German submarine U-97 (1940) (2024)

German submarine U-97 (1940)
Career (Germany)
Name:	U-97
Ordered:	30 May 1938
Builder:	Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft, Kiel
Yard number:	Werk 602
Laid down:	27 September 1939
Launched:	15 August 1940
Commissioned:	28 September 1940
Fate:	Sunk on 16 June 1943, by an Australian aircraft
General characteristics
Type:	Type VIIC submarine
Displacement:	769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced 871t (857 long tons) submerged
Length:	67.1m (220ft 2in) o/a 50.5m (165ft 8in) pressure hull
Beam:	6.2m (20ft 4in) o/a 4.7m (15ft 5in) pressure hull
Draft:	4.74m (15ft 7in)
Propulsion:	2×supercharged Germaniawerft 6-cylinder 4-stroke F46 diesel engines, totalling 2,800–3,200bhp (2,100–2,400kW). Max rpm: 470-490 2×electric motors, totalling 750shp (560kW) and max rpm: 296
Speed:	17.7kn (32.8km/h; 20.4mph) surfaced 7.6 knots (14.1km/h; 8.7mph) submerged
Range:	15,170km (8,190nmi) at 10 knots (19km/h; 12mph) surfaced 150km (81nmi) at 4 knots (7.4km/h; 4.6mph) submerged
Test depth:	230m (750ft) Crush depth: 250–295m (820–968ft)
Complement:	44–52 officers & ratings
Armament:	5×53.3cm (21in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern) 14×G7e torpedoes or 26 TMA mines 1×8.8cm (3.46in) deck gun (220 rounds) Various AA guns

German submarine U-97 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during the Second World War. She carried out thirteen patrols during her career, sinking sixteen ships and damaging a seventeenth. She was a member of two wolfpacks.

U-97 was sunk on 16 June 1943 while operating in the Mediterranean Sea, west of Haifa.^[1] She was depth charged by an Australian aircraft.

Construction and deployment[]

U-97 was laid down at the F. Krupp Germaniawerft in Kiel as 'werk' 602. She was launched on 15 August 1940 and commissioned on 28 September under the command of Kapitänleutnant Udo Heilmann.

Serving with the 7th U-boat Flotilla, U-97 completed training in late 1940 and early 1941 before commencing operations.

Operational history[]

1st patrol[]

The boat's first patrol began with her departure from Kiel on 17 February 1941. Her route took her across the North Sea and through the 'gap' between Iceland and the Faroe Islands.

She sank three ships on the 24th; the Mansepool, the Jonathon Holt, both southwest of the Faroe Islands and theBritish Gunner 273 nautical miles (506km) northwest of Cape Wrath (northern Scotland). The Flower-class corvette HMSPetunia had ordered the crew of British Gunner to abandon their vessel even though the master had said the ship could be towed to safety.

The U-boat then damaged the G.C. Brøvig. The Norwegian tanker was a victim of U-97's third attack on Convoy OB-289. The torpedo strike caused her to lose her bow, but the bulkhead held and the engines remained usable. With assistance from HMS Petunia, she arrived at Stornoway (in the Outer Hebrides),^[2] on 27 February. She was subsequently repaired and returned to service.

The patrol was somewhat marred when a crew-member was lost overboard on 3 March. The submarine docked at Lorient in occupied France on 7 March.

2nd patrol[]

U-97 sank three more ships between Cape Farewell (Greenland)^[3] and southern Ireland in March and April 1941. They were: the Chama and the Hørda (on 23 and 24 March respectively) and the Conus on 4 April. There were no survivors from the Hørda or the Conus.

3rd and 4th patrols[]

The boat sank HMSCamito, an Elders & Fyffes banana boat that had been requisitioned as an Ocean Boarding Vessel and the Sangro, west southwest of Cape Clear (southern Ireland)^[4] on 6 May 1941. On 8 May she struck again, sinking the Ramillies southeast of Cape Farewell.

Sortie number four was relatively uneventful, starting from St. Nazaire on 2 July 1941 and terminating in the same port on 8 August.

5th patrol[]

Departing St. Nazaire on 20 September 1941, U-97 went south, slipped past the heavily-guarded British base at Gibraltar and into the Mediterranean. She sank the Pass of Balmaha 50 nautical miles (93km) west of Alexandria on 17 October. The merchant ship had been part of the fourth convoy of Operation Cultivate, the relief of Tobruk. She also sank the Samos on the same day.

An accident which left the IIWO (second watch officer) badly injured on 24 October forced the boat to cut her patrol short. She arrived at Salamis in Greece on the 27th.

6th and 7th patrols[]

Human frailties also came to the fore during the boat's sixth patrol when, having crossed the Aegean towards Turkey, she was obliged by a sick crew-member, on 7 January 1942, to return to Salamis on the 9th.

The submarine's seventh patrol started and finished in Salamis.

8th and 9th patrols[]

Having moved to La Spezia in northwest Italy in February, U-97 was attacked by a Sunderland flying boat of No. 230 Squadron RAF off the North African coast. The aircraft dropped five bombs on the boat, but caused no damage.

Patrol number nine continued the shuttle-sequence between Salamis and La Spezia.

10th patrol[]

The situation improved for the crew when they sank the Zealand and the Memos 14 nautical miles (26km) southwest of Haifa on 28 June 1942. The Marilyese Moller went to the bottom on 1 July about 27 nautical miles (50km) west of Rafah^[5] in Palestine. The armed trawler HMS Burra reacted with three depth charges, but was unsuccessful.

11th and 12th patrols[]

These patrols began in Salamis and La Spezia; the latter finished in Pola (now Pula) in Croatia in May 1943.

13th patrol and loss[]

U-97's final patrol started with her departure from Pola on 5 June 1943. She sank the Palima 30 nautical miles (56km) south southwest of Beirut on the 12th. She was also successful against the Athelmonarch northwest of Jaffa on the 15th.

The U-boat was sunk by a Lockheed Hudson of 459 Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force on 16 June 1943 west of Haifa. Twenty-seven men died, there were twenty-one survivors.

Summary of raiding history[]

Date	Ship	Nationality	Tonnage	Fate[6]
24 February 1941	British Gunner	UK	6,894	Sunk
24 February 1941	G.C. Brøvig	Norway	9,718	Damaged
24 February 1941	Johnathon Holt	UK	4,973	Sunk
24 February 1941	Mansepool	UK	4,894	Sunk
24 March 1941	Chama	UK	8,077	Sunk
24 March 1941	Hørda	Norway	4,301	Sunk
4 April 1941	Conus	UK	8,132	Sunk
6 May 1941	HMSCamito	UK	6,833	Sunk
6 May 1941	Sangro	Italy	6,466	Sunk
8 May 1941	Ramilles	UK	4,553	Sunk
17 October 1941	Pass of Balmaha	UK	758	Sunk
17 October 1941	Samos	Greece	1,208	Sunk
28 June 1942	Memas	Greece	1,755	Sunk
28 June 1942	Zealand	UK	1,433	Sunk
1 July 1942	Marilyse Moller	UK	786	Sunk
12 June 1943	Palima	Netherlands	1,179	Sunk
15 June 1943	Athelmonarch	UK	8,995	Sunk

References[]

• U-97 at Uboat.net