Submarine Attack on a Oil Refinery?

German Kriegsmarine 1935-1945.
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Carl Schwamberger
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Submarine Attack on a Oil Refinery?

Post by Carl Schwamberger »

Post subject: Submarine Attack on a Oil Refinery?
I'm searching for information on a possible uboat action.

Back around 1969 - 1972 I rember reading a description of a German submarine attacking a oil facility at a South American port. The artical was quite detailed, describing how a Kriegsmarine officer was authorized to execute a test project. A submarine was equipped a with a second deck gun of 10 or 10.5cm caliber and extra amunition for attacking shore installations. The target selected was a oil loading facility on the Venzuelian coast, which was suitable for a submarine to approach. ie. no narrow channels, broad shoals, and water deep enough neaby for a sub. to escape into.

On the first shot the supplementary deck gun suffered in inbore explosion. The attack was continued with the smaller standard deck gun. The attack was judged a failure and the idea of further attacks on shore installations dropped.

Later I saw a much less detailed remark on this same attack in a pop history book published in the mid 1970s.

Can anyone confirm, or offer contray evidence this attack actually occured, or point me to suitable sources for researching it?
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FAlmeida
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Post by FAlmeida »

16.02.1942 U 156 (CO Korvettenkapitän Hartenstein, Gustav Julius Werner)during night made an bombardement without success against Shell Lago oil refinery at Aruba in the Caribbean, but the gun crew forgot to remove the water tampion from the gun barrel before firing began, causing an explosion that killed one man and seriously injured the Second Watch Officer (Leutnant zur See Dietrich von dem Borne) to be put ashore into captivity at Martinique, because lost his right leg.
Cheers, Fernando
I´m study in profundity since 1990 or 1991 the Kriegsmarine and in especially the UbootWaffe.
Carl Schwamberger
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Post by Carl Schwamberger »

Danke.

What do you recomend as the best reading or source on this event?
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