship off New Jersey. It was quite an emotional moment. Our mission today is to bring Barbara and her family to the site of her brother's grave, and to lay a wreath on the wreck commemorating him, the other crewmembers, and the three divers who lost their lives here.
For additional information on the background and identification of the U-869, please consult the U-869 Virtual Museum, the Seeker's U-869 page, and U-Boat.net.
The private dive boat Independence is a 33-foot BHM that cruises up to 25 knots. This boat is especially outfitted for deep wreck diving expeditions far offshore.
The following pictures (all images from video) are from voyage of the Independence to the U-869, Sunday, August 5th, 2001.

John Chatterton and Richie Kohler, just before we pull out of Dan's dock. The forecast is great today, but the fog has not burned off yet out in the bay.

Dan Bartone navigates through the fog on his way to Manasquan Inlet.John and Frankie Pellegrino hit the sack during the journey to the site. John has worked all night moving rocks through underwater caves underneath the World Financial Center in Manhattan, as part of his job as a commercial diver. It's definitely one of the most unique (and apparently exhausting) jobs around!

This is Richie Kohler (2nd from right) with Barbara Bowling (middle), her husband Mac (left), and son Mac Jr. (right). It was their first time offshore and out of sight of land. They seemed to be loving every minute of it!​

 

[joe2897]

When we get to the wreck we find that Frankie's mooring that was placed on the wreck two months previous during a trip on the dive boat Eagle's Nest is still there! That eliminates the need for us hook and tie into the wreck. Frankie snags the mooring buoy with a boat hook.

This is Richie's girlfriend, Carrie Bassetti. She is a superb recreational diver, and is in the process of transitioning to technical diving. Photo © 2001 by Richard Kohler
This is the wreath that we will place on the wreck. It has 56 white carnations, one for each crewmember of the U-869, 3 yellow carnations, one for each diver who died on the wreck (Chris Rouse Sr., Chris Rouse Jr., and Steve Feldman), and a red rose for Barbara's brother Otto Brizius. The black ribbon with gold lettering reads "Last Honor" in German. Barbara Bowling designed this wreath herself.

This ribbon designates the German war grave organization. This wreck is a war grave, and thus any human remains should not be disturbed.Bavarian chapter. Otto was from Doernbach, Donnersbergkreis.

John Chatterton, Frankie Pellegrino, Richie Kohler, Barbara Bowling and Christina Young pose with the wreath. Photo © 2001 by Richard Kohler
Mac Bowling Jr., Barbara Bowling and Mac Bowling Sr. with the wreath. Photo © 2001 by Richard Kohler

Forward to 2001 Independence U-869 Memorial Page II

Back to Home | Back to Photos | Back to Scuba Photos | E-mail Me

 

[joe2897]

Tour U-869

Tour U-869
by Timothy Mulligan

In 1991, a fisherman's net snagged on a massive object on the seafloor 60 miles off the coast of New Jersey. Professional diver John Chatterton went down to investigate and discovered an intact German U-boat from World War II, complete with unexploded torpedoes and the remains of its crew. Astonishingly, neither the American or British authorities, nor even the German government itself, had any record of a U-boat having sunk there.

Chatterton and his diving partner Richie Kohler set out to establish the submarine's identity. After six years of work, which included the tragic loss of three divers, they finally did so. The boat is U-869, a submarine previously thought lost off the coast of Morocco.