German submarine U-546
Encyclopedia
German submarine U-546 was a Type IXC/40
U-boat
operated by the German
Kriegsmarine
during World War II. U-546 was responsible for the last combat sinking of a United States Navy vessel in the Atlantic Theatre, during Operation Teardrop
, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Paul Just.
, and remained with the 4th U-boat Flotilla (training) at Stettin until 31 December 1943. She completed her training with a cruise from Hela
to Swinemünde
to practice A.A. cannon fire.
aircraft from No. 201 Squadron RAF
, killing one crewman. On the 20 February 1944 she was again attacked by an aircraft. On the 17 April while returning to a station in France the U-boat was caught on the surface by a Leigh light
equipped Liberator
of No. 53 Squadron RAF
in the Bay of Biscay
, steaming south-east, ahead of convoy HX-278 and was attacked with depth charge
s, but drove it off with the 3.7 cm cannon, shooting down the attacker. She returned to Lorient
for service and refit on 23 or 25 April 1944. The crew was given leave while the boat was overhauled and the Schnorchel
was fitted.
assigned to her as her area of operations, she was detected by a USN anti-submarine patrol, which begun to hunt her. Soon after she had to abort her patrol and ordered to return to Germany after the invasion of Normandy. On the 18 June 1944 U-546 was attacked again by a Sunderland, which was not equipped with a radar, while on the surface. The boat then briefly returned to France on 22 June to replenish her cannon ammunition, sailing again on 25 June. On the 20 July 1944 she was detected by USN surface ships forming an escort of an escort carrier, and U-546 fired a torpedo at the carrier, but missed and was subjected to three hours of depth charge attacks from the escort destroyers. She managed to escape this attack. U-546 was then ordered to patrol a zone near Cape Verde
where she operated for about four weeks, attacking a convoy with a spread of three torpedoes, but scoring no hits.
During the second patrol due to fuel shortages the captain achieved significant fuel saving and extended the cruise to 150 days, for a boat of this type, without refuelling by floating submerged for days on water-layers with all engines stopped. The boat returned to station with 30 metric tons of fuel left.
, where she received a 14-day overhaul, eventually departing Kristiansand
, Norway, on 2 March 1945. The boat proceeded to the eastern coast of North America on 10 March 1945 with six other boats. In mid-April the group was ordered to commence operations individually, and on the 23 April she was spotted surfacing north-west of the Azores, by aircraft from as part of Operation Teardrop
, looking for U-boats carrying V-1 flying bomb
s and V-2 rockets which intelligence suggested were going to be used to attack American cities. Depth charges were dropped just after the boat submerged, but failed to damage her hull.
and proceeded to attack, firing a stern torpedo. The destroyer turned into it, was hit, tearing the DE apart and sending her down with heavy loss of life.
The U-boat was in turn pursued by other destroyer escorts; (LCDR H.C. Dufe), (LCDR L.A. Myhre), (LCDR V.E. Gex), (CDR L.C. Mabley), (LCDR W.W. Patrick), (LCDR D.S. Knox), (LCDR S.G. Rubinow, Jr.), and (LCDR G.W. Casselman) Neunzer and conducted a search while Pillsbury circled the area and Flaherty picked up survivors. Flaherty made contact in less than an hour and with Pillsbury proceeded to attack. The U-boat went to 600 feet (182.9 m). Contact was lost from 1045 until 1201 when Varian, Janssen, and Hubbard began another attack. Neunzer got into the fight after several attacks by the other DE's, delivering a creeping attack with Varian and Hubbard while Chatelain directed. Contact was lost once more at about 1600, and Chatelain and Neunzer were ordered to return to the scouting line.
The line was expanded, and the ships began a sweep through the area, determined to prevent the submarine's escape. Varian made contact once more at 1731 and Flaherty was ordered to attack. She fired at 1810. Four minutes later a small oil slick began coming to the surface. Flaherty made another Hedgehog
attack at 1828, and at 1838 the U-boat broke surface.
Every ship in the line within range began firing. At 1844, after more than ten and a half hours of attacks, U-546 rolled under and sank (in position 43°53′N 40°07′W, south-south-east of Cape Farewell, Greenland
) by combined fire of the first five USN destroyers until the evening, when she was so heavily damaged that she was unable to stay submerged and lost power. Her captain and 32 of her crew were rescued by US vessels, and taken prisoner to Naval Station Argentia
.
It was from this crew that the USN eventually learned that no V-1/2 attacks from the U-boats were planned by the Kriegsmarine. The interrogation
was so harsh that Kptlt. Steinhoff (U-873) who was also captured, committed suicide.
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...
operated by 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. U-546 was responsible for the last combat sinking of a United States Navy vessel in the Atlantic Theatre, during Operation Teardrop
Operation Teardrop
Operation Teardrop was a United States Navy operation of World War II conducted during April and May 1945 to sink German U-boats that were believed to be approaching the United States east coast armed with V-1 flying bombs. Two large U.S. Navy anti-submarine warfare task forces succeeded in...
, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Paul Just.
Service history
She commenced her training cruise on 2 June 1943, making her first silent run at SønderborgSønderborg
Sønderborg Municipality , is a municipality in Region of Southern Denmark partially on the Jutland peninsula and partially on the island of Als in south Denmark, at the border with Germany. The municipality covers an area of , and has a total population of 76,236...
, and remained with the 4th U-boat Flotilla (training) at Stettin until 31 December 1943. She completed her training with a cruise from Hela
Hel, Poland
Hel is a town in Puck County, Pomeranian Voivodeship, Poland, located on the tip of the Hel Peninsula, some 33 kilometres from the Polish mainland.-Early developments:...
to Swinemünde
Swinoujscie
Świnoujście is a city and seaport on the Baltic Sea and Szczecin Lagoon, located in the extreme north-west of Poland. It is situated mainly on the islands of Uznam and Wolin, but also occupies smaller islands, of which the largest is Karsibór island, once part of Usedom, now separated by a Piast...
to practice A.A. cannon fire.
1st patrol
The boat was reassigned to 10th U-boat Flotilla for combat duties in the Atlantic on 1 January 1944, departing Kiel on 22 January 1944, with a three day stopover at Marviken. After forming up with the Gruppe Igel 1 (Group Hedgehog) north-west of Scotland on 3 February 1944 U-546 commenced patrol in the North Atlantic with other boats to the west of Ireland on anti-convoy duties. At 1229 on 16 February U-546 reported she had been attacked by a British SunderlandShort 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....
aircraft from No. 201 Squadron RAF
No. 201 Squadron RAF
No. 201 Squadron of the Royal Air Force, until March 2010, operated the Nimrod MR2, based at RAF Kinloss, Moray. It is the only squadron affiliated with Guernsey, in the Channel Islands. This affiliation started in 1935 and is commemorated in the museum on Castle Cornet. Its history goes even...
, killing one crewman. On the 20 February 1944 she was again attacked by an aircraft. On the 17 April while returning to a station in France the U-boat was caught on the surface by a Leigh light
Leigh light
The Leigh Light was a British World War II era anti-submarine device used in the Second Battle of the Atlantic.It was a powerful carbon arc searchlight of 24 inches diameter fitted to a number of the British Royal Air Force's Coastal Command patrol bombers to help them spot surfaced...
equipped Liberator
B-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
of No. 53 Squadron RAF
No. 53 Squadron RAF
-History:No. 53 squadron of the Royal Flying Corps was formed at Catterick on 15 May 1916. Originally intended to be a training squadron, it was sent to France to operate reconnaissance in December that year. The squadron was equipped with BE2Es—swapped for the RE8 in April 1917...
in the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
, steaming south-east, ahead of convoy HX-278 and was attacked with 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, but drove it off with the 3.7 cm cannon, shooting down the attacker. She returned to Lorient
Lorient
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...
for service and refit on 23 or 25 April 1944. The crew was given leave while the boat was overhauled and the 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:...
was fitted.
2nd patrol
Leaving her base again on 15 June 1944 for her second patrol to the African Gold CoastGold Coast (region)
The Gold Coast was the region of West Africa which is now the nation of Ghana. Early uses of the term refer literally to the coast and not the interior. It was not until the 19th century that the term came to refer to areas that are far from the coast...
assigned to her as her area of operations, she was detected by a USN anti-submarine patrol, which begun to hunt her. Soon after she had to abort her patrol and ordered to return to Germany after the invasion of Normandy. On the 18 June 1944 U-546 was attacked again by a Sunderland, which was not equipped with a radar, while on the surface. The boat then briefly returned to France on 22 June to replenish her cannon ammunition, sailing again on 25 June. On the 20 July 1944 she was detected by USN surface ships forming an escort of an escort carrier, and U-546 fired a torpedo at the carrier, but missed and was subjected to three hours of depth charge attacks from the escort destroyers. She managed to escape this attack. U-546 was then ordered to patrol a zone near Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
where she operated for about four weeks, attacking a convoy with a spread of three torpedoes, but scoring no hits.
During the second patrol due to fuel shortages the captain achieved significant fuel saving and extended the cruise to 150 days, for a boat of this type, without refuelling by floating submerged for days on water-layers with all engines stopped. The boat returned to station with 30 metric tons of fuel left.
3rd patrol
On 10 November 1944 U-546 was reassigned to the 33rd U-boat Flotilla based at FlensburgFlensburg
Flensburg is an independent town in the north of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Flensburg is the centre of the region of Southern Schleswig...
, where she received a 14-day overhaul, eventually departing 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, on 2 March 1945. The boat proceeded to the eastern coast of North America on 10 March 1945 with six other boats. In mid-April the group was ordered to commence operations individually, and on the 23 April she was spotted surfacing north-west of the Azores, by aircraft from as part of Operation Teardrop
Operation Teardrop
Operation Teardrop was a United States Navy operation of World War II conducted during April and May 1945 to sink German U-boats that were believed to be approaching the United States east coast armed with V-1 flying bombs. Two large U.S. Navy anti-submarine warfare task forces succeeded in...
, looking for U-boats carrying V-1 flying bomb
V-1 flying bomb
The V-1 flying bomb, also known as the Buzz Bomb or Doodlebug, was an early pulse-jet-powered predecessor of the cruise missile....
s and V-2 rockets which intelligence suggested were going to be used to attack American cities. Depth charges were dropped just after the boat submerged, but failed to damage her hull.
Sinking
On 24 April 1945 U-546 made contact with the destroyer escortDestroyer escort
A destroyer escort is the classification for a smaller, lightly armed warship designed to be used to escort convoys of merchant marine ships, primarily of the United States Merchant Marine in World War II. It is employed primarily for anti-submarine warfare, but also provides some protection...
and proceeded to attack, firing a stern torpedo. The destroyer turned into it, was hit, tearing the DE apart and sending her down with heavy loss of life.
The U-boat was in turn pursued by other destroyer escorts; (LCDR H.C. Dufe), (LCDR L.A. Myhre), (LCDR V.E. Gex), (CDR L.C. Mabley), (LCDR W.W. Patrick), (LCDR D.S. Knox), (LCDR S.G. Rubinow, Jr.), and (LCDR G.W. Casselman) Neunzer and conducted a search while Pillsbury circled the area and Flaherty picked up survivors. Flaherty made contact in less than an hour and with Pillsbury proceeded to attack. The U-boat went to 600 feet (182.9 m). Contact was lost from 1045 until 1201 when Varian, Janssen, and Hubbard began another attack. Neunzer got into the fight after several attacks by the other DE's, delivering a creeping attack with Varian and Hubbard while Chatelain directed. Contact was lost once more at about 1600, and Chatelain and Neunzer were ordered to return to the scouting line.
The line was expanded, and the ships began a sweep through the area, determined to prevent the submarine's escape. Varian made contact once more at 1731 and Flaherty was ordered to attack. She fired at 1810. Four minutes later a small oil slick began coming to the surface. Flaherty made another 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...
attack at 1828, and at 1838 the U-boat broke surface.
Every ship in the line within range began firing. At 1844, after more than ten and a half hours of attacks, U-546 rolled under and sank (in position 43°53′N 40°07′W, south-south-east of Cape Farewell, Greenland
Cape Farewell, Greenland
Cape Farewell , is a headland on the southern shore of Egger Island, Greenland. Located at it is the southernmost extent of Greenland, projecting out into the North Atlantic Ocean and the Labrador Sea on the same latitude as Stockholm and the Scottish Shetland Islands. Egger and the associated...
) by combined fire of the first five USN destroyers until the evening, when she was so heavily damaged that she was unable to stay submerged and lost power. Her captain and 32 of her crew were rescued by US vessels, and taken prisoner to Naval Station Argentia
Naval Station Argentia
Naval Station Argentia is a former base of the United States Navy that operated from 1941-1994. It was established in the community of Argentia in what was then the Dominion of Newfoundland, which later became the tenth Canadian province .-Construction:Established under the British-U.S...
.
It was from this crew that the USN eventually learned that no V-1/2 attacks from the U-boats were planned by the Kriegsmarine. The interrogation
Interrogation
Interrogation is interviewing as commonly employed by officers of the police, military, and Intelligence agencies with the goal of extracting a confession or obtaining information. Subjects of interrogation are often the suspects, victims, or witnesses of a crime...
was so harsh that Kptlt. Steinhoff (U-873) who was also captured, committed suicide.
Further reading
- Niestle, Axel, German U-Boat Losses During World War II. 1998.
- Blair, Clay, Hitler's U-boat War, 1996.
- Blair, Clay, Hitler's U-boat War, Vol II, 1998.
- Wynn, Kenneth, U-Boat Operations of the Second World War – Vol 1, 1998.
- Wynn, Kenneth, U-Boat Operations of the Second World War – Vol 2, 1998.
- Just, Paul, Vom Seeflieger zum U-Boot-Fahrer, 1982.