U-99 submarine

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aukepalmhof
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Joined: Thu Apr 02, 2009 1:28 am

U-99 submarine

Post by aukepalmhof » Thu Apr 16, 2015 9:13 pm

Built as one of the Type VIIB submarines under yard No 593 by F. Krupp Germaniawerft AG, Kiel, Germany for the German Navy.
15 December 1937 ordered.
31 March 1939 keel laid down.
12 March 1940 launched as the U-99.
Displacement 753 ton surface. 857 ton submerged. Dim. 66.6 x 6.2 x 4.74m. Length bpp 48.8m.
Powered diesel electric by two 6 cyl. 4 stroke F46 diesel engines, total 2,800-3,200 bhp., and 2 AEG electro motors GU 460/8-276 totalling 750 shp., speed surface 17.9 knots, submerged 8 knots.
Range by a speed 10 knots, 9,400 mile and submerged by a speed 4 knots, 90 mile.
Test depth 220 metre.
Armament 5 – 53.3 cm torpedo tubes, four bow one stern. Carried 14 torpedoes or 26 TMA mines. 1 – 8.8 cm deck gun and various AA guns.
Crew 40 – 60.
18 April 1940 commissioned under command of Kptit Otto Kretschmer.
From 18 April 1940 till 30 June 1940 training as a unit of the 7 Flottille. Then in active service.
Made 8 war patrols in which she sunk 35 ships, 3 auxiliary warships, captured 1 ship and damaged 5 other ships. Wikipedia has more on this sinking’s http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_sub ... -99_(1940)

Attacks on this boat and other events as given in http://uboat.net/boats/u99.htm
21 Jun 1940
while inbound to Bergen with a medical casualty U-99 sailed into the path of the German battlecruiser Scharnhorst, whose Ar196 scout plane mistook the boat for a British submarine and attacked, causing damage that forced the boat back to Germany for repairs. (Sources: Blair, vol 1, page 171)
23 Jun 1940
The already damaged boat was returning from Bergen to Wilhelmshaven when bombed by aircraft twice this day, but only minor damage was caused. (Sources: Ritschel)
29 Jun 1940
In diving to escape an attack by a German aircraft which dropped three bombs, the boat suffered minor damage on striking the seabed. It continued the patrol after repairing the damage while settled on the bottom. (Sources: Ritschel)
7 Jul 1940
At 14.14 hours the boat tried to stop the armed merchant Manistee with gunfire after missing her with a G7e torpedo at 14.01 hours. No hits were scored in the gun duel, but the Germans broke off the attack when shots fell within 100-200m of U-99. (Sources: Ritschel)
8 Jul 1940
After a successful attack on convoy HX 53 south of Fastnet, escorts dropped a total of 107 depth charges over 14 hours, but the boat escaped unscathed. (Sources: Ritschel)
31 Jul 1940
Following a successful attack on convoy OB 191, escorts dropped 20 depth charges but U-99 escaped unscathed. In the evening the boat surfaced to attack the convoy again, but was twice forced to dive and bombed by a flying boat, again without being damaged. (Sources: Ritschel)
27 Sep 1940
During a night air raid on Lorient, two bombs fell close to the moored boat and debris caused slight damage to the deck. (Sources: Ritschel)
General notes on this boat
12 Jul 1940. On 12 July, 1940, the Estonian steamer Merisaar was ordered by U-99 to sail to Bordeaux, France (the port was then already under German control). Her captain complied but on the way there she was sunk (on July 15th) by bombs from a German aircraft south of Queenstown.
3 Nov 1940. At 2250hrs on 3 November, 1940, one of the most dramatic battles of the U-boat war began. U-99 attacked the armed merchant cruisers HMS Laurentic and HMS Patroclus. They were both sunk within seven hours, during which the U-boat fired ten torpedoes and four rounds from the deck gun, while the vessels returned fire without damaging the U-boat.
Men lost from U-boats
Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-99 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.
FATE.
On 17 March 1941, U-99 had just fired the last of her torpedoes and sunk KORSHAMN when the Watch Officer spotted a destroyer, south-east of Iceland in approximate position
61°N 12°W61°N 12°W. He immediately ordered a dive, contrary to Kretschmer's standing orders, but once the boat was under it was quickly fixed on ASDIC and attacked by HMS WALKER AND VANOC. U-99 was driven deep by the attack but was nonetheless severely damaged. Kretschmer had no choice but to surface; immediately a barrage of fire greeted the boat. Kretschmer sent a message to Donald Macintyre, WALKER’s captain, "CAPTAIN TO CAPTAIN. I AM SUNKING [sic] PLEASE RESCUE MY CREW." He then ordered that the boat should be scuttled. 40 crew, including Kretschmer, were rescued to become POWs, while three crewmen lost their lives. Macintyre took Kretschmer's binoculars as a souvenir.

Chad 2015 2000F sgMS?, scott? (In the margin of the sheet is also U-99 depict..)
Sources’ U-boat net and Wikipedia.
Attachments
u-99-u-boat.jpg
Image (47).jpg

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