German submarine U-607
Encyclopedia
German submarine U-607 was a Type VIIC
U-boat
built for the German
Kriegsmarine
for service during the Second World War. She was commissioned in January 1942 and was sunk in July 1943, having sunk four ships and damaged two others. Her commanders were Ernst Mengersen
and Wolf Jeschonnek.
, Hamburg
as yard number 583. She was ordered on 22 May 1940 and her keel was laid on 27 March 1941. U-607 was launched on 11 December 1941. She was 67.1 metre long, with a beam of 6.2 metre and a draught of 4.74 metre. She displaced 769 tonnes (757 LT) surfaced and 871 tonnes (857 LT) submerged.
under the command of Ernst Mengersen as a boat under training. In August 1942, U-607 completed her training and transferred to 7th U-boat Flotilla based at St Nazaire, France
as an operational boat.
1st patrol
On 9 July 1942, U-607 departed Kiel on active patrol, returning to Kiel the next day. She then sailed to Kristiansand
, Norway
.
2nd patrol
On 13 July, U-607 departed Kristiansand on active patrol. During the patrol she sank one ship and damaged another, breaking off the attack after depth charge
s were dropped. She returned to Kristiansand on 16 August. U-607 then sailed to St Nazaire.
† Convoy ON 113, * Damaged, ‡ Convoy ON 115
3rd patrol
On 8 September, U-607 departed St Nazaire on active patrol, returning on 23 October. During the patrol she sank one ship. On 23 September, U-607 was rammed by a destroyer and slightly damaged. U-607 suffered heavy damage when she attacked Convoy SC 104 On 11 October. Fourteen depth charges were fired by , firstly at a 150 feet (45.7 m) and again at 400 feet (121.9 m). The boat descended to a depth of 600 feet (182.9 m) before it could be brought under control. The badly damaged boat was brought to the surface, evading detection as it was night. U-607 had suffered damage to her communication systems, depth gauges, depth rudder, engines and rudder. It took some time to make temporary repairs. Leutnant zur See fur Ingenieur (Engineering Lieutenant) Russ openly quarrelled with Mengersen over the incident, which was witnessed by some of the ship's crew and a propaganda photographer who was on board. On returning to St Nazaire, Russ was Court-Martial
led and found guilty of insubordination
. He was dismissed from the Kriegsmarine and sentenced to eight months fortress confinement and four months imprisonment. U-607 took six weeks to repair at St Nazaire.
† Convoy SC 104
4th Patrol
On 2 January 1943, U-607 departed St Nazaire on active patrol, returning on 9 March. During the patrol she sank one ship and damaged another.
† Convoy HX 223, * Damaged, ‡ Convoy ON 165
On 24 April 1943, U-607 departed St Nazaire on active patrol under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Wolf Jeschonnek. Jeschonnek had served on U-607 since her commissioning. During the patrol she was attacked on a number of occasions. On 28 April she was attacked by a Vickers Wellington
aircraft of 172 Squadron
, Royal Air Force
. On 12 May she was attacked by a Fairey Swordfish
of 811 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm
. After this, she was hunted by a Royal Navy
Corvette
which opened fire at extreme range without effect. She was forced to submerge when one of her diesel engine
s broke down. Over a seven hour period a number of depth charges were dropped without effect. U-607 managed to surface a couple of times and was forced to dive again. The third time she surfaced there was an area of mist and she was able to make her escape.
On 15 May, U-607 attacked , a neutral Irish
merchant ship some 850 nautical miles (1,574.2 km) west of Ushant
. Jeschennek claimed that Irish Oak was a Q-ship
, steaming at 14 knots (27.4 km/h) without lights. Irish Oak had large Tricolours
painted on her sides with the word EIRE in large letters. Two torpedoes were fired and the ship slowly sank by the bow. Around 60 crew were seen to leave the ship. U-607 returned to St Nazaire on 2 June. During her time in St Nazaire after this patrol, extra anti-aircraft armament was fitted.
6th Patrol
On 10 July 1943, U-607 departed St Nazaire on active patrol. Her orders were to lay mines
off Kingston
, Jamaica
, with explicit orders not to attack any convoys encountered. U-607 was to proceed in convoy with three other U-boats, although one of these put back to St Nazaire with defects. The submarines were submerged at night and sailed on the surface during daytime. Just after midnight on 13 July, a bottle of Champagne was opened to toast Jeschonnek's birthday. U-607 surfaced at about 07:55 German time and was spotted by Sunderland
, DQ-N, of 228 Squadron
, Royal Air Force
and then by Halifax
, BY-O, of 58 Squadron
, Royal Air Force.
Wishing to present as small a target as possible, U-607 turned away from the Halifax. This meant that she was becoming increasingly further from the other two U-boats. The three U-boats opened fire on the aircraft. The aircraft successfully managed to split the fire of the U-boats, which ceased firing after a while. U-607 attempted to rejoin the other two U-boats but during this manoeuvre she was attacked by the Sunderland which dropped seven 250 pounds (113.4 kg) depth charge
s set to detonate at 25 feet (7.6 m). The depth charges were dropped from an altitude of 50 feet (15.2 m) and the Sunderland had to take evasive action to avoid a collision with the conning tower of U-607.
The depth charges straddled U-607 from port quarter to starboard bow. Their detonation broke her in two, with the bow section rising over vertical and sinking while the stern section capsized then sank. Twenty-five survivors were seen in the water and the Sunderland dropped a dinghy. Seven of the crew managed to climb aboard. Only these seven of the 51 crew survived. U-607 was sunk at 45°02′N 9°14′W. Although ships of the Second Support Group
passed close by, the survivors were not picked up as no ship could be spared for the task. A flight of Junkers Ju 88
aircraft flew over at an altitude to 10000 feet (3,048 m) apparently without spotting the survivors. At 04:00 local time on 14 July, the survivors were found at 44°50′N 08°50′W by and a boat was despatched to rescue them. The survivors were asked the number of their boat, which at first they refused to divulge. When told that they would not be rescued without divulging this information, Oberleutnant zur See Jeschonnek called the boat back and gave the information required.
German Type VII submarine
Type VII U-boats were the most common type of German World War II U-boat. The Type VII was based on earlier German submarine designs going back to the World War I Type UB III, designed through the Dutch dummy company Ingenieurskantoor voor Scheepsbouw den Haag which was set up by Germany after...
U-boat
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...
built for 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...
for service during the Second World War. She was commissioned in January 1942 and was sunk in July 1943, having sunk four ships and damaged two others. Her commanders were Ernst Mengersen
Ernst Mengersen
Ernst Mengersen was German naval officer who reached the rank of Korvettenkapitän with the Kriegsmarine during World War II. He was also a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross...
and Wolf Jeschonnek.
Description
U-607 was built by Blohm + VossBlohm + Voss
Blohm + Voss , is a German shipbuilding and engineering works. It is a subsidiary of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems; there were plans to sell 80% of Blohm + Voss to Abu Dhabi Mar Group, but talks collapsed in July 2011.-History:It was founded on April 5, 1877, by Hermann Blohm and Ernst Voss as a...
, Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
as yard number 583. She was ordered on 22 May 1940 and her keel was laid on 27 March 1941. U-607 was launched on 11 December 1941. She was 67.1 metre long, with a beam of 6.2 metre and a draught of 4.74 metre. She displaced 769 tonnes (757 LT) surfaced and 871 tonnes (857 LT) submerged.
Under Mengersen
U-607 was commissioned into the Kriegsmarine on 29 January, and entered 5th U-boat Flotilla based at 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...
under the command of Ernst Mengersen as a boat under training. In August 1942, U-607 completed her training and transferred to 7th U-boat Flotilla based at St Nazaire, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
as an operational boat.
1st patrol
On 9 July 1942, U-607 departed Kiel on active patrol, returning to Kiel the next day. She then sailed to Kristiansand
Kristiansand
-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...
, 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...
.
2nd patrol
On 13 July, U-607 departed Kristiansand on active patrol. During the patrol she sank one ship and damaged another, breaking off the attack after depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s were dropped. She returned to Kristiansand on 16 August. U-607 then sailed to St Nazaire.
| Date | Ship | Flag | Tonnage (GRT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 July | Empire Rainbow †, * |  |
6,942 |
| 4 August | Belgian Soldier ‡ |  Belgium |
7,167 |
† Convoy ON 113, * Damaged, ‡ Convoy ON 115
3rd patrol
On 8 September, U-607 departed St Nazaire on active patrol, returning on 23 October. During the patrol she sank one ship. On 23 September, U-607 was rammed by a destroyer and slightly damaged. U-607 suffered heavy damage when she attacked Convoy SC 104 On 11 October. Fourteen depth charges were fired by , firstly at a 150 feet (45.7 m) and again at 400 feet (121.9 m). The boat descended to a depth of 600 feet (182.9 m) before it could be brought under control. The badly damaged boat was brought to the surface, evading detection as it was night. U-607 had suffered damage to her communication systems, depth gauges, depth rudder, engines and rudder. It took some time to make temporary repairs. Leutnant zur See fur Ingenieur (Engineering Lieutenant) Russ openly quarrelled with Mengersen over the incident, which was witnessed by some of the ship's crew and a propaganda photographer who was on board. On returning to St Nazaire, Russ was Court-Martial
Court-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
led and found guilty of insubordination
Insubordination
Insubordination is the act of willfully disobeying an authority. Refusing to perform an action that is unethical or illegal is not insubordination; neither is refusing to perform an action that is not within the scope of authority of the person issuing the order.Insubordination is typically a...
. He was dismissed from the Kriegsmarine and sentenced to eight months fortress confinement and four months imprisonment. U-607 took six weeks to repair at St Nazaire.
| Date | Ship - | Flag | Tonnage (GRT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 October | Nellie † |  |
6,942 |
† Convoy SC 104
4th Patrol
On 2 January 1943, U-607 departed St Nazaire on active patrol, returning on 9 March. During the patrol she sank one ship and damaged another.
| Date | Ship | Flag | Tonnage (GRT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 January | Kollbjørg †, * |  |
8,259 |
| 15February | Atlantic Sun ‡ |  United States |
11,355 |
† Convoy HX 223, * Damaged, ‡ Convoy ON 165
Under Jeschonnek
5th patrolOn 24 April 1943, U-607 departed St Nazaire on active patrol under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Wolf Jeschonnek. Jeschonnek had served on U-607 since her commissioning. During the patrol she was attacked on a number of occasions. On 28 April she was attacked by a Vickers Wellington
Vickers Wellington
The Vickers Wellington was a British twin-engine, long range medium bomber designed in the mid-1930s at Brooklands in Weybridge, Surrey, by Vickers-Armstrongs' Chief Designer, R. K. Pierson. It was widely used as a night bomber in the early years of the Second World War, before being displaced as a...
aircraft of 172 Squadron
No. 172 Squadron RAF
No. 172 Squadron RAF was a Second World War Royal Air Force anti-submarine squadron that operated the Vickers Wellington equipped with the Leigh Light.-History:...
, Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. On 12 May she was attacked by a Fairey Swordfish
Fairey Swordfish
The Fairey Swordfish was a torpedo bomber built by the Fairey Aviation Company and used by the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy during the Second World War...
of 811 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
. After this, she was hunted by a Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
Corvette
Corvette
A corvette is a small, maneuverable, lightly armed warship, originally smaller than a frigate and larger than a coastal patrol craft or fast attack craft , although many recent designs resemble frigates in size and role...
which opened fire at extreme range without effect. She was forced to submerge when one of her diesel engine
Diesel engine
A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine that uses the heat of compression to initiate ignition to burn the fuel, which is injected into the combustion chamber...
s broke down. Over a seven hour period a number of depth charges were dropped without effect. U-607 managed to surface a couple of times and was forced to dive again. The third time she surfaced there was an area of mist and she was able to make her escape.
On 15 May, U-607 attacked , a neutral Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
merchant ship some 850 nautical miles (1,574.2 km) west of Ushant
Ushant
Ushant is an island at the south-western end of the English Channel which marks the north-westernmost point of metropolitan France. It belongs to Brittany and is in the traditional region of Bro-Leon. Administratively, Ushant is a commune in the Finistère department...
. Jeschennek claimed that Irish Oak was a Q-ship
Q-ship
Q-ships, also known as Q-boats, Decoy Vessels, Special Service Ships, or Mystery Ships, were heavily armed merchant ships with concealed weaponry, designed to lure submarines into making surface attacks. This gave Q-ships the chance to open fire and sink them...
, steaming at 14 knots (27.4 km/h) without lights. Irish Oak had large Tricolours
Flag of Ireland
The national flag of Ireland is a vertical tricolour of green , white, and orange. It is also known as the Irish tricolour. The flag proportion is 1:2...
painted on her sides with the word EIRE in large letters. Two torpedoes were fired and the ship slowly sank by the bow. Around 60 crew were seen to leave the ship. U-607 returned to St Nazaire on 2 June. During her time in St Nazaire after this patrol, extra anti-aircraft armament was fitted.
| Date | Ship | Flag | Tonnage (GRT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 May |  |
5,589 |
6th Patrol
On 10 July 1943, U-607 departed St Nazaire on active patrol. Her orders were to lay mines
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
off Kingston
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, with explicit orders not to attack any convoys encountered. U-607 was to proceed in convoy with three other U-boats, although one of these put back to St Nazaire with defects. The submarines were submerged at night and sailed on the surface during daytime. Just after midnight on 13 July, a bottle of Champagne was opened to toast Jeschonnek's birthday. U-607 surfaced at about 07:55 German time and was spotted by 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....
, DQ-N, of 228 Squadron
No. 228 Squadron RAF
No. 228 Squadron RAF was a unit that during the greatest part of its existence flew over water, doing so in World War I, World War II and beyond, performing anti-submarine, reconnaissance and air-sea rescue tasks.-Formation and World War I:...
, Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
and then by Halifax
Handley Page Halifax
The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engined heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing...
, BY-O, of 58 Squadron
No. 58 Squadron RAF
No. 58 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal Air Force.- History :No. 58 Squadron was first formed at Cramlington, Northumberland, on 8 June 1916 as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps....
, Royal Air Force.
Wishing to present as small a target as possible, U-607 turned away from the Halifax. This meant that she was becoming increasingly further from the other two U-boats. The three U-boats opened fire on the aircraft. The aircraft successfully managed to split the fire of the U-boats, which ceased firing after a while. U-607 attempted to rejoin the other two U-boats but during this manoeuvre she was attacked by the Sunderland which dropped seven 250 pounds (113.4 kg) depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s set to detonate at 25 feet (7.6 m). The depth charges were dropped from an altitude of 50 feet (15.2 m) and the Sunderland had to take evasive action to avoid a collision with the conning tower of U-607.
The depth charges straddled U-607 from port quarter to starboard bow. Their detonation broke her in two, with the bow section rising over vertical and sinking while the stern section capsized then sank. Twenty-five survivors were seen in the water and the Sunderland dropped a dinghy. Seven of the crew managed to climb aboard. Only these seven of the 51 crew survived. U-607 was sunk at 45°02′N 9°14′W. Although ships of the Second Support Group
2nd Support Group (Royal Navy)
The 2nd Escort Group was a British anti-submarine formation of the Royal Navy which saw action during the Second World War, principally in the Battle of the Atlantic....
passed close by, the survivors were not picked up as no ship could be spared for the task. A flight of Junkers Ju 88
Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War II German Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft. Designed by Hugo Junkers' company through the services of two American aviation engineers in the mid-1930s, it suffered from a number of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early...
aircraft flew over at an altitude to 10000 feet (3,048 m) apparently without spotting the survivors. At 04:00 local time on 14 July, the survivors were found at 44°50′N 08°50′W by and a boat was despatched to rescue them. The survivors were asked the number of their boat, which at first they refused to divulge. When told that they would not be rescued without divulging this information, Oberleutnant zur See Jeschonnek called the boat back and gave the information required.