Top tonnages sunk on single U-boat cruises?

sid guttridge · Post by **sid guttridge** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 10:29 am

Where would 12 ships of a total of 71,450 tons come on a list of the most successful U-boat cruises in WWII?

Would it be in the top ten by tonnage?

Many thanks.

Sid.

TPMM · Post by **TPMM** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 1:21 pm

This may be helpful:
The most succesful cruise during operation Paukenschlag (Drumbeat) was 13 ships of total 65 108 tons. It took place between 4 V and 30 VI 1942 (Uboot sunked by PBM Mariner). Sub was U-158 under the command of Kptlt. Erich Rostin.
Well, I think that cruise which You mentioned is high on the list if not on the top.

Hope I've helped.
Best Wishes.

FAlmeida · Post by **FAlmeida** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 2:55 pm

U 107 CO Hessler, Günter Wilhelm Ritterkreuzträger
Patrol between 29.03.1941 to 02.07.1941
14 ships sank 86.699 grt (1 passenger ship 7.816 grt, 2 tankers 16.545 grt and 11 cargo ships 62.338 grt)

Cheers, Fernando

Mike Higgins · Post by **Mike Higgins** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 3:06 pm

FAlmeida wrote:U 107 CO Hessler, Günter Wilhelm Ritterkreuzträger
Patrol between 29.03.1941 to 02.07.1941
14 ships sank 86.699 grt (1 passenger ship 7.816 grt, 2 tankers 16.545 grt and 11 cargo ships 62.338 grt)

Cheers, Fernando

Is this the Hessler that was Donitz's son-in-law?

FAlmeida · Post by **FAlmeida** » Tue Oct 10, 2006 4:10 pm

Yes, Gunther Hessler married Karl Dönitz's daughter, Ursula
Cheers, Fernando

sid guttridge · Post by **sid guttridge** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 11:42 am

Hi Guys,

Many thanks.

I ask because this is the tonnage and ships sunk by U105 (operating in the same area and at the same time as U107) AFTER it had been resupplied with fuel, food and torpedos from the interned German ship "Corrientes" in Spanish Las Palmas.

One wonders if U107 wasn't also resupplied from the same source?

Cheers,

Sid.

FAlmeida · Post by **FAlmeida** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 1:57 pm

The ship Corrientes made the following operations of restocking in Las Palmas.
03./04.03.41 / U 124 / 34 t diesel, 1 t oil, food
04./05.03.41 / U 105 / 66 t diesel; 2t oil; food
05./06.03.41 / U 106 / 44 t diesel; 0,6 t oil; food
24./25.06.41 / U 123 / 40 t diesel; 2 t oil; food
30.06/01.07.41 / U 69 / 62 t diesel; water
05./06.07.41 / U 103 / 47 t diesel; 2,3 t oil
The U 107 never was replenished in Spain.

Cheers, Fernando

sid guttridge · Post by **sid guttridge** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 3:29 am

Hi Falmeida,

Excellent material.

Do you have similar information for Thalia (five or six resupplies), Bessel (eight resupplies) and Max Albrecht (at least one resupply plus at least two cases of technical assistance)?

What about torpedoes? I understand that Thalia carried spare torpedoes from the beginning of the war and that the Spanish Navy delivered spare torpedoes to Las Palmas for transfer to Corrientes in 1941. Did Bessel and Max Albrecht also carry spare torpedoes?

Can you recommend a good source on this subject?

Many thanks,

Sid.

FAlmeida · Post by **FAlmeida** » Thu Oct 12, 2006 5:08 am

Boats Refuelling in Spain
Vigo BESSEL
18.06.40 / U 43 / 101 t diesel; 2,1 t oil; water; food
26.06.40 / U 29 / 35 t diesel; 1 t oil; water; food
01.07.40 / U 52 / 56 t diesel; water; food
07./08.11.41 / U 77 / 102 t diesel; 3,3 t oil; food; water
27./28.11.41 / U 96 / 100 t diesel; 3,3 t oil; food; maps
11./12.12.41 / U 574 / 105 t diesel; 1,4 t oil; water; food; maps
12./13.12.41 / U 575 / 8,7 t diesel; supplement broken off, because boat was damaged and returned to Brest
14./15.12.41 / U 434 / 97 t diesel; 3 t oil; food; medicals
El Ferrol MAX ALBRECHT
27.06.40 / U 30 / 60 t diesel; 2 t oil; water; food
16./17.05.42 / U 68 / 14,2 t diesel; water
23.09.42 / U 66 / 10 t diesel; food
Cadiz THALIA
30./31.01.40 / U 25 / 33 t diesel; 2,2 t oil; water
21./22.07.41 / U 109 / 76 t diesel; 2,8 t oil; water; 3 torpedoes
31.07./01.08. and 01./02.08.41 / U 331 / 42 t diesel; water; 1 torpedo
14./15.10.41 / U 564 / 118 t diesel; 3 t oil; water; food
15./16.10.41 / U 204 / 105 t diesel; 3 t oil; food; 6 torpedoes; food, 2 wounded
26./27.11.41 / U 652 / 88 t diesel, 1,5 t oil; maps
Las Palmas CORRIENTES
03./04.03.41 / U 124 / 34 t diesel, 1 t oil, food
04./05.03.41 / U 105 / 66 t diesel; 2t oil; food
05./06.03.41 / U 106 / 44 t diesel; 0,6 t oil; food
24./25.06.41 / U 123 / 40 t diesel; 2 t oil; food
30.06/01.07.41 / U 69 / 62 t diesel; water
05./06.07.41 / U 103 / 47 t diesel; 2,3 t oil

Cheers, Fernando

sid guttridge · Post by **sid guttridge** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 5:13 am

Hi Fernando,

Many thanks.

I have now joined your excellent site "Ubootwaffe".

Cheers,

Sid.

FAlmeida · Post by **FAlmeida** » Fri Oct 13, 2006 7:31 am

Thanks Sid,
but in the truth I am only collaborating on this site, Howard Cock is the man of the helm .
Cheers, Fernando

Troy Tempest · Post by **Troy Tempest** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 6:37 pm

Hi Sid, U 35 was the most successful U-boat of WWI, and the most successful sorties were carried out in the Mediterranean. There, under the command of the great Kapitanleutnant Lothar von Arnauld de la Periere, U 35 sank 54 ships totalling 90,000grt between 26.7.19 and 20.8.16. This just edges out U 107's sortie of 19.3.41-2.7.41, the best WWII sortie, as the all time highest U-boat sortie of either war.

U 35 of WWI sank a total of 224 ships of 536,000grt over the course of 25 sorties. Next came U 39's 151/399,000grt, followed by U38's 136/293,000grt. In WWII, only U 48 bettered any of these three WWI boats, with 54/321,000grt over 12 sorties. The next four of WWII's top five boats fall well short of the top three WWI boats, with U 99's 245,000gtr, U 103's 231,000grt, followed by U 124's 218,000grt and U 107's 217,000grt coming in at number 5.

troy
12.36 - mon, sydney

JASGripen · Post by **JASGripen** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 11:53 am

This list is German Boots, but isn't there any american U-boats in the top list of WW II?

Troy Tempest · Post by **Troy Tempest** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 10:40 pm

Hi JASGripen, I have a book at home with USN Submarine totals, I'll check it out for you and post later. The US submarine service racked up huge tonnage scores against the Imperial Japanese Merchant fleet, totally decimating it. Until I read a history of the Pacific War, I had no idea just how much carnage American subs inflicted on Japanese tankers. It's huge.

Troy

Simon Orchard · Post by **Simon Orchard** » Mon Jan 15, 2007 2:47 am

This might interest some of you.

Here's an EKI award document to a crew member of U-107 awarded for the March-July '41 cruise.

I also have his EKII and U-boat badge doc (note the extremely early date of it)