Unterseeboot 190
Encyclopedia
German submarine U-190 was a Type IXC/40
U-boat
of the German
Kriegsmarine
built for service during World War II
. After VE Day, she was surrendered to the Royal Canadian Navy
, where she served for two more years.
Her keel was laid down on 7 October 1941 by AG Weser
of Bremen. She was launched
on 3 June 1942 and commissioned
on 24 September 1942 with Kapitänleutnant Max Wintermeyer in command. On 6 July 1944 Wintermeyer was relieved by Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Erwin Reith who commanded the boat for the rest of her career in the Kriegsmarine
.
U-190 conducted six war patrols, sinking two ships for a total of 7605 tons. The first was the 7,015-ton cargo ship Empire Lakeland, sunk on 8 March 1943, one week into U-190s first war patrol. The next four war patrols were unsuccessful.
On June 13, 1943 the U-190 attacked a convoy off the east coast of the United States, east of New York. The Liberty Ship William H. Webb was in the most dangerous convoy position (tail ship, outside starboard column) when U-190 fired a torpedo at the William H. Webb, but the Liberty Ship was equipped with a special anti-torpedo mine, which exploded the torpedo 200 feet off of the ship, with minor damage. The captain of the U-190 would report back to Germany that he had fired a torpedo and that the ship had exploded the torpedo and proceeded apparently unhurt.
U-190s final war patrol began on 22 February 1945. She left Norway
equipped with six contact torpedoes and eight T-5 "Gnat" acoustic torpedoes. Her mission was to interdict Allied shipping off Sable Island
and in the approaches to Halifax
, Nova Scotia
harbor. On 16 April she was keeping station off the Sambro light ship when her crew heard ASDIC
pinging.
The minesweeper HMCS Esquimalt was conducting a routine patrol of the harbor. She was employing none of the mandatory anti-submarine precautions: she was not zig-zagging; she had not streamed her towed decoy, designed as a countermeasure against Gnat torpedoes; she had turned off her radar
. The U-boat crew was sure that they had been detected, and when Esquimalt turned toward them, U-190 turned to run and fired one Gnat torpedo from a stern tube.
The torpedo struck Esquimalts starboard side. She sank within four minutes, the last Canadian vessel to be lost due to enemy action in World War II
. While eight of her crew went down with her, the remainder survived the immediate disaster. Esquimalt sank so rapidly, however, that no distress signals were sent, and no one knew of the sinking until some eight hours later when first discovered the survivors. During the delay 44 crewmen had died of exposure, leaving only 26 still alive.
U-190 escaped the area and remained on patrol off the North American east coast until she received President Karl Dönitz
's 8 May order to surrender. The boat met Canadian corvette
s some 500 miles off Cape Race
, Newfoundland on 11 May. Oblt. Reith signed a document of unconditional surrender, and was taken prisoner with his crew. With the white ensign flying from her masthead, U-190 sailed under the command of Lieutenant F. S. Burbidge into Bay Bulls, Newfoundland
, on 14 May. The prisoners of war
were taken to Halifax
.
U-190 was formally commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy
on 19 May. Her first assignment, in summer 1945, was a ceremonial tour of communities along the St. Lawrence River and Gulf of St. Lawrence, with stops in Montreal
, Trois-Rivières
, Quebec City
, Gaspé
, Pictou
, and Sydney
. Back in Halifax she assumed her duties as an anti-submarine training vessel, which she continued to fulfill for a year and a half.
U-190 was paid off on 24 July 1947, but had one last mission to complete.
The official purpose of "Operation Scuttled" was to provide training for inexperienced post-war recruits in the art of combined operations. U-190, painted in lurid red and yellow stripes, was towed to the spot where it had sunk Esquimalt, and at precisely 11:00 hours on Trafalgar Day 1947, the fireworks began. The "exercise" called for a deliberately escalating firepower demonstration, beginning with airborne rockets and culminating in a destroyer bombardment with 4.7-inch guns and a hedgehog
depth charge providing the coup de grace.
While numerous reporters and photographers watched, and HMCS New Liskeard
, Nootka
, and Haida stood by awaiting their turn, the Naval Air Arm began the attack with eight Seafires
, eight Fairey Fireflies
, two Avro Anson
s, and two Fairey Swordfish
.
The first rocket attack struck home, and almost before the destroyers had a chance to train their guns, U-190s bow rose into the air, and the U-boat was on the bottom of the ocean less than twenty minutes after the commencement of "Operation Scuttled."
Before U-190 was sunk, her periscope was salvaged. In 1963 it was installed at the Crow's Nest Officers Club in St. John's, Newfoundland. Many years of exposure to the weather damaged it to the point of uselessness, but it was overhauled and repaired; in a ceremony on 22 October 1998 it was "recommissioned" and is once again looking out at Water Street from the club.
U-190 suffered no casualties to her crews during her career.
A January 18, 2006 article in the Edmonton Journal
reported that a team of divers planned to search for U-190 and another U-boat, U-520
.
German Type IX submarine
The Type IX U-boat was designed by Germany in 1935 and 1936 as a large ocean-going submarine for sustained operations far from the home support facilities. Type IX boats were briefly used for patrols off the eastern United States in an attempt to disrupt the stream of troops and supplies bound for...
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...
built for service 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...
. After VE Day, she was surrendered to the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
, where she served for two more years.
Her keel was laid down on 7 October 1941 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...
of Bremen. She was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 3 June 1942 and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 24 September 1942 with Kapitänleutnant Max Wintermeyer in command. On 6 July 1944 Wintermeyer was relieved by Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Erwin Reith who commanded the boat for the rest of her career in the 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...
.
U-190 conducted six war patrols, sinking two ships for a total of 7605 tons. The first was the 7,015-ton cargo ship Empire Lakeland, sunk on 8 March 1943, one week into U-190s first war patrol. The next four war patrols were unsuccessful.
On June 13, 1943 the U-190 attacked a convoy off the east coast of the United States, east of New York. The Liberty Ship William H. Webb was in the most dangerous convoy position (tail ship, outside starboard column) when U-190 fired a torpedo at the William H. Webb, but the Liberty Ship was equipped with a special anti-torpedo mine, which exploded the torpedo 200 feet off of the ship, with minor damage. The captain of the U-190 would report back to Germany that he had fired a torpedo and that the ship had exploded the torpedo and proceeded apparently unhurt.
U-190s final war patrol began on 22 February 1945. She left 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...
equipped with six contact torpedoes and eight T-5 "Gnat" acoustic torpedoes. Her mission was to interdict Allied shipping off Sable Island
Sable Island
Sable Island is a small Canadian island situated 300 km southeast of mainland Nova Scotia in the Atlantic Ocean. The island is a year-round home to approximately five people...
and in the approaches to Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
harbor. On 16 April she was keeping station off the Sambro light ship when her crew heard ASDIC
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
pinging.
The minesweeper HMCS Esquimalt was conducting a routine patrol of the harbor. She was employing none of the mandatory anti-submarine precautions: she was not zig-zagging; she had not streamed her towed decoy, designed as a countermeasure against Gnat torpedoes; she had turned off her radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
. The U-boat crew was sure that they had been detected, and when Esquimalt turned toward them, U-190 turned to run and fired one Gnat torpedo from a stern tube.
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...
. While eight of her crew went down with her, the remainder survived the immediate disaster. Esquimalt sank so rapidly, however, that no distress signals were sent, and no one knew of the sinking until some eight hours later when first discovered the survivors. During the delay 44 crewmen had died of exposure, leaving only 26 still alive.
U-190 escaped the area and remained on patrol off the North American east coast until she received President Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz
Karl Dönitz was a German naval commander during World War II. He started his career in the German Navy during World War I. In 1918, while he was in command of , the submarine was sunk by British forces and Dönitz was taken prisoner...
's 8 May order to surrender. The boat met Canadian 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...
s some 500 miles off Cape Race
Cape Race
Cape Race is a point of land located at the southeastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland, Canada. Its name is thought to come from the original Portuguese name for this cape, "Raso", or "bare"...
, Newfoundland on 11 May. Oblt. Reith signed a document of unconditional surrender, and was taken prisoner with his crew. With the white ensign flying from her masthead, U-190 sailed under the command of Lieutenant F. S. Burbidge into Bay Bulls, Newfoundland
Bay Bulls, Newfoundland and Labrador
Bay Bulls is a small fishing community in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.-Geography:Located in sheltered bay it has been home to many fishermen and a strategic location in early times as it is located just a few miles from the capital, St. John's.-History:Bay Bulls first appears...
, on 14 May. The prisoners of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
were taken to Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
.
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
on 19 May. Her first assignment, in summer 1945, was a ceremonial tour of communities along the St. Lawrence River and Gulf of St. Lawrence, with stops in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières, Quebec
Trois-Rivières is a city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada, located at the confluence of the Saint-Maurice and Saint Lawrence Rivers. It is situated in the Mauricie administrative region, on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River across from the city of Bécancour...
, Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
, Gaspé
Gaspé, Quebec
Gaspé is a city at the tip of the Gaspé Peninsula in the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine region of eastern Quebec, Canada. As of the 2006 census, the city had a total population of 14,819....
, Pictou
Pictou, Nova Scotia
Pictou is a town in Pictou County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Located on the north shore of Pictou Harbour, the town is approximately 10 km north of the larger town of New Glasgow....
, and Sydney
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Sydney is a Canadian urban community in the province of Nova Scotia. It is situated on the east coast of Cape Breton Island and is administratively part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality....
. Back in Halifax she assumed her duties as an anti-submarine training vessel, which she continued to fulfill for a year and a half.
U-190 was paid off on 24 July 1947, but had one last mission to complete.
The official purpose of "Operation Scuttled" was to provide training for inexperienced post-war recruits in the art of combined operations. U-190, painted in lurid red and yellow stripes, was towed to the spot where it had sunk Esquimalt, and at precisely 11:00 hours on Trafalgar Day 1947, the fireworks began. The "exercise" called for a deliberately escalating firepower demonstration, beginning with airborne rockets and culminating in a destroyer bombardment with 4.7-inch guns and a hedgehog
Hedgehog (weapon)
The Hedgehog was an anti-submarine weapon developed by the Royal Navy during World War II, that was deployed on convoy escort warships such as destroyers to supplement the depth charge. The weapon worked by firing a number of small spigot mortar bombs from spiked fittings...
depth charge providing the coup de grace.
While numerous reporters and photographers watched, and HMCS New Liskeard
HMCS New Liskeard (J397)
HMCS New Liskeard was an that served in the Royal Canadian Navy during World War II.- References :* *...
, Nootka
HMCS Nootka
Several Canadian naval units have been named HMCS Nootka. was a Fundy-class minesweeper that served with the Royal Canadian Navy from 1938-1943 before being renamed and decommissioned in 1945....
, and Haida stood by awaiting their turn, the Naval Air Arm began the attack with eight Seafires
Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries throughout the Second World War. The Spitfire continued to be used as a front line fighter and in secondary roles into the 1950s...
, eight Fairey Fireflies
Fairey Firefly
The Fairey Firefly was a British Second World War-era carrier-borne fighter aircraft and anti-submarine aircraft of the Fleet Air Arm ....
, two Avro Anson
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...
s, and two 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...
.
The first rocket attack struck home, and almost before the destroyers had a chance to train their guns, U-190s bow rose into the air, and the U-boat was on the bottom of the ocean less than twenty minutes after the commencement of "Operation Scuttled."
Before U-190 was sunk, her periscope was salvaged. In 1963 it was installed at the Crow's Nest Officers Club in St. John's, Newfoundland. Many years of exposure to the weather damaged it to the point of uselessness, but it was overhauled and repaired; in a ceremony on 22 October 1998 it was "recommissioned" and is once again looking out at Water Street from the club.
U-190 suffered no casualties to her crews during her career.
A January 18, 2006 article in the Edmonton Journal
Edmonton Journal
The Edmonton Journal is a daily newspaper in Edmonton, Alberta. It is part of the Postmedia Network.-History:The Journal was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunningham — as a rival to Alberta's first newspaper, the 23-year-old...
reported that a team of divers planned to search for U-190 and another U-boat, U-520
Unterseeboot 520
-See also:* List of German U-boats...
.
See also
- List of U-boats
- German submarine U-889
- List of ships of the Canadian Navy