German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the smaller Type VIIB submarines. U-568 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) while surfaced and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[2] She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in), a hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), a beam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder superchargeddiesel engines producing a total of 2,800 to 3,200 metric horsepower (2,060 to 2,350 kW; 2,760 to 3,160 shp) for use while surfaced, two BBC GG UB 720/8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 metric horsepower (550 kW; 740 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m (4 ft) propellers. The boat was designed to be capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).[2]
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph).[2] When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-568 was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty, and surrendered with 47 on board.[2]
Construction and career
U-568 was ordered on 24 October 1939 and laid down six months later. It was launched on 6 March 1941. On 1 May 1941, it was commissioned; it started training the same day as part of 3rd U-boat Flotilla.[1] The submarine completed training on 1 August 1941 and was placed under the command of Kapitänleutnant Joachim Preuss, who had already conducted five patrols with U-10.[3]
First patrol
U-568 departed Trondheim on 3 August 1941 and was assigned to U-boat Wolfpack Grönland in the North Atlantic Ocean, arriving there a week later.[4][5] On 12 August, the submarine attacked Convoy ON 4, firing two torpedoes at a "tanker"[a] and convoy escort Flower-classcorvettePicotee (925 tons).[6] The torpedo fired at the "tanker" went wide, but Preuss observed how the corvette "sinks immediately as her depth charges detonate (five or six of them)".[6][1] All hands on board Picobee were killed in action. Other escorts stopped and held the U-boat down while the rest of the convoy escaped.[7] Afterwards, U-568 had short stints with Woflpacks Kurfürst (23 August – 2 September 1941[8]) and Seewolf (2 – 8 September 1941[9]), arriving at homeport Saint-Nazaire on 10 September 1941.[4]
Second patrol
U-568 embarked on her second patrol on 9 October 1941. On her way west into the Atlantic, she attacked Convoy SC 48 on 16 October 1941, sinking the steam merchant shipEmpire Heron (6,023 GRT) with two torpedoes and killing forty-two on board. The next day, she fired a spread of four torpedoes at the United States NavydestroyerKearny (1,630 tons) having been repeatedly depth-charged by her the previous night. One torpedo hit the ship starboard, killing 11 sailors.[10][b] Sighted by HMCS Pictou, U-568 attempted to escape the escorts by sailing under cover of a rain squall, but was pursued. The submarine attempted to sink Pictou with a torpedo, but it passed 15 ft (4.6 metres) to port and missed. Afterwards, the U-boat retreated.[1] The Kearny incident was cited by Adolf Hitler as being reasoning for Nazi Germany declaring war against the United States, with Hitler presenting the action as starting with the Kearny attacking U-568 with depth charges.[11]
Between 21 and 31 October 1941, U-568 was part of Wolfpack Reissewolf.[12] After her attack on Convoy SC 48, the remainder of her patrol was routine, and she arrived at Saint-Nazaire on 7 November 1941.[13]
^Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-568". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
Bibliography
Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II: a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN1-55750-186-6.
Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN3-8132-0514-2.
Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN0-85177-593-4.
Sharpe, Peter (1998). U-Boat Fact File. Great Britain: Midland Publishing. ISBN1-85780-072-9.
Blair, Clay (May 2000). Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters, 1939-1942. New York City: Modern Library. ISBN0-679-64032-0.
Morgan, David; Taylor, Bruce (9 November 2011). U-Boat Attack Logs: A Complete Record of Warship Sinkings from Original Sources 1939-1945. Barnsley: Seaforth Publishing. ISBN978-1-84832-118-2.
External links
Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-568". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
Hofmann, Markus. "U 568". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 28 December 2014.
german, submarine, type, viic, boat, built, nazi, germany, kriegsmarine, service, during, world, conducted, five, patrols, sinking, merchant, ship, warships, severely, damaging, another, warship, 1942, depth, charged, sunk, mediterranean, hands, survived, hist. German submarine U 568 was a Type VIIC U boat built for Nazi Germany s Kriegsmarine for service during World War II She conducted five patrols sinking one merchant ship two warships and severely damaging another warship On 28 May 1942 she was depth charged and sunk in the Mediterranean Sea all hands survived HistoryNazi GermanyNameU 568Ordered24 October 1939BuilderBlohm amp Voss HamburgYard number544Laid down27 April 1940Launched6 March 1941Commissioned1 May 1941FateSunk on 28 May 1942 in the Mediterranean Sea NE of Tobruk in position 32 42 N 24 53 E 32 700 N 24 883 E 32 700 24 883 by RN ships Hero Eridge and Hurworth General characteristicsClass and typeType VIIC submarineDisplacement769 tonnes 757 long tons surfaced 871 t 857 long tons submergedLength67 10 m 220 ft 2 in o a 50 50 m 165 ft 8 in pressure hullBeam6 20 m 20 ft 4 in o a 4 70 m 15 ft 5 in pressure hullHeight9 60 m 31 ft 6 in Draught4 74 m 15 ft 7 in Installed power2 800 3 200 PS 2 100 2 400 kW 2 800 3 200 bhp diesels 750 PS 550 kW 740 shp electric Propulsion2 shafts 2 diesel engines 2 electric motorsSpeed17 7 knots 32 8 km h 20 4 mph surfaced 7 6 knots 14 1 km h 8 7 mph submergedRange8 500 nmi 15 700 km 9 800 mi at 10 knots 19 km h 12 mph surfaced 80 nmi 150 km 92 mi at 4 knots 7 4 km h 4 6 mph submergedTest depth230 m 750 ft Crush depth 250 295 m 820 968 ft Complement4 officers 40 56 enlistedArmament5 53 3 cm 21 in torpedo tubes four bow one stern 14 torpedoes or 26 TMA mines 1 8 8 cm 3 46 in deck gun 220 rounds 1 x 2 cm 0 79 in C 30 AA gunService record 1 Part of 3rd U boat Flotilla 1 May 31 December 1941 29th U boat Flotilla 1 January 28 May 1942Commanders Kptlt Joachim Preuss 1 May 1941 28 May 1942Operations 5 patrols 1st patrol 3 August 1941 10 September 1941 2nd patrol 9 October 7 November 1941 3rd patrol 4 December 1941 17 January 1942 4th patrol 2 30 March 1942 5th patrol 21 28 May 1942Victories 1 merchant ship sunk 6 023 GRT 2 warships sunk 1 850 tons 1 warship damaged 1 630 tons Contents 1 Design 2 Construction and career 2 1 First patrol 2 2 Second patrol 2 3 Wolfpacks 2 4 Fate 3 Summary of raiding history 4 See also 5 References 5 1 Notes 5 2 Citations 6 Bibliography 7 External linksDesign EditGerman Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the smaller Type VIIB submarines U 568 had a displacement of 769 tonnes 757 long tons while surfaced and 871 tonnes 857 long tons while submerged 2 She had a total length of 67 10 m 220 ft 2 in a hull length of 50 50 m 165 ft 8 in a beam of 6 20 m 20 ft 4 in a height of 9 60 m 31 ft 6 in and a draught of 4 74 m 15 ft 7 in The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four stroke six cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of 2 800 to 3 200 metric horsepower 2 060 to 2 350 kW 2 760 to 3 160 shp for use while surfaced two BBC GG UB 720 8 double acting electric motors producing a total of 750 metric horsepower 550 kW 740 shp for use while submerged She had two shafts and two 1 23 m 4 ft propellers The boat was designed to be capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres 750 ft 2 The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17 7 knots 32 8 km h 20 4 mph and a maximum submerged speed of 7 6 knots 14 1 km h 8 7 mph 2 When submerged the boat could operate for 80 nautical miles 150 km 92 mi at 4 knots 7 4 km h 4 6 mph when surfaced she could travel 8 500 nautical miles 15 700 km 9 800 mi at 10 knots 19 km h 12 mph U 568 was fitted with five 53 3 cm 21 in torpedo tubes four fitted at the bow and one at the stern fourteen torpedoes one 8 8 cm 3 46 in SK C 35 naval gun 220 rounds and a 2 cm 0 79 in C 30 anti aircraft gun The boat had a complement of between forty four and sixty and surrendered with 47 on board 2 Construction and career EditU 568 was ordered on 24 October 1939 and laid down six months later It was launched on 6 March 1941 On 1 May 1941 it was commissioned it started training the same day as part of 3rd U boat Flotilla 1 The submarine completed training on 1 August 1941 and was placed under the command of Kapitanleutnant Joachim Preuss who had already conducted five patrols with U 10 3 First patrol Edit U 568 departed Trondheim on 3 August 1941 and was assigned to U boat Wolfpack Gronland in the North Atlantic Ocean arriving there a week later 4 5 On 12 August the submarine attacked Convoy ON 4 firing two torpedoes at a tanker a and convoy escort Flower class corvette Picotee 925 tons 6 The torpedo fired at the tanker went wide but Preuss observed how the corvette sinks immediately as her depth charges detonate five or six of them 6 1 All hands on board Picobee were killed in action Other escorts stopped and held the U boat down while the rest of the convoy escaped 7 Afterwards U 568 had short stints with Woflpacks Kurfurst 23 August 2 September 1941 8 and Seewolf 2 8 September 1941 9 arriving at homeport Saint Nazaire on 10 September 1941 4 Second patrol Edit U 568 embarked on her second patrol on 9 October 1941 On her way west into the Atlantic she attacked Convoy SC 48 on 16 October 1941 sinking the steam merchant ship Empire Heron 6 023 GRT with two torpedoes and killing forty two on board The next day she fired a spread of four torpedoes at the United States Navy destroyer Kearny 1 630 tons having been repeatedly depth charged by her the previous night One torpedo hit the ship starboard killing 11 sailors 10 b Sighted by HMCS Pictou U 568 attempted to escape the escorts by sailing under cover of a rain squall but was pursued The submarine attempted to sink Pictou with a torpedo but it passed 15 ft 4 6 metres to port and missed Afterwards the U boat retreated 1 The Kearny incident was cited by Adolf Hitler as being reasoning for Nazi Germany declaring war against the United States with Hitler presenting the action as starting with the Kearny attacking U 568 with depth charges 11 Between 21 and 31 October 1941 U 568 was part of Wolfpack Reissewolf 12 After her attack on Convoy SC 48 the remainder of her patrol was routine and she arrived at Saint Nazaire on 7 November 1941 13 Wolfpacks Edit She took part in four wolfpacks namely Gronland 10 23 August 1941 Kurfurst 23 August 2 September 1941 Seewolf 2 8 September 1941 Reissewolf 21 31 October 1941 Fate Edit U 568 was sunk on 28 May 1942 in the Mediterranean Sea NE of Tobruk in position 32 42 N 24 53 E 32 700 N 24 883 E 32 700 24 883 by Royal Navy vessels the destroyer HMS Hero and escort destroyers HMS Eridge and HMS Hurworth All 47 hands survived 14 Summary of raiding history EditDate Ship Name Nationality Tonnage c Fate 15 12 August 1941 HMS Picotee Royal Navy 925 Sunk16 October 1941 Empire Heron United Kingdom 6 023 Sunk17 October 1941 USS Kearny United States Navy 1 630 Damaged24 December 1941 HMS Salvia Royal Navy 925 SunkSee also EditMediterranean U boat Campaign World War II References EditNotes Edit uboat net states that the second ship attacked was a freighter 1 The explosion badly damaged the vessel disabling it until April 1942 10 Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons Military vessels are listed by tons displacement Citations Edit a b c d e Helgason Gudmundur The Type VIIC boat U 568 German U boats of WWII uboat net Retrieved 15 August 2014 a b c d Groner 1991 pp 43 46 Helgason Gudmundur Kapitanleutnant Joachim Preuss German U boats of WWII uboat net Retrieved 19 April 2020 a b Helgason Gudmundur Patrol info for U 568 uboat net Retrieved 20 April 2020 Helgason Gudmundur Wolfpack Gronland Uboat net Retrieved 20 April 2020 a b Morgan amp Taylor 2011 p 110 Helgason Gudmundur HMS Picotee K 63 British Corvette Uboat org Retrieved 20 April 2020 Helgason Gudmundur Wolfpack Kurfurst uboat net Retrieved 20 April 2020 Helgason Gudmundur Wolfpack Seewolf uboat net Retrieved 20 April 2020 a b Helgason Gudmundur USS Kearny DD 432 Uboat net Retrieved 20 April 2020 Adolf Hitler Speech Declaring War Against the United States December 11 1941 jewishvirtuallibrary org Retrieved 20 April 2020 Helgason Gudmundur Wolfpack Reissewolf Uboat net Retrieved 20 April 2020 Helgason Gudmundur Patrol info for U 568 Uboat net Retrieved 20 April 2020 Busch amp Roll 1999 Helgason Gudmundur Ships hit by U 568 German U boats of WWII uboat net Retrieved 15 August 2014 Bibliography EditBusch Rainer Roll Hans Joachim 1999 German U boat commanders of World War II a biographical dictionary Translated by Brooks Geoffrey London Annapolis Md Greenhill Books Naval Institute Press ISBN 1 55750 186 6 Busch Rainer Roll Hans Joachim 1999 Deutsche U Boot Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 German U boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945 Der U Boot Krieg in German Vol IV Hamburg Berlin Bonn Mittler ISBN 3 8132 0514 2 Groner Erich Jung Dieter Maass Martin 1991 U boats and Mine Warfare Vessels German Warships 1815 1945 Vol 2 Translated by Thomas Keith Magowan Rachel London Conway Maritime Press ISBN 0 85177 593 4 Sharpe Peter 1998 U Boat Fact File Great Britain Midland Publishing ISBN 1 85780 072 9 Blair Clay May 2000 Hitler s U Boat War The Hunters 1939 1942 New York City Modern Library ISBN 0 679 64032 0 Morgan David Taylor Bruce 9 November 2011 U Boat Attack Logs A Complete Record of Warship Sinkings from Original Sources 1939 1945 Barnsley Seaforth Publishing ISBN 978 1 84832 118 2 External links EditHelgason Gudmundur The Type VIIC boat U 568 German U boats of WWII uboat net Retrieved 28 December 2014 Hofmann Markus U 568 Deutsche U Boote 1935 1945 u boot archiv de in German Retrieved 28 December 2014 Portals Military of Germany World War II Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title German submarine U 568 amp oldid 1082052287, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
