German submarine ''U-38'' was a Type IXA

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

's '' Kriegsmarine'' that operated during World War II. Her keel was

laid down Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

on 15 April 1937, by

DeSchiMAG Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau Aktiengesellschaft (abbreviated Deschimag) was a cooperation of eight German shipyards in the period 1926 to 1945. The leading company was the shipyard AG Weser in Bremen. History The Deschimag was founded in 1 ...

AG Weser Aktien-Gesellschaft „Weser" (abbreviated A.G. „Weser”) was one of the major German shipbuilding companies, located at the Weser River in Bremen. Founded in 1872 it was finally closed in 1983. All together, A.G. „Weser" built about 1,400 ...

of Bremen as yard number 943. She was launched on 9 August 1938 and commissioned on 24 October with ''

Kapitänleutnant ''Kapitänleutnant'', short: KptLt/in lists: KL, ( en, captain lieutenant) is an officer grade of the captains' military hierarchy group () of the German Bundeswehr. The rank is rated OF-2 in NATO, and equivalent to Hauptmann in the Heer an ...

'' Heinrich Liebe in command. ''U-38'' conducted eleven patrols, as part of several flotillas. During her career, she sank over 30 enemy vessels and damaged a further one. ''U-38'' ranks as one of the most successful U-boats in World War II. She was scuttled west of

Wesermünde Bremerhaven (, , Low German: ''Bremerhoben'') is a city at the seaport of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It forms a semi-enclave in the state of Lower Saxony and is located at the mouth of the ...

(Modern Bremerhaven) on 5 May 1945. Throughout the war, the U-Boat suffered no losses among her crew.

Design

As one of the eight original German Type IX submarines, later designated IXA, ''U-38'' had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. The U-boat had a total length of , a

pressure hull A submarine hull has two major components, the ''light hull'' and the ''pressure hull''. The light hull (''casing'' in British usage) of a submarine is the outer non-watertight hull which provides a hydrodynamically efficient shape. The pressure ...

length of , a

beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...

of , a height of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two

MAN A man is an adult male human. Prior to adulthood, a male human is referred to as a boy (a male child or adolescent). Like most other male mammals, a man's genome usually inherits an X chromosome from the mother and a Y chromo ...

M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder

diesel engine The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-ca ...

s producing a total of for use while surfaced, two

Siemens-Schuckert Siemens-Schuckert (or Siemens-Schuckertwerke) was a German electrical engineering company headquartered in Berlin, Erlangen and Nuremberg that was incorporated into the Siemens AG in 1966. Siemens Schuckert was founded in 1903 when Siemens & H ...

2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to . The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . ''U-38'' was fitted with six

torpedo tube A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes. There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...

s (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, s ...

es, one SK C/32 naval gun, 180 rounds, and a SK C/30 as well as a C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a

complement A complement is something that completes something else. Complement may refer specifically to: The arts * Complement (music), an interval that, when added to another, spans an octave ** Aggregate complementation, the separation of pitch-clas ...

of forty-eight.

Service history

First patrol

''U-38'' left the port of

Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsh ...

on 19 August 1939. The boat operated off the coast of Lisbon, returning to port on 18 September. During this four-week period, she sank two ships. On 5 September 1939 ''U-38'' stopped the French ship ''Pluvoise'', examined her papers and released her. ''Pluvoise'' broadcast the event, warning others of the U-boat. For this, Liebe was reprimanded. The already strict rules restricting submarine warfare were further tightened to prevent a recurrence of the event and all U-boats were instructed to avoid contact with any French merchant vessels. The British steam freighter SS ''Manaar'' was sunk on 6 September 1939. ''U-38'' opened fire on the freighter, intending to stop her, but she returned fire. This was the first time that a merchantman fired at a U-boat. Stunned by this unexpected response, ''U-38'' dived and sank ''Manaar'' with torpedoes. Citing the fact that ''Manaar'' had fired at him, Liebe did not assist the survivors, reasoning that the vessel was exempted from protection by the Submarine Protocol. Berlin would release to the media the narrative that the ''Manaar'' had fired on ''U-38'' on sight. While Karl Dönitz did not believe that his submarines should have to maintain adherence to the Submarine Protocol in the face of armed merchantmen, due to the political situation, restrictions remained in force after this incident and he was merely able to issue instruction to all submarines to exercise caution. Radio Officer James Turner remained at his post until the last moment. As he was leaving he found two

Lascar A lascar was a sailor or militiaman from the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, the Arab world, British Somaliland, or other land east of the Cape of Good Hope, who was employed on European ships from the 16th century until the middle of the ...

s, one badly injured. Turner rescued both men while under continuous fire from ''U-38'', for this he was awarded the

Empire Gallantry Medal The Medal of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire for Gallantry, known as the Empire Gallantry Medal (EGM), was a British medal awarded for acts of gallantry. Unlike the then existing Sea Gallantry Medal (SGM) (1854), the Albert Meda ...

. On 11 September 1939, while flying the

Irish tricolour The national flag of Ireland ( ga, bratach na hÉireann), frequently referred to in Ireland as 'the tricolour' () and elsewhere as the Irish tricolour is a vertical tricolour of green (at the hoist), white and orange. The proportions of the ...

, ''Inverliffey'' was shelled and sunk. In spite of Captain William Trowsdale's protestation that they were Irish, Liebe said that they "were sorry" but they would sink ''Inverliffey'' as she was carrying contraband

petrol Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic c ...

to England. The crew took to the lifeboats. ''Inverliffey'' burned fiercely, endangering the lifeboats. At risk to herself, the German submarine approached, threw lines to the lifeboats and towed them to safety. As Captain Trowsdale's lifeboat was damaged, the occupants were allowed to board the U-boat. The captain did not have a

lifebelt A lifebuoy is a life-saving buoy designed to be thrown to a person in water, to provide buoyancy and prevent drowning. Some modern lifebuoys are fitted with one or more seawater-activated lights, to aid rescue at night. Other names Other na ...

, so he was given one. ''U-38'' stopped the American tanker ''R.G. Stewart'' and put ''Inverliffey''s crew on board. Just two days earlier, Inver tankers transferred its ships from the Irish to the British registry.

Second patrol

After nearly two months in port, ''U-38'' left Wilhelmshaven, again with Heinrich Liebe in command, on 12 November 1939. This second patrol was to see the boat operate in the waters northwest of Norway. On 17 November 1939, Naval High Command ( SKL) issued orders for ''U-38'' and to scout the location for ''

Basis Nord Basis Nord ("Base North") was a secret naval base of Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'' in Zapadnaya Litsa, west of Murmansk provided by the Soviet Union. The base was part of a partnership that developed between Germany and the Soviet Union followin ...

'', a secret German naval base to be used for raids on allied shipping which was located off the

Kola Peninsula sjd, Куэлнэгк нёа̄ррк , image_name= Kola peninsula.png , image_caption= Kola Peninsula as a part of Murmansk Oblast , image_size= 300px , image_alt= , map_image= Murmansk in Russia.svg , map_caption = Location of Murmansk Oblas ...

and provided by the Soviet Union.Philbin III (1994) p. 95 The mission required coded messages to be flashed to Soviet naval vessels patrolling the area preceding a Soviet escort to the prospective base location.Philbin III (1994) p. 96 ''U-36'' never left the Norwegian Sea and was sunk by the British submarine . ''U-38'' rounded the North Cape uneventfully and arrived in Teriberka Bay by mid-afternoon on 26 November.Philbin III (1994) p. 97 Running silently into the bay, ''U-38'' had to avoid being spotted by merchant vessels in order to help maintain the Soviet Union's attempted appearance of neutrality at that time. ''U-38''s captain commented that, while in the area of the North Cape and the Kola Peninsula, he had observed thirty to forty targets and regrettably had been "harmless to llof them." After completing the clandestine reconnaissance mission, ''U-38'' returned to raiding duties and sank three ships, two British and one Greek. The British steam freighter SS ''Thomas Walton'' was sunk on 7 December. The Greek steam freighter SS ''Garoufalia'' was destroyed on 11 December, as was the British steam freighter on 13 December. After an operational period of four and a half weeks, ''U-38'' returned to Wilhelmshaven on 16 December.

Third patrol

Once again, ''U-38'' would spend considerable time in port, prior to sailing on 26 February 1940, for operations in the

Western Approaches The Western Approaches is an approximately rectangular area of the Atlantic Ocean lying immediately to the west of Ireland and parts of Great Britain. Its north and south boundaries are defined by the corresponding extremities of Britain. The c ...

. ''U-38'' sank six ships. First sent to the bottom was the neutral Irish steam trawler on 9 March, with a single shell at point-blank range off

Tory Island Tory Island, or simply Tory (officially known by its Irish name ''Toraigh''),Toraigh/Tory Island

two naval battles of Narvik on 10 and 13 April 1940. ''U-38'' and ''U-65'' were positioned at the entrance to the fjord. When the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against ...

arrived, ''U-38'' fired at and at missing both. In the second battle, ''U-38'' fired at ''Effingham'', but the torpedoes malfunctioned, (exploding prematurely).

Fifth patrol

For her fifth patrol, ''U-38'' would again depart from Wilhelmshaven with Heinrich Liebe in command on 6 June 1940. She was to patrol the waters off southern Ireland. During this operation, Liebe would hit six ships, two of which were sailing in convoy at the time. On 14 June, ''U-38'' sank the Greek steam freighter SS ''Mount Myrto''. The next day, ''U-38'' sank two ships, both sailing as part of Convoy HX 47, sailing from Halifax to England. First sunk was the Canadian steam freighter SS ''Erik Boye'', followed by the Norwegian motor tanker MV ''Italia''. Five days later, on 20 June, the Swedish steam freighter SS ''Tilia Gorthon'' was torpedoed and sunk. The Belgian steam freighter SS ''Luxembourg'' was destroyed on 21 June, followed by the Greek steam freighter SS ''Neion'' the following day. After three weeks at sea, ''U-38'' returned to Wilhelmshaven on 2 July. During this patrol, ''U-38'' was able to land Walter Simon, a Nazi agent, at

Dingle Bay Dingle Bay (''Bá an Daingin'' in Irish) is a bay located in County Kerry, western Ireland. The outer parts of the Dingle Peninsula and Dingle Bay mark one of the westernmost points of mainland Ireland. The harbour town of Dingle lies on the n ...

in Ireland on 12 June. Not realising that the passenger services of the

Tralee and Dingle Light Railway __NOTOC__ The Tralee and Dingle Light Railway and Tramway was a , narrow gauge railway running between Tralee and Dingle, with a branch from Castlegregory Junction to Castlegregory, in County Kerry on the west coast of Ireland. It operated bet ...

had been closed fourteen months earlier, he asked when the next train to Dublin was. He was arrested and interned in the

Curragh Camp The Curragh Camp ( ga, Campa an Churraigh) is an army base and military college in The Curragh, County Kildare, Ireland. It is the main training centre for the Irish Defence Forces and is home to 2,000 military personnel. History Longstanding ...

for the duration of the war.

Sixth patrol

''U-38'' would depart Wilhelmshaven for the last time on 1 August 1940, again with Heinrich Liebe in command. On this month-long patrol off the western coast of Ireland, ''U-38'' would hit and sink three ships, all of which were in convoy at the time of attack. On 7 August the Egyptian liner was sunk while traveling with HX 61, from Halifax to Gibraltar, 320 died.Blair, p. 180 The British steam freighter SS ''Llanfair'' was hit and sunk, travelling as part of SL-41 from

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...

to England. The third and final ship hit on the sixth patrol of ''U-38'' was the British steam freighter SS ''Har Zion'', while travelling with the List of World War II convoys, Convoy OB 225, from

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

to the United States. After four weeks at sea Liebe returned ''U-38'' to her new home port of

Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town ('' commune'') and seaport in the Morbihan department of Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginning around 3000 BC, settlements in the area of Lorient are attested by the presen ...

in France on 3 September 1940.

Seventh patrol

For her first patrol from Lorient and her seventh overall, ''U-38'' would again be under the command of Heinrich Liebe. She departed on 25 September, for the Northwest Approaches. She would attack five ships on this patrol, sinking four of them. On 1 October, the British motor freighter MV ''Highland Patriot'' was torpedoed. After two weeks of no victories, ''U-38'' was successful against the Greek steam freighter SS ''Aenos'' on 17 October, sailing as part of

Convoy SC 7 SC 7 was the code name for a large Allied World War II convoy of 35 merchant ships and six escorts, which sailed eastbound from Sydney, Nova Scotia, for Liverpool and other United Kingdom ports on 5 October 1940. While crossing the Atlantic, ...

, from Sydney, Nova Scotia to England. The following day, the British steam freighter SS ''Carsbreck'' was damaged, but not sunk, while traveling with the SC 7 convoy from Sydney to

Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of L ...

, England. On 19 October, two ships were hit, both sailing as part of the HX 79 convoy: the Dutch SS ''Bilderdijk'' and the British steam freighter SS ''Matheran''. Following these victories, ''U-38'' returned to Lorient on 24 October 1940.

Eighth patrol

''U-38'' would depart Lorient with Liebe in command once again on 18 December 1940. The eighth war patrol of her career would involve operations again in the Northwest Approaches. During this patrol, the submarine would hit and sink two ships. On 27 December, ''U-38'' destroyed the British ship SS ''Waiotira'', and on 31 December, she sank the Swedish motor freighter SS ''Valparaiso'', sailing as part of the HX 97 convoy from Halifax to

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. ''U-38'' returned to port on 22 January 1941.

Ninth patrol

''U-38'' would spend two and a half months in port, before leaving for operations off the west coast of Africa on 9 April 1941. This would prove to be her most successful patrol, with the sinking of eight ships. On 4 May, the Swedish steam freighter SS ''Japan'' was torpedoed while traveling with Convoy OB 310 from England to the United States. The following day, the British motor freighter MV ''Queen Maud'' was hit and sunk. On 23 May, the Dutch motor freighter SS ''Berhala'' was sunk while traveling with the Convoy OB 318, from England to America. The British steam freighter SS ''Vulcain'' was torpedoed and sunk on 24 May. Six days later, on 29 May, the British steam freighter SS ''Tabaristan'' was another victim. The following day the destruction continued, the British steam freighter SS ''Empire Protector'' was sent to the bottom, as was the Norwegian steam freighter SS ''Rinda'' on the 31st. The eighth and final ship sunk during ''U-38'' ninth patrol was the British cargo steamship on 8 June. The boat then returned to Lorient on 29 June 1941, after spending eleven and a half weeks at sea.

Tenth patrol

For the first time in her career, ''U-38'' would head to sea with a new commander, ''

Korvettenkapitän () is the lowest ranking senior officer in a number of Germanic-speaking navies. Austro-Hungary Belgium Germany Korvettenkapitän, short: KKpt/in lists: KK, () is the lowest senior officer rank () in the German Navy. Address The off ...

'' Heinrich Schuch. She left on 6 August, for a five-week patrol in the North Atlantic. During this time one ship was hit, the Panamanian steam freighter SS ''Longtanker'' on 18 August. ''U-38'' returned to Lorient on 14 September 1941.

11th and 12th Patrols

''U-38'' would depart from Lorient for the last time on 15 October, again with Heinrich Schuch in command. Her eleventh patrol was to take place in the North Atlantic. However, during a period of five weeks, not a single ship was hit. ''U-38'' traveled to the U-boat base in Bergen, Norway on 21 November. She would later depart Bergen on the 23rd and arrive in Stettin on 29 November.

Life after active duty

From December 1941 until November 1943, ''U-38'' was used as a training boat in the '' 24th'' and ''

21st U-boat Flotilla ''21st U-boat Flotilla'' ("21. Unterseebootsflottille") was a unit of Nazi Germany's '' Kriegsmarine'' before and during World War II. It was formed in 1935 as a ''Schulverband'' ("School Unit") based at Kiel under the command of ''Kapitän zur See ...

s''. She was then used as a testing boat, until she was scuttled by her crew on 5 May 1945.

Wolfpacks

''U-38'' took part in five wolfpacks, namely. * Prien (12–17 June 1940) * Grönland (10–27 August 1941) * Markgraf (27 August – 3 September 1941) * Schlagetot (20 October – 1 November 1941) * Raubritter (1–11 November 1941)

Summary of raiding history

During her service in the ''Kriegsmarine'', ''U-38'' sank 35 merchant ships for , and damaged another of .

Notes

References

Bibliography

* * * * *Philbin III, Tobias R., ''The Lure of Neptune: German-Soviet Naval Collaboration and Ambitions, 1919 – 1941'', University of South Carolina Press, 1994,

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:U0038 German Type IX submarines U-boats commissioned in 1938 World War II submarines of Germany 1938 ships Ships built in Bremen (state) Operation Regenbogen (U-boat) Maritime incidents in May 1945