German submarine U-62 (1939)

German submarine U-62 was a Type IIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine that served in World War II. She was built by Deutsche Werke AG, Kiel, and commissioned on 21 December 1939.

History
Nazi Germany
Name:	U-62
Ordered:	21 July 1937
Builder:	Deutsche Werke AG, Kiel
Yard number:	261
Laid down:	2 January 1938
Launched:	16 November 1939
Commissioned:	21 December 1939
Fate:	Scuttled at Wilhelmshaven, 2 May 1945, wreck later scrapped
General characteristics
Class and type:	IIC
Type:	Coastal submarine
Displacement:	291 t (286 long tons) surfaced 341 t (336 long tons) submerged
Length:	43.90 m (144 ft 0 in) o/a 29.60 m (97 ft 1 in) pressure hull
Beam:	4.08 m (13 ft 5 in) (o/a) 4.00 m (13 ft 1 in) (pressure hull)
Height:	8.40 m (27 ft 7 in)
Draught:	3.82 m (12 ft 6 in)
Installed power:	700 PS (510 kW; 690 bhp) (diesels) 410 PS (300 kW; 400 shp) (electric)
Propulsion:	2 shafts 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Range:	1,900 nmi (3,500 km; 2,200 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) surfaced 35–42 nmi (65–78 km; 40–48 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth:	80 m (260 ft)
Complement:	3 officers, 22 men
Armament:	3 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes 5 × torpedoes or up to 12 TMA or 18 TMB mines 1 × 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun
Service record
Part of:	Kriegsmarine: 5th U-boat Flotilla (Training) 1st U-boat Flotilla (Operational boat) 21st U-boat Flotilla (School Boat)[1]
Commanders:	Kptlt. Hans-Bernhard Michaelowski[2] 21 December 1939 – 20 May 1941 Oblt.z.S. Ludwig Forster[3] 20 May 1941 - September 1941 Oblt.z.S. Max Wintermeyer[4] September – 4 November 1941 Kptlt. Waldemar Mehl[5] 5–19 November 1941 Kptlt. Horst Schünemann[6] 20 November 1941 – 13 April 1942 Oblt.z.S. Dietrich Epp[7] 14 April – 15 September 1942 Oblt.z.S. Adolf Schönberg[8] 16 September 1942 – 19 July 1943 Oblt.z.S. Horst Slevogt[9] 20 July 1943 – 31 October 1944 Lt.z.S. Hans-Eckart Augustin[10] 1 November 1944 – 20 March 1945
Operations:	5 patrols 1st patrol: 13 February – 6 March 1940 2nd patrol: 4–25 April 1940 3rd patrol: 18 May – 3 June 1940 4th patrol: 13 June – 5 July 1940 5th patrol: 10 July – 2 August 1940
Victories:	One ship sunk, of 4,851 GRT one warship sunk, of 1,350 tons[11]

U-62 was initially assigned to the 5th U-boat Flotilla during her training period, until 1 January 1940, when she was reassigned to the 1st flotilla for a front-line combat role.

U-62 carried out five war patrols, sinking one warship in May 1940 and one merchant ship in July.

The U-boat was scuttled in Wilhelmshaven in May 1945.

Design

German Type IIC submarines were enlarged versions of the original Type IIs. U-62 had a displacement of 291 tonnes (286 long tons) when at the surface and 341 tonnes (336 long tons) while submerged. Officially, the standard tonnage was 250 long tons (250 t), however.[12] The U-boat had a total length of 43.90 m (144 ft 0 in), a pressure hull length of 29.60 m (97 ft 1 in), a beam of 4.08 m (13 ft 5 in), a height of 8.40 m (27 ft 7 in), and a draught of 3.82 m (12 ft 6 in). The submarine was powered by two MWM RS 127 S four-stroke, six-cylinder diesel engines of 700 metric horsepower (510 kW; 690 shp) for cruising, two Siemens-Schuckert PG VV 322/36 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 410 metric horsepower (300 kW; 400 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 0.85 m (3 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 80–150 metres (260–490 ft).[12]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph).[12] When submerged, the boat could operate for 35–42 nautical miles (65–78 km; 40–48 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 3,800 nautical miles (7,000 km; 4,400 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph). U-62 was fitted with three 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes at the bow, five torpedoes or up to twelve Type A torpedo mines, and a 2 cm (0.79 in) anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of 25.[12]

Operational career

1st and 2nd patrols

U-62's first patrol began with her departure from the German island of Helgoland (also known as 'Heligoland'), on 13 February 1940. She crossed the North Sea to the Orkney and Shetland Islands. The return journey terminated in Wilhelmshaven on 6 March.

Her second sortie was also through the North Sea but stayed closer to Norway, beginning in Wilhelmshaven and ending in Kiel.

3rd patrol

The boat was attacked by an unidentified submarine on 24 May 1940, but U-62 evaded the torpedoes. She went on to sink the destroyer HMS Grafton off the Kwinte Buoy northwest of Ostend in Belgium on 29 May. The British warship had been employed on Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF). As a result, many of the dead included soldiers.

4th and 5th patrols

Her fourth foray was through the gap between the Faroe and Shetland Islands as far as Northern Ireland, but finished in Bergen in Norway on 7 July 1940.

U-62's final patrol was marked by the sinking of the Pearlmoor 62 nautical miles (115 km; 71 mi) on 19 July 1940 west of Malin Head, (the most northerly point on the Irish mainland).[13] Disaster almost struck on the return leg to Bergen when she was attacked by the British submarine HMS Sealion on the 29th. She avoided the attack and entered Bergen with just 27 minutes of battery life remaining.

Training and Fate

U-62 was assigned to the 21st U-boat Flotilla as a training boat on 1 October, and was briefly commanded by Waldemar Mehl between 5 and 19 November 1941.

She was scuttled in Wilhelmshaven on 2 May 1945, shortly before the German surrender.[1][14]

Summary of raiding history

Date	Ship	Nationality	Tonnage[Note 1]	Fate
29 May 1940	HMS Grafton	Royal Navy	1,350	Sunk
19 July 1940	Pearlmoor	United Kingdom	4,581	Sunk

References

Notes

1. Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.

Citations

1. Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IIC boat U-62". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
2. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Hans-Bernhard Michaelowski". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
3. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ludwig Forster". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
4. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Max Wintermeyer". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
5. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Waldemar Mehl (Knight's Cross)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
6. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Horst Schünemann". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
7. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Dietrich Epp". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
8. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Adolf Schönberg". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
9. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Horst Slevogt". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
10. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Hans-Eckart Augustin". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 April 2015.
11. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-62". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 17 November 2012.
12. Gröner 1991, pp. 39–40.
13. The Times Atlas of the World - Third edition, revised 1995, ISBN 0 7230 0809 4, p. 9
14. Hitler's U-boat War, by Clay Blair. Random House, 1996 ISBN 0-394-58839-8

Bibliography

• Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German). IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.

External links

• Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IIC boat U-62". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
• Hofmann, Markus. "U 62". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 1 February 2015.