German submarine ''U-537'' was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'' during World War II. Her keel was Keel laying, laid down on 10 April 1942 by Deutsche Werft in Hamburg. She was ship commissioning, commissioned on 27 January 1943 with ''Kapitänleutnant'' Peter Schrewe in command. Schrewe commanded the boat for nearly two years, until her loss. ''U-537'' conducted three patrols and holds the distinction of making the only armed German landing in North America during World War II, when her crew installed the automatic Weather Station Kurt in Attacks on North America during World War II#Martin Bay, Martin Bay, Labrador on 22 October 1943. She was then sent to the Far East. On 10 November 1944 in the Java Sea east of Surabaya, ''U-537'' was sunk with all hands—58 officers and men—by torpedoes from .

Design

German Type IX submarine#Type IXC/40, German Type IXC/40 submarines were slightly larger than the original German Type IX submarine#Type IXC, Type IXCs. ''U-537'' had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. The U-boat had a total length of , a pressure hull length of , a beam (nautical), beam of , a height of , and a draught (ship), draught of . The submarine was powered by two MAN SE, MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 Motor–generator, 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-537'' was fitted with six torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 torpedoes, one 10.5 cm SK C/32 naval gun, SK C/32 naval gun, 180 rounds, and a 3.7 cm SK C/30, SK C/30 as well as a 2 cm FlaK 30, C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a Ship's company, complement of forty-eight.

Service history

First patrol

''U-537'' left Kiel on 18 September 1943 and sailed to Bergen, Norway, departing from there on her first patrol on 30 September. She sailed across the North Atlantic, and on 22 October she set up ''Weather Station Kurt, Wetter-Funkgerät Land-26'' (code-named "Kurt") automatic weather station in Martin Bay, Labrador. The weather station was only discovered by accident by Canadian authorities in 1981. While on anti-shipping patrol off Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland on 31 October, the U-boat was attacked by a Canadian Lockheed Hudson, Hudson aircraft from No. 11 Squadron RCAF, which fired eight rockets, all missing. On 10 November a Canadian PBY Catalina, Catalina aircraft from No. 5 Squadron RCAF attacked her with four depth charges off Cape Race. The U-boat escaped unharmed, but the next day another Catalina of 5 Squadron attacked with four depth charges which slightly damaged the submarine. Surface ships then joined the hunt, but all failed to locate her, and ''U-537'' arrived safely at Lorient on 8 December.

Second patrol

''U-537'' sailed from Lorient on 25 March 1944 and traveled around Africa, and then crossed the Indian Ocean to Jakarta, Batavia, which she reached on 2 August after a voyage of 131 days.

Third patrol

''U-537'' left Batavia for Surabaya in Indonesia on 1 October 1944, and began her third and final patrol on 9 November. On 10 November, she was spotted and sunk with all hands — 58 officers and men — in the Java Sea, at position , by torpedoes from . ''U-537'' was one of 10 German U-boats lost in Asian or East African waters during the war.

References

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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:U0537 German Type IX submarines U-boats commissioned in 1943 U-boats sunk in 1944 World War II submarines of Germany Indian Ocean U-Boats World War II shipwrecks in the Java Sea 1942 ships U-boats sunk by US submarines Ships built in Hamburg Ships lost with all hands Maritime incidents in November 1944