 Although this photograph is undated, it was probably taken pre-war, asU-52's number, here visible on the conning tower, was painted out on the commencement of hostilities | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-52 |
| Ordered | 15 May 1937[1] |
| Builder | Germaniawerft,Kiel |
| Cost | 4,439,000Reichsmark |
| Yard number | 587 |
| Laid down | 9 March 1937[1] |
| Launched | 21 December 1938[1] |
| Commissioned | 4 February 1939[1] |
| Decommissioned | 22 October 1943 |
| Fate | Sank byRoyal Air Force atDanzig 3 May 1945,broken up, 1946–7[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Type VIIBU-boat |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
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| Beam |
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| Draught | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion |
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| Speed |
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| Range |
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| Test depth |
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| Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
| Sensors & processing systems | Gruppenhorchgerät |
| Armament |
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| Service record | |
| Part of: |
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| Identification codes: | M 13 400 |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: |
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| Victories: | 13 merchant ships sunk (56,333 GRT) |
German submarineU-52 was atype VIIBU-boat ofNazi Germany'sKriegsmarine duringWorld War II. She was initially ordered on 15 May 1937, in violation of the terms of theTreaty of Versailles, andlaid down on 9 March 1938, at the yards ofFriedrich Krupp Germaniawerft AG inKiel as yard number 587.Launched on 21 December 1938, she wascommissioned on 4 February 1939, under the command ofKapitänleutnant (Kptlt.) Wolfgang Barten.
U-52 was attacked by an American warship, USS Niblack (DD-424), on 10 April 1941. She undertook eight war patrols in theBattle of the Atlantic, she sank thirteen ships before being sunk atDanzig in 1945 andbroken up in 1946 / 1947.
German Type VIIB submarines were preceded by the shorterType VIIA submarines.U-52 had a displacement of 753 tonnes (741 long tons) when at the surface and 857 tonnes (843 long tons) while submerged.[2] She had a total length of 66.50 m (218 ft 2 in), apressure hull length of 48.80 m (160 ft 1 in), abeam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.50 m (31 ft 2 in), and adraught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by twoMAN M 6 V 40/46 four-stroke, six-cylindersuperchargeddiesel 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, twoBBC GG UB 720/8double-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 capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).[2]
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.9 knots (33.2 km/h; 20.6 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph).[2] When submerged, the boat could operate for 90 nautical miles (170 km; 100 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 8,700 nautical miles (16,100 km; 10,000 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).U-52 was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in)torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteentorpedoes, one8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and one2 cm (0.79 in)anti-aircraft gun The boat had acomplement of between forty-four and sixty.[2]
U-52's first patrol began with her departure fromKiel on 19 August 1939, well before the outbreak of war. She crossed theNorth Sea and headed for the Atlantic Ocean via the 'gap' betweenIceland and theFaroe Islands. The most southerly point of the patrol was reached on 1 September, the same day that Germany began theinvasion of Poland.
After a series of short trips from Kiel to the German-administered island ofHelgoland, (also known as Heligoland) and thenWilhelmshaven, the boat left Helgoland on 27 February 1940 and arrived at Wilhelmshaven on 4 April.
Three days later,U-52 began her third sortie. It was very similar to her second; but success continued to elude her. She crossed the North Sea and swept the area between the Faroes andShetland Islands.
Having sailed in a southerly direction to the west of Ireland, the boat sankThe Monarch 60 nautical miles (110 km; 69 mi) west ofBelle Ile in theBay of Biscay on 19 June 1940. Moving further into the Bay,U-52 came across theVille de Namur. At first the Germans were under the impression that large wooden structures on deck were for weapons, when they were stables for horses. Nevertheless, the vessel was sunk; she went down in five minutes.
She also sank theHilda on 21 June and theThetis A. on 14 July. The latter vessel had already been attacked, but thetorpedo used malfunctioned, (a common occurrence in the early months of the war).
Foray number five was in terms of tonnage sunk, her most successful; she destroyed theGogovale on 4 August 1940 about 300 nautical miles (560 km; 350 mi) west southwest ofBloody Foreland (County Donegal in Ireland).[3] On about the same day the submarine was badly damaged by British escorts; repairs took four months to implement.
Her tally rose steadily with the demise of theTasso and theGoodleigh on the same day (2 December 1940). Both ships went to the bottom about 360 nautical miles (670 km; 410 mi) west of Bloody Foreland.
Continuing her hunting in mid-Atlantic,U-52 sank theRinghorn on 4 February 1941 and theCanford Chine about 165 nautical miles (306 km; 190 mi) southwest ofRockall, (a tiny outcrop), on the tenth. There were no survivors from the second ship.
She sank theSaleier on 10 April 1941. The ship sank in 15 seconds but the whole crew of 63 survived.[4]
Her last recorded victim was theVille de Liège, a Belgian-registered vessel which was successfully attacked about 700 nautical miles (1,300 km; 810 mi) east ofCape Farewell, (southern Greenland)[5] on 14 April.
| Date | Ship | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) | Fate[6] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 June 1940 | The Monarch |  United Kingdom | 824 | Sunk |
| 19 June 1940 | Ville de Namur |  Belgium | 7,463 | Sunk |
| 21 June 1940 | Hilda |  Finland | 1,144 | Sunk |
| 14 July 1940 | Thetis A. |  Greece | 4,111 | Sunk |
| 4 August 1940 | Geraldine Mary | United Kingdom | 7,244 | Sunk |
| 4 August 1940 | Gogovale | United Kingdom | 4,586 | Sunk |
| 4 August 1940 | King Alfred | United Kingdom | 5,272 | Sunk |
| 2 December 1940 | Goodleigh | United Kingdom | 5,448 | Sunk |
| 2 December 1940 | Tasso | United Kingdom | 1,586 | Sunk |
| 4 February 1941 | Ringhorn |  Norway | 1,298 | Sunk |
| 10 February 1941 | Canford Chine | United Kingdom | 3,364 | Sunk |
| 10 April 1941 | Saleier |  Netherlands | 6,563 | Sunk |
| 14 April 1941 | Ville de Liège | Belgium | 7,430 | Sunk |
