Unterseeboot 564
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| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Class and type: | Type VIIC U-boat |
| Name: | U-564 |
| Ordered: | 24 October 1939 |
| Builder: | Blohm + Voss, Hamburg |
| Laid down: | 30 March 1940 |
| Launched: | 7 February 1941 |
| Commissioned: | 3 April 1941 |
| Fate: | Sunk on 14 June 1943 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | Surfaced 769 tons submerged 871 tons |
| Length: | Overall 67.1 m (220 ft 2 in) pressure hull 50.5 m (165 ft 8 in) |
| Beam: | Overall 6.2 m (20 ft 4 in) pressure hull 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) |
| Draught: | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
| Propulsion: | Surfaced: two supercharged MAN, 6 cylinder, 4-stroke M6V 40/46 diesels totalling 2,800 - 3,200bhp(2,400 kW). Max rpm: 470-490. |
| Speed: | Surfaced 17.7 knots (20.4 mph/32.8 km/h) submerged 7.6 knots (8.7 mph/14.1 km/h) |
| Range: | Surfaced: 8,190 nmi (15,170 km/9,420 mi) Submerged: 81 nmi (150 km/93 mi) |
| Test depth: | 230 m (754 ft). Calculated crush depth: 250-295 m (820-967 ft) |
| Complement: | 44 to 52 officers & ratings |
| Armament: |
|
Unterseeboot 564 was a German Type VIIC U-boat that had a successful career with the Kriegsmarine during the Second World War.
Contents |
[edit] Construction and commissioning
She was ordered on 24 October 1939 and was laid down on 30 March 1940 at Blohm + Voss, Hamburg, becoming 'werk 540'. She was launched on 7 February 1941 and commissioned under her first commander Oblt. Reinhard Suhren on 3 April of that year. Suhren commanded her for her work ups with the 1. Unterseebootsflottille between 3 April until 1 June 1941. She then became a front boat of 1. Unterseebootsflottille, and set out on her first patrols.[1]
[edit] Career
[edit] Early patrols
Her first patrol took U-564 from Kiel to Brest, eventually spending 41 days at sea. The patrol brought a number of successes, on 27 June Suhren came across convoy HX-133. He damaged the Norwegian tanker MV Kongsgaard and sank the Dutch SS Maasdam and the British MV Malaya II that day. He had one further success that patrol, sinking the Icelandic merchant SS Hekla on 29 June. U-564 put in to Brest on 27 July having sunk three merchants for 18,678 tons, and damaged another for 9,467 tons.[1]
She sailed again from Brest on 16 August, heading into the Atlantic. She came across convoy OG-71 and sank the Irish SS Conlara and the British tug SS Empire Oak on 22 August. She sank an escort the following day, the Flower class corvette HMS Zinnia. U-564 returned to Brest on 27 August after 12 days at sea, and having sunk three ships for 2,587 tons. She sailed again on 16 September, this time encountering convoy HG-75 on 24 October. She sank three British merchants that day, the Alhama, Ariosto and the Carsbreck.[1] U-564 was attacked later in the evening, by a bomb from an aircraft and later by an escort with depth charges. She escaped damage however, and returned to port at Lorient on 1 November having spent 47 days at sea and sunk three ships for 2,587 tons.[1]
U-564 relocated to La Pallice in early 1942, and sailed from there on 18 January. She sank the Canadian tanker MV Victolite on 11 February and damaged the British tanker MV Opalia on 16 February, before returning to Brest on 6 March after 48 days on patrol with 11,410 tons sunk and 6,195 tons damaged.[1]
[edit] Off the American coast
U-564 sailed from Brest on 4 April, to cross the Atlantic and prey on shipping off the North American coast, and off Florida. She was in position in early May and on 3 May secured her first success, sinking the British SS Ocean Venus. On 4 May she damaged the British SS Eclipse, and on 5 May she damaged the American SS Delisle. On 8 May she sank the American merchant SS Ohioan, and the following day she sank the Panamanian tanker MV Lubrafol. Her final success in American waters was to sink the Mexican tanker SS Potrero del Llano. U-564 arrived back in Brest on 6 June, having spent 64 days at sea and sunk four ships for 24,390 tons and damaged two ships for 13,245 tons.[1]
U-564 repeated the exercise on her next patrol, departing Brest on 6 July to operate off the coast of South America. Whilst outward bound across the Atlantic Suhren came across convoy OS-34 and on 19 July sank the British merchants Empire Hawksbill and the Lavington Court. Operating off South America he sank the British Consul and the Empire Cloud on 19 August and on 30 August he sank the Norwegian Vardaas. U-564 arrived back in Brest on 18 September after 72 days on patrol, and having sunk five ships for 32,181 tons.[1]
[edit] Fiedler takes charge
This was Suhren's last patrol as commander of U-564. He left on 1 October to become an instructor and Oblt. Hans Fiedler took command.[1] Fiedler took her on two war patrols in 1943 but failed to hit any enemy ships. U-564 was transferred to operate out of Bordeaux in April 1943. She left Bordeaux for the final time on 9 June with four other outbound U-boats, U-185, U-358, U-634 and U-653.[1] The boats were spotted and attacked off Cape Finisterre by a Short Sunderland of the Royal Air Force at 18.59 hours on 13 June. The aircraft targeted U-564 and dropped its bombs, but was shot down by anti-aircraft fire, killing all 11 of the crew. U-564 had sustained heavy damage and turned back, escorted by U-185.[1]
[edit] Sinking
The two U-boats were spotted in the Bay of Biscay the following day by a Armstrong Whitworth Whitley and were shadowed. U-564 had been left unable to dive due to the damage sustained the previous day. By 16.45 hours the Whitley was running low on fuel and attacked U-564. The two U-boats damaged their attacker with anti-aircraft fire but U-564 was critically damaged by the aircraft's depth charges and sank at 17.30 hours. The damaged Whitley was forced to ditch in the sea, with the crew being picked up by a French trawler. There were 18 survivors from U-564 including the commander. They were picked up by U-185 and transferred to the destroyer Z-24 two hours later.[1]
