F.d.U./B.d.U.'S War Log

1 - 15 April 1941

PG30286

     
 
 
 
Date
Position, Wind, Weather
 
and
Sea State, Illumination,
Events
Time
Air Pressure, Moonlight etc.
  
 
 
 
1.4.
   Positions at 0800:
1) Operations area W. of North Channel:
  U 48 - square AK 22 to 33
  U 69 and 98 - square AK 26 to 36
  U 46 - square AK 28 to 38
  U 74 - square AK 39 to AL 19
  U 97 - On passage to square AK 63 to AL 42 - in AL 4885
  U 73 - On passage to AK 39 to AL 19 (in company with U 74) in AL 4835
  U 94 - AL 8285 - orders to steer for AK 02
  U 101 - AL 8115 - orders to steer for AK 02
  U 76 - AE 8535 - orders to steer for AL 15.
  Also U 551, of whom there has been no news for some time.
2) Operations area W. of Freetown:
  U 124 - square ET
  U 106 - square ER 90 on passage to ET
  U 105 - square ER 80, still supplying
  U 107 - on passage to square BF 75.
3) Expected to be ready for operations by April 15:
  U 103, 108, 52, 38, 123, 75, 110, 65, UA, 553, 71, 93.
4) Italian boats:
  In Bordeaux/La Pallice:  J 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 15, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27.
  In operations areas:  J   1 - square DU 17
                                       J 24 - square CG 25
  On passage:  J 1 - square BF 5890 (passage south, Cape Verde to Freetown).
   
  U 76 made contact with a convoy on a W. course at 0856 in square AE 8535.  The other boats are at least 400 miles away.  If they were to operate against this convoy they would be returning to an area from which I had withdrawn them because I suspected that anti-submarine activity there was too strong.  I do not therefore intend to attack this convoy until it is in the vicinity of the present attack areas.  Everything will thus depend on maintaining contact.  U 76 has orders to do her utmost to shadow, but not to attack by day.  Her main task is to keep in contact.  At 1532 she reported from AE 8511 that she had lost the convoy and at 2212 added that she had been forced to dive from 1100 to 2000 by sailing vessels and trawlers.  She had last seen the enemy at 1100 on a N.W. course.  She is to press on.
   
  U 103 left Lorient, but had to return to port owing to Diesel defects.
 
   
 
2.4.
   U 48 reported that she was returning owing to fuel shortage.  She still has one stern torpedo.  She has so far sunk 5 steamers totaling 35,304 GRT and possibly one further 6,000 tonner.
        
                                       
 
 
- 45 -
 
     

 

     
 
 
 
Date
Position, Wind, Weather
 
and
Sea State, Illumination,
Events
Time
Air Pressure, Moonlight etc.
  
 
 
 
  U 76 did not regain contact with the convoy.  I then decided to use all boats in the northern area to pick it up.  They were disposed in a line at right angles to the convoy's presumed direction of advance, in such a way as to give the best chance of picking it up by day, assuming its speed to be between 7 and 12 knots.  The attack areas are:
  U 46 - AD 7931   U 73 - AD 8747
  U 98 - AK 2227   U 97 - AK 2269
  U 101 - AK 2435   U 48 - AK 3349
  U 69 - AK 3543   U 74 - AK 3597
  Depth 10 miles.
   
  U 76 is to make for square AK 32.
   
 
  U 106 reported sinking of a 5,000 GRT steamer, U 124 that of Umona (3,760 GRT).  Both boats added situation and traffic reports, which showed that traffic is distributed over the whole area between 200 and 280 W.
 
   
 
  At 2112 U 74 sighted an inward bound convoy in AK 3588.  U 69 was nearby and requested beacon-signals.   The shadowing boat was forbidden to attack so that the others, almost all of which were near enough to reach the convoy tonight, could be brought up.  Boats which reach the convoy are to report the fact by short signal.
 
   
 
3.4.
   Reports were received at regular intervals from U 74 until 0320 and then stopped.  U 97 was the only boat to report:  "am at the convoy".  At 0336 U 74 was given permission to attack.  Radio intelligence showed that 4 ships totaling 29,000 GRT had been torpedoed.  At 0630 U 74 reported:  convoy scattered in AK 3689.  1/4 fuel stocks.  No torpedoes below decks.  Damaged one 12 - 15,000 GRT steamer.  Latter still proceeding at 1 knot.  This may be the S.S. Worcestershire, 11,402 GRT, reported by Radio Intelligence as torpedoed.
 
   
 
  U 74 was ordered to shadow this ship.  All other boats were to continue to operate along the convoy's mean course E.  Boats which were near the valuable damaged ship and were operating against it were to report the fact by short signal.  I then intended to detail one boat to sink her, so that not more than one would be withdrawn from the pursuit of the convoy.  At 0810 U 46 reported that her ability to dive was restricted.  Her total results:  5 steamers, totaling 31,027 GRT, 3 of them from the convoy.
 
   
 
  U 74 could not shadow any longer owing to lack of fuel.  U 69 was the only boat to report:  am in the vicinity of the damaged ship.
 
   
  Short signal from U 97:  have 1/3 of my fuel stocks remaining.
   
  U 73, 76, 94, 98 and 101 were therefore the only boats still available for further operation.  Of these, U 98 has been at sea the longest.  These boats were still under orders to pursue the convoy.
                 
 
 
- 46 -
 
     

 

     
 
 
 
Date
Position, Wind, Weather
 
and
Sea State, Illumination,
Events
Time
Air Pressure, Moonlight etc.
  
 
 
 
  U 69 was short of fuel and apparently still searching for the damaged ship.
 
  U 46, 48, 74 were on return passage.
   
  At 2123 U 94 made contact with the convoy and reported regularly.  There must have been several others in the vicinity and U 94 was therefore forbidden to attack before 2400 or until another boat attacked.  On 2.4 U 73 sank 4 ships from the convoy, totaling 30,000 GRT.  She was driven off after a hydrophone hunt.
   
 
  U 52, 103, 108 left Lorient for their operations areas, U 103 south, the other two north.
 
   
 
  U 108 has special orders to attack the enemy warships which our own surface forces have observed in the Denmark Straits.
 
   
 
  U 105 reported:  supply carried out.
 
   
 
4.4.
   U 94 apparently lost contact at 0420.  I did not think it would be wise to let the boats press on much further; it was likely that strong anti-submarine forces would soon arrive after 2 nights of attacks.
 
   
 
  The boats were therefore ordered to occupy the following attack areas if they were not actually in contact with the enemy:
 
  U 94 - AK 23 to 33
  U 76 - AK 26 to 36
  U 101 and U 69 - AK 28 to 38
  U 73 and U 98 - AK 39 to AL 19
  U 97 - AK 63 to 42.
   
  Then U 94 sighted the convoy again at 0741 in AL 2731.  Boats were ordered to make position and success reports.  Their presence is known to the enemy, and I had to know where they were in order to plan further operations.  U 74, 48, 46 were on return passage.  U 69 and 97 had very little fuel and had to be counted out for further operations.
  At midday the situation was:
  U 98 - AL 2373, operating against the convoy
      U 76 - AL 2586, operating against the convoy
      U 101 - AK 66 - out of range of the convoy.
       
      The southern boats were allocated the following attack area:
      U 124 - patrolling off ET 29 south of 0830 N.
      U 105 and 106 north of this and patrolling ET 25.  All boats E of 200 W.
       
      According to all reports received so far the success of the attack on the convoy was as follows:
       
 
 
- 47 -
 
     

 

     
 
 
 
Date
Position, Wind, Weather
 
and
Sea State, Illumination,
Events
Time
Air Pressure, Moonlight etc.
  
 
 
 
  Sunk:
1. U 46   British Reliance    
7,000 GRT
2. U 46   Aldenpool    
4,313 GRT
3. U 46  
?
   about
6,000 GRT
4. U 73  
?
    
5. U 73  
?
    
30,000 GRT
6. U 73  
?
    
7. U 73  
?
    
8. U 94  
?
   about
5,000 GRT
9. U 98   Welcome    
5,122 GRT
10. U 98   Helle    
2,467 GRT
11. U 74  
?
    
20,000 GRT
12. U 74  
?
    
      12 ships    
79,902 GRT
           
U 74 also damaged S.S. Worcestershire, 11,402 GRT.  The boats further reported the following sinkings during the last few days, apart from the attack on the convoy:
1. U 46   Swedish S.S. Castor  
8,714 GRT
2. U 46  
?
    
5,000 GRT
3. U 98  
?
    
8,000 GRT
4. U 76   Daphne    
1,939 GRT
      4 ships    
23,653 GRT
   
  In the afternoon Radio Intelligence Service reported the torpedoing of S.S. Athenic, 5,351 GRT.
   
  Another steamer, S.S. Brazil, 8,130 GRT, was attacked west of the North Channel, probably by U 97.
 
   
 
5.4.
   U 69 and U 97 started on their return passage.
 
   
 
  U 69 sank 2 ships totaling 14,500 GRT, including one tanker of 7,500 GRT from U 74's convoy.  U 97 has sunk 21,000 GRT altogether.
 
   
 
  The following attack areas were ordered for boats remaining in the operations area:
 
  U 76 - square AD 84 to 86
 
  U 101 - square AD 87 to 89
 
  U 73 - square AK 31 to AL 11
 
  UU 98 - AK 33 to AL 13
   
  U 94 was ordered to occupy the area NW of Ireland to attack the warships observed there.  (U 108, on outward passage, has the same orders).
   
  Naval War Staff has ordered 2 U-boats to be sent off Rio to cover the sailing of the minelayer Lech lying there with valuable cargo.  As she will have to leave by the end of April there are only 2 possible boats.
               
 
 
- 48 -
 
     

 

     
 
 
 
Date
Position, Wind, Weather
 
and
Sea State, Illumination,
Events
Time
Air Pressure, Moonlight etc.