German submarine U-58 (1939)
Encyclopedia
German submarine U-58 was a Type IIC U-boat
of the German
Kriegsmarine
that served in the Second World War. She was produced by Deutsche Werke AG
, Kiel
. Ordered on 17 June 1937 she was laid down later that year on September 29th as werk 257. She was launched 12 October 1938 and was commissioned on 4 February 1939 under the command of Oblt. Herbert Kuppisch.
U-58 was initially assigned to 5th U-boat Flotilla during her training period, until 31 December 1939, when she was re-assigned to 1st U-boat Flotilla for a front-line combat role. U-58 made twelve war patrols, sinking seven ships for a total 24,549 GRT
.
U-58 along with U-57
were both used for test purpose during August 1943 to test a new flooding valve schnorchel
head that Deutsche Werke AG
had constructed in June 1943. For the test the schnorchel replace the aft periscope
. The initial testing was successful and a collapsible schnorchel forward of the bridge was envisaged for the Type VIIC boats.
to Wilhelmshaven
. Her Sixth patrol began from the later port on 27 January 1940. On 3 February 1940, at 09.36 hours, the only success of this patrol occurred when the small (815 ton) Estonian merchant Reet was sunk with a single torpedo. Two previous shots earlier in the day had missed their mark (02.15 and 04.52 hours respectively). There were no survivors.
and Norway
. The boat returned to Kiel in 3 May 1940.
, France. Command was assumed by Oblt. Heinrich Schonder, who remained in charge of the boat for the rest of her career. Along the way, the 1,591 GRT Norwegian steam merchant Gyda was sunk by a single torpedo. This was a rather bold attack, given that the ship was under escort from a Sunderland
flying boat, a well known U-boat killer. The merchant sank in less than a minute in position 55°50′N 09°00′W.
, Norway. En route, she attacked and sank the 4,956 ton British merchant Confield, a straggler from convoy HX-76. Although not sunk by the torpedo hit, the abandoned derelict was later shelled and sunk by the British sloop .
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
of the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
that served in the Second World War. She was produced by Deutsche Werke AG
Deutsche Werke
Deutsche Werke was a German shipbuilding company founded in 1925 when Kaiserliche Werft Kiel and other shipyards were merged. It came as a result of the Treaty of Versailles after World War I that forced the German defence industry to shrink...
, Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
. Ordered on 17 June 1937 she was laid down later that year on September 29th as werk 257. She was launched 12 October 1938 and was commissioned on 4 February 1939 under the command of Oblt. Herbert Kuppisch.
U-58 was initially assigned to 5th U-boat Flotilla during her training period, until 31 December 1939, when she was re-assigned to 1st U-boat Flotilla for a front-line combat role. U-58 made twelve war patrols, sinking seven ships for a total 24,549 GRT
GRT
GRT may refer to:* Grease Removal Technology, or GRT- Lipase enzyme* General Recorded Tape, aka GRT Corporation, a defunct corporation that owned Chess Records and Janus Records as well as being a label in its own right* General relativity theory...
.
U-58 along with U-57
German submarine U-57 (1938)
German submarine U-57 was a Type IIC U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine that served in the Second World War. She was produced by Deutsche Werke AG, Kiel. Ordered on 17 June 1937 she was laid down later that year on September 14th. She was launched 3 September 1938 and was commissioned on 29 December...
were both used for test purpose during August 1943 to test a new flooding valve schnorchel
Submarine snorkel
A submarine snorkel is a device which allows a submarine to operate submerged while still taking in air from above the surface. Navy personnel often refer to it as the snort.-History:...
head that Deutsche Werke AG
Deutsche Werke
Deutsche Werke was a German shipbuilding company founded in 1925 when Kaiserliche Werft Kiel and other shipyards were merged. It came as a result of the Treaty of Versailles after World War I that forced the German defence industry to shrink...
had constructed in June 1943. For the test the schnorchel replace the aft periscope
Periscope
A periscope is an instrument for observation from a concealed position. In its simplest form it consists of a tube with mirrors at each end set parallel to each other at a 45-degree angle....
. The initial testing was successful and a collapsible schnorchel forward of the bridge was envisaged for the Type VIIC boats.
First, Second, and Third Patrols
U-58s first three patrols, completed during her workup and training period, were uneventful cruises in the North Sea. No ships were attached during this period.Fourth Patrol
The submarine's luck changed for the better on New Year's Day 1940. The (neutral) Swedish steam merchant Lars Magnus Trozelli (1,951 GRT) was hit with a single torpedo and sunk in position 58°14′N 01°36′W. Two days later the 2,475 ton Svartön, also Swedish flagged, was sunk at position 57°48′N 01°47′W while traveling with convoy HN-6.Fifth and Sixth Patrols
U-58s fifth 'patrol' was really only a six-day transit from KielKiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
to Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea.-History:...
. Her Sixth patrol began from the later port on 27 January 1940. On 3 February 1940, at 09.36 hours, the only success of this patrol occurred when the small (815 ton) Estonian merchant Reet was sunk with a single torpedo. Two previous shots earlier in the day had missed their mark (02.15 and 04.52 hours respectively). There were no survivors.
Seventh Patrol
The U-boat's seventh patrol was an unsuccessful 34-day foray in the waters between ScotlandScotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The boat returned to Kiel in 3 May 1940.
Eighth Patrol
An eight patrol into the North Sea was u-58s most successful in terms of tonnage destroyed, however all 8,401 tons credited for this patrol comprised a single ship, the British Boom Defense Vessel , which was sunk in position 58°01′N 02°12′W by three torpedo hits (two of which were coups de grâce). 101 of the 105 souls aboard survived to be picked up by other Royal Navy vessels.Ninth Patrol
The veteran submarine's ninth patrol saw her headed for a new home port in LorientLorient
Lorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-History:At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis...
, France. Command was assumed by Oblt. Heinrich Schonder, who remained in charge of the boat for the rest of her career. Along the way, the 1,591 GRT Norwegian steam merchant Gyda was sunk by a single torpedo. This was a rather bold attack, given that the ship was under escort from a Sunderland
Short Sunderland
The Short S.25 Sunderland was a British flying boat patrol bomber developed for the Royal Air Force by Short Brothers. It took its service name from the town and port of Sunderland in northeast England....
flying boat, a well known U-boat killer. The merchant sank in less than a minute in position 55°50′N 09°00′W.
Tenth Patrol
Departing Lorient on 29 July 1940, U-58 headed North toward Ireland, where she sank the 4,360 ton Greek merchant Pindos (a straggler from convoy SL-40) on 4 August with two torpedoes. The ship capsized to port before sinking in position 55°22′N 08°50′W, however 29 of the 32 crew survived in lifeboats. The patrol terminated at Lorient on 12 August 1940.Eleventh Patrol
The U-boat's eleventh patrol was uneventful and she was transferred to a new home port, BergenBergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
, Norway. En route, she attacked and sank the 4,956 ton British merchant Confield, a straggler from convoy HX-76. Although not sunk by the torpedo hit, the abandoned derelict was later shelled and sunk by the British sloop .