German submarine U-32 (1937) | |
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![]() Pre-war photograph of U-32. Note the boat's number on the conning tower which was erased on the commencement of hostilities | |
Career | ![]() |
Name: | U-32 |
Ordered: | 1 April 1935 |
Builder: | AG Weser, Bremen |
Cost: | 4,189,000 Reichsmark |
Yard number: | 913 |
Laid down: | 15 March 1936 |
Launched: | 25 February 1937 |
Commissioned: | 15 April 1937 |
Fate: | Sunk, 30 October 1940 |
General characteristics | |
Type: | Type VIIA submarine |
Displacement: |
626 tonnes (616 long tons) ↑ 745 t (733 long tons) ↓ |
Length: |
64.5 m (211 ft 7 in) o/a 44.5 m (146 ft 0 in) pressure hull |
Beam: |
5.85 m (19 ft 2 in) o/a 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull |
Draft: | 4.4 m (14 ft 5 in) |
Propulsion: |
2 × MAN 6-cylinder 4-stroke M6V 40/46 diesel engines totalling 2,100–2,310 bhp (1,570–1,720 kW). Max rpm: 470-485 2 × Brown, Boveri & Cie GG UB 720/8 electric motors, totalling 750 shp (560 kW). Max rpm: 322 |
Speed: |
17 knots (20 mph; 31 km/h) ↑ 8 knots (9.2 mph; 15 km/h) ↓ |
Range: |
6,200 nmi (11,500 km) at 10 kn (19 km/h) ↑ 73–94 nmi (135–174 km) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h) ↓ |
Test depth: |
220 m (720 ft) Crush depth: 230–250 m (750–820 ft) |
Complement: | 42–46 officers and ratings |
Armament: |
• 5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern) • 11 × torpedoes or 22 TMA mines or 33 TMB mines • 1 × 8.8 cm SK C/35 naval gun (220 rounds) • 1 × C30 20 mm AA |
Service record[1][2] | |
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Part of: |
2nd U-boat Flotilla (15 April 1937–30 October 1940) |
Identification codes: | M 00 459 |
Commanders: |
Kptlt. Werner Lott (15 April 1937–15 August 1937) KrvKpt. Paul Büchel (16 August 1937–11 February 1940) Oblt. Hans Jenisch (12 February 1940–30 October 1940) |
Operations: |
Nine: 1st patrol: 27 August–1 September 1939 2nd patrol: 5–30 September 1939 3rd patrol: 28 December 1939–22 January 1940 4th patrol: 26 February–23 March 1940 5th patrol: 8–14 May 1940 6th patrol: 3 June–1 July 1940 7th patrol: 15 August–8 September 1940 8th patrol: 18 September–6 October 1940 9th patrol: 24–30 October 1940 |
Victories: |
20 commercial ships sunk (116,836 GRT) four commercial ships damaged (32,274 GRT) one warship damaged (8,000 GRT) |
German submarine U-32 was a Type VIIA U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II.
Her keel was laid down on 15 March 1936 by AG Weser of Bremen as Werk 913. She was launched on 25 February 1937 and commissioned on 15 April with Kapitänleutnant (Kptlt.) Werner Lott in command. On 15 August 1937, Lott was relieved by Korvettenkapitän (Krv.Kpt.) Paul Büchel and on 12 February 1940 Oberleutnant zur See (Oblt.z.S.) Hans Jenisch took over, he was in charge of the boat until her loss.[1]
Service history[]
U-32 conducted nine patrols, sinking 20 ships, for a total of 116,836 gross register tons (GRT) and damaging five more, totalling 40,274 GRT. On 28 October 1940 U-32, under the command of Hans Jenisch, sank the 42,348-ton liner Empress of Britain, which had been previously damaged by German bombs. Empress was the largest ship sunk by a U-boat.[1]
Fate[]
U-32 was sunk northwest of Ireland, in position 55°37′N 12°19′W / 55.617°N 12.317°WCoordinates: 55°37′N 12°19′W / 55.617°N 12.317°W, by depth charges from the British destroyers HMS Harvester and Highlander on 30 October 1940. Nine of her crew died, 33 survived and were taken prisoner, including Jenisch, who spent six and a half years in British captivity before returning to Germany in June 1947.[1][3]
Summary of raiding history[]
Date | Name of Ship | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate[4] |
---|---|---|---|---|
18 September 1939 | Kensington Court | 4,863 | Sunk | |
28 September 1939 | Jern | 875 | Sunk | |
5 October 1939 | Marwarri | 8,063 | Damaged (mine) | |
6 October 1939 | Lochgoil | 9,462 | Damaged (mine) | |
31 December 1939 | Luna | 959 | Sunk | |
2 March 1940 | Lagaholm | ![]() |
2,818 | Sunk |
18 June 1940 | Altair | 1,522 | Sunk | |
18 June 1940 | Nuevo Ons | ![]() |
108 | Sunk |
18 June 1940 | Sálvora | ![]() |
108 | Sunk |
19 June 1940 | Labud | ![]() |
5,334 | Sunk |
22 June 1940 | Eli Knudsen | 9,026 | Sunk | |
30 August 1940 | Chelsea | 4,804 | Sunk | |
30 August 1940 | Mill Hill | 4,318 | Sunk | |
30 August 1940 | Norne | 3,971 | Sunk | |
1 September 1940 | HMS Fiji | 8,000 | Damaged | |
22 September 1940 | Collegian | 7,886 | Damaged | |
25 September 1940 | Mabriton | 6,694 | Sunk | |
26 September 1940 | Corrientes | 6,863 | Damaged | |
26 September 1940 | Darcoila | 4,084 | Sunk | |
26 September 1940 | Tancred | 6,094 | Sunk | |
28 September 1940 | Empire Ocelot | 5,759 | Sunk | |
29 September 1940 | Bassa | 5,267 | Sunk | |
30 September 1940 | Haulerwijk | 3,278 | Sunk | |
2 October 1940 | Kayeson | 4,606 | Sunk | |
28 October 1940 | Empress of Britain | 42,348 | Sunk |
See also[]
References[]
- Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "The Type VIIA boat U-32 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/u32.htm. Retrieved 2009-12-19.
- ↑ "War Patrols by German U-boat U-32 - Boats - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/u32.html. Retrieved 2009-12-19.
- ↑ Kemp, Paul: U-Boats Destroyed, German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. 1997. p. 67. Arms and Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3
- ↑ http://uboat.net/boats/successes/u32/html
- Bibliography
- U-32 at uboat.net
- U-32 at ubootwaffe.net
- Pickford, Nigel Lost Treasure Ships of the Twentieth Century, National Geographic Society, 1999 ISBN 0-7922-7472-5
External links[]
- U-32 at u-boot-archiv.de (German)
The original article can be found at German submarine U-32 (1937) and the edit history here.