The last actions in British coastal waters and the last actions of the
Battle of the Atlantic
The Battle of the Atlantic, the longest continuous military campaign in World War II, ran from 1939 to the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, covering a major part of the naval history of World War II. At its core was the Allied naval blockade ...
took place on 7–8 May 1945.
Background
During the first five months of 1945, the
U-boat Arm (UbW) of Nazi Germany's ''
Kriegsmarine
The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...
'' dispatched 125
U-boat patrols to the Atlantic, operating principally in British coastal waters.
By 5 May 1945, just 29 were still at large.
Actions
On the morning of 7 May 1945, — a modified
Type VIIC/41
Type VII U-boats were the most common type of German World War II U-boat. 703 boats were built by the end of the war. The lone surviving example, , is on display at the Laboe Naval Memorial located in Laboe, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany.
Conc ...
boat under O/L H Emmerich — was two days into her first operational patrol and running submerged, when she was detected by an
RAF Catalina
Catalina may refer to:
Arts and media
* ''The Catalina'', a 2012 American reality television show
* ''Catalina'' (novel), a 1948 novel by W. Somerset Maugham
* Catalina (''My Name Is Earl''), character from the NBC sitcom ''My Name Is Earl''
...
under Flt/Lt KM Murray of
210 Squadron,
Coastal Command. Murray attacked immediately with a pattern of depth charges. ''U-320'' was damaged but not destroyed; Murray sighted oil, and
sonobuoys dropped by the Catalina detected hammering. Murray was unable to continue the attack and by mid-afternoon, at his Prudent Limit of Endurance (PLE), was forced to abandon the hunt. Emmerich meanwhile headed for
Norway, abandoning his crippled boat the following day. Emmerich and all his crew survived.
''U-320'' was the last U-boat to be sunk in action during the Battle of the Atlantic.
Also on 7 May 1945, — a modified Type VIIC/41 under K/L
H Schroeteler — sighted a group of
Norwegian minesweepers off
Portland Bill
Portland Bill is a narrow promontory (or bill) at the southern end of the Isle of Portland, and the southernmost point of Dorset, England. One of Portland's most popular destinations is Portland Bill Lighthouse. Portland's coast has been notorio ...
. In his first successful attack since the patrol started, in March, he struck. His torpedoes hit ''NYMS 382'', which sank with the loss of 22 men.
At around the same time, — a
Type XXIII under O/L E Klusmeier seven days into her first operational patrol — sighted a British convoy in the
Firth of Forth
The Firth of Forth () is the estuary, or firth, of several Scottish rivers including the River Forth. It meets the North Sea with Fife on the north coast and Lothian on the south.
Name
''Firth'' is a cognate of ''fjord'', a Norse word meani ...
. Firing his two torpedoes, Klusmeier hit
freighters
''Sneland'' and
''Avondale Park'', which both sank. Nine men were lost altogether. Both U-boats escaped.
These actions took place in the evening of 7 May 1945, just hours before the
German surrender.
Conclusion
These were the last ships to be sunk by enemy action in the Battle of the Atlantic, nearly five and a half years after the first shot was fired.
References
*
Dan van der Vat : ''The Atlantic Campaign'' (1988)
*
Stephen Roskill
Captain Stephen Wentworth Roskill, (1 August 1903 – 4 November 1982) was a senior career officer of the Royal Navy, serving during the Second World War and, after his enforced medical retirement, served as the official historian of the Royal ...
: ''The War at Sea 1939-1945'' Vol III pt 2 (1959) ISBN (none)
*
*
External links
U-320 at u-boat.net
{{DEFAULTSORT:19450507-8
Battle of the Atlantic