German submarine U-64 (1939)
Encyclopedia
German submarine U-64 was a Type IXB
U-boat
of the German
Kriegsmarine
during World War II
. U-64 was ordered by the Kriegsmarine on 16 July 1937 in violation of the Treaty of Versailles
and as part of the German naval rearmament program Plan Z
. Her keel was laid down by AG Weser
in Bremen
on 15 December 1938. Following about nine months of construction, she was launched on 20 September 1939 and formally commissioned into the Kriegsmarine on 16 December under the command of Kapitänleutnant Georg-Wilhelm Schulz
.
U-64 had a very short career and sank no enemy vessels. Having left her home port of Wilhelmshaven
for her first war patrol on 6 April 1940, she was intercepted by Allied aircraft seven days later off of the coast of Norway during the Norwegian Campaign
and was sunk by a bomb from a Fairey Swordfish
aircraft of . Of her crew of 46, 8 men died and 38 escaped from the sinking submarine and survived.
in Bremen
as Werk 952. U-64 was launched on 20 September 1939 and commissioned on 16 December under the command of Kapitänleutnant Georg-Wilhelm Schulz.
was a Utof 105 mm/45 with a magazine of 110 rounds. U-64 also carried the standard 2 cm FlaK 30
anti-aircraft guns. It had a crew of 46 men and could carry up to 56 crew members at any given time. After being commissioned and deployed, U-64 was stationed in the German port city of Wilhelmshaven
.
in search of Allied convoys heading to Norway in support of the Norwegian Campaign
. During that time she encountered no enemy vessels. On 13 April 1940, the eighth day of her first patrol, U-64 was heaved to in the waters off of Bjerkvik
, Norway, and was struck by a 350-pound bomb from a British Fairey Swordfish
aircraft of . Her deck was also riddled with machine-gun fire. The U-boat then sank to the bottom of the harbor and 8 of her crew went down with her. The remaining 38 were able to escape the sinking vessel and were picked up by German mountain troops stationed ashore. They later formed the crew of U-124.
German Type IXB submarine
The German Type IXB submarine was a sub-class of the German Type IX submarine built by the German Navy between 1938 and 1940. The U-boats themselves were designed to be fairly large ocean-going submarines. The inspiration for the Type IXB submarine came from the earlier original Type IX submarine,...
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...
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...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. U-64 was ordered by the Kriegsmarine on 16 July 1937 in violation of the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
and as part of the German naval rearmament program Plan Z
Plan Z
Plan Z was the name given to the planned re-equipment and expansion of the Nazi German Navy ordered by Adolf Hitler on January 27, 1939...
. Her keel was laid down by AG Weser
AG Weser
Aktien-Gesellschaft Weser was one of the great German shipbuilding companies, located at the Weser River in Bremen. Founded in 1873 it was finally closed in 1983. Altogether, AG Weser built about 1400 ships of different types, including many war ships...
in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
on 15 December 1938. Following about nine months of construction, she was launched on 20 September 1939 and formally commissioned into the Kriegsmarine on 16 December under the command of Kapitänleutnant Georg-Wilhelm Schulz
Georg-Wilhelm Schulz
Georg-Wilhelm Schulz was a German U-boat commander of the Second World War. From September 1939 until retiring from front line service in September 1941, he sank 19 ships for a total of 89,885 GRT. For this he received the Knight's Cross, among other commendations.-Early life:Schulz was born on...
.
U-64 had a very short career and sank no enemy vessels. Having left her home port of 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:...
for her first war patrol on 6 April 1940, she was intercepted by Allied aircraft seven days later off of the coast of Norway during the Norwegian Campaign
Norwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
and was sunk by a bomb from 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...
aircraft of . Of her crew of 46, 8 men died and 38 escaped from the sinking submarine and survived.
Construction
U-64 was ordered by the German Kriegsmarine on 16 July 1937 as part of Plan Z and in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Her keel was laid down on 15 December 1938 by AG WeserAG Weser
Aktien-Gesellschaft Weser was one of the great German shipbuilding companies, located at the Weser River in Bremen. Founded in 1873 it was finally closed in 1983. Altogether, AG Weser built about 1400 ships of different types, including many war ships...
in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
as Werk 952. U-64 was launched on 20 September 1939 and commissioned on 16 December under the command of Kapitänleutnant Georg-Wilhelm Schulz.
Design
Like all Type IXB submarines, U-64 had a total output of 1000 hp while submerged and 4400 hp when surfaced. As a result, she could travel at 18.3 knots (35.9 km/h) while surfaced and 7.3 knots (14.3 km/h) submerged. U-64 had a range of 22200 nmi (41,114.4 km) at 10 knots (19.6 km/h) while on the surface and 118 nmi (218.5 km) at 4 kn (7.8 km/h) while submerged. She was equipped with 6 torpedo tubes (4 in the bow, 2 in the stern) and carried a total of 22 533 mm (21 in) torpedoes. The submarine was also equipped with 44 TMA mines. U-64s main deck gunDeck gun
A deck gun is a type of artillery cannon mounted on the deck of a ship or submarine.The deck gun was used as a defensive weapon against smaller boats or ships and in certain cases where torpedo use was limited. Typically a crew of three; gunner, loader, and layer, operated the gun, while others...
was a Utof 105 mm/45 with a magazine of 110 rounds. U-64 also carried the standard 2 cm FlaK 30
2 cm FlaK 30
The Flak 30 and improved Flak 38 were 20 mm anti-aircraft guns used by various German forces throughout the Second World War. It was not only the primary German light anti-aircraft gun, but by far the most numerously produced German artillery piece throughout the war...
anti-aircraft guns. It had a crew of 46 men and could carry up to 56 crew members at any given time. After being commissioned and deployed, U-64 was stationed in the German port city of 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:...
.
Service history
U-64 went to sea on 6 April 1940. For eight days, U-64 roamed the North SeaNorth Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
in search of Allied convoys heading to Norway in support of the Norwegian Campaign
Norwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
. During that time she encountered no enemy vessels. On 13 April 1940, the eighth day of her first patrol, U-64 was heaved to in the waters off of Bjerkvik
Bjerkvik
Bjerkvik is a village in the municipality of Narvik, Norway. Its population is 1,220. Bjerkvik is located at the head of Herjangsfjorden, an arm of Ofotfjord in the northeastern corner of Nordland county. There is less than 20 km to the border with Troms...
, Norway, and was struck by a 350-pound bomb from a British 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...
aircraft of . Her deck was also riddled with machine-gun fire. The U-boat then sank to the bottom of the harbor and 8 of her crew went down with her. The remaining 38 were able to escape the sinking vessel and were picked up by German mountain troops stationed ashore. They later formed the crew of U-124.
External links
See also
- List of German U-boats