Second Happy Time
Contributor: C. Peter Chen
ww2dbaseIn mid-1940, German submariners enjoyed a period nicknamed the Happy Time (Die GlĂĽckliche Zeit) during which they were able to sink 282 Allied ships in the Atlantic Ocean totaling 1,489,795 tons. As the British improved convoy techniques, the Happy Time in late 1940, but German submarines continued to pose a serious threat for Allied shipping in the Atlantic.
ww2dbaseLong before the United States entered the war it had been violating its neutrality by sending supplies and surplus warships to the United Kingdom. American politicians claimed that transports of any nation docking at American ports could do trade without restriction, but they also knew that only British and French vessels made visits to the United States. With this policy in place, however, it was inevitable that attacks on American "neutral" shipping occurred. On 31 Oct 1941, while escorting a British convoy, the American destroyer USS Reuben James was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-562; 115 of the 160 aboard were killed as the result of the first American naval vessel sunk by the Germans before the war started for United States. Isolationist sentiments still ran strong in the US, however, and President Roosevelt could not rally enough support based on this event to declare alliance with Britain; all he could do was, as he had already ordered months prior, to continue US Navy patrols across the Atlantic Ocean, going as far as Iceland.
ww2dbaseThe position of the United States changed when it declared war on Germany on 11 Dec 1941, three days after the declaration of war on Japan. German Admiral Karl Dönitz immediately planned for his long range submarines strike the American coastal waters. Codenamed Operation Paukenschlag (Drumbeat or Timpani Beat), five Type IX submarines departed Lorient, France on 18 Dec 1941. The British Y service picked up signals from these submarines; Rodger Winn of the London Submarine Tracking Room suspected that these submarines might be heading to the Western Atlantic, and warned the Canadians and the Americans of a "heavy concentration of U-boats off the North American seaboard". Rear Admiral Frank Leighton of the US Combined Operations and Intelligence Center received the message and passed it on to, among others, Rear Admiral Adolphus Andrews who was in charge of coastal defense along the Maine to North Carolina coast, but he could do little against attacks by modern German submarines as his fleet was only consisted of 7 US Coast Guard cutters, four yachts, and several WW1-vintage vessels. While Andrews' inaction was due to lack of resources under his command, the fact that little other actions were taken could only be blamed on personal failure; American coastal shipping continued to continue with lights on, and lighthouses continued to operate and provide navigational aid to the enemy. On 12 Jan 1942, Andrews received another warning, but he refused to group coastal shipping into convoys (a sentiment shared by US Navy Admiral Ernest King). Two days later, on 14 Jan, German submarine U-123 struck within sight of Long Island, New York, United States, sinking Norwegian tanker Norness; the Andrews did not dispatch any of his 13 destroyers in New York harbor to investigate. In the night of 15 Jan, seeing no ships came to pursue, U-123 sank British tanker Coimbra off Sandy Hook, New Jersey, United States. U-123's crew was pleasantly surprised to still see no actions taken against these attacks, and continued to operate off New Jersey with impunity, sinking five more ships before heading back to France. U-123's sister ships U-130, U-66, U-109, and U-125 collectively sank 16 ships, making the grand total 23. When all five of the Type IX submarines returned to France, Dönitz actually criticized U-125's commanding officer Ulrich Folkers for his lack of aggressiveness, having destroyed only one Allied ship. Dönitz later wrote that on this first expedition to the American coast each commander "had such an abundance of opportunities for attack that he could not by any means utilize them all: there were times when there were up to ten ships in sight, sailing with all lights burning on peacetime courses."
ww2dbaseThe success led to second and third waves of German submarines being sent to the American coast; around this time, the nickname Second Happy Time began to surface, with the initial 1940 success as the First Happy Time. In addition to the long range Type IX submarines, shorter range submarines were being dispatched to North America as well, with all available space used for extra food, water, and fuel to extend the submarines' range.
ww2dbaseIn Mar 1942, 24 British Royal Navy anti-submarine trawlers and 10 corvettes were deployed on the east coast of the United States to help alleviate the situation. In the same month, Royal Canadian Navy expanded its area of operations so that it could escort convoys sailing between Boston, Massachusetts, United States and Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
ww2dbaseThe first successful sinking of a German submarine would not occur until 14 Apr 1942 when destroyer USS Roper sank U-85. In the same month, Andrews finally agreed to implement a limited convoy system, and only allowing ships to travel in daylight. By mid-May 1942, full convoys were finally in operation, and the number of Allied ships sunk off the American coast immediately decreased. Dönitz quickly noticed change in American tactics, and scaled down submarine operations off the American coast. Starting in Jul 1942, the British RAF Coastal Command transferred No. 53 Squadron to various bases in North America to bolster anti-submarine defenses. Noting that the Americans and the Allies finally began to tighten defenses on the US coast, Dönitz called off this campaign. During the Second Happy Time which lasted more than seven months, the Germans sank 609 ships totaling 3,100,000 tons at the cost of only 22 submarines. This number would represent about 25% of all Allied shipping sunk by German submarines during the entire war.
ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia
Last Major Update: May 2011
Second Happy Time Interactive Map
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Second Happy Time Timeline
| 16 Dec 1941 | Five German U-Boats departed from Biscay ports along the French coast for Operation Paukenschlag (Drumbeat) off the American coast. |
| 18 Dec 1941 | Five German Type IX submarines departed Lorient, France for the east coast of the United States in preparation for Operation Paukenschlag. |
| 12 Jan 1942 | US Navy Admiral Adolphus Andrews received warning that three or four German submarines were entering waters off the east coast of the United States, but he refused to institute a convoy system. Earlier on the same day, German submarine U-123 sank British ship Cyclops off Nova Scotia, Canada at 0149 hours; 87 were killed, 95 survived. |
| 13 Jan 1942 | German submarine U-130 sank Norwegian ship Frisco off Nova Scotia, Canada at 0116 hours and Panamanian ship Friar Rock at 0948 hours. |
| 14 Jan 1942 | German submarine U-123 sank Panamanian tanker Norness within sight of (about 60 miles off) Montauk Point, Long Island, New York, United States at 0834 hours; 2 were killed, 39 survived. Much further out in the Atlantic Ocean, 450 miles northwest of Ireland, German submarine U-43 attacked Allied convoy ON 55, sinking Greek ship Maro (all aboard were killed), British ship Empire Surf (45 were killed, 6 survived), and Panamanian ship Chepo (17 were killed, 21 survived). |
| 15 Jan 1942 | German submarine U-552 sank the ship Dayrose at 0138 hours; 38 were killed, 4 survived. To the south, German submarine U-123 sank British tanker Coimbra off Sandy Hook, New Jersey, United States at 0941 hours; 36 were killed, 10 survived. At 1134 hours, again off New found, U-203 sank Portuguese trawler Catalina, killing all aboard. Near the end of the day at 2317 hours, U-553 blew the bow off of the tanker Diala; 57 were killed, 8 survived; the wreckage of Diala remained afloat. |
| 17 Jan 1942 | The Norwegian 8,087-ton motor tanker Nyholt was torpedoed by German submarine U-87 (Joachim Berger) 180 miles south of Cape Race, Newfoundland, after having lost contact with Convoy ON 52 in thick fog south of Greenland on a voyage in ballast from Reykjavik, Iceland to New York, New York, United States. The explosion destroyed 3 tanks on the port side, but Nyholt stayed afloat and tried to get away at full speed, adapting a zig-zag course for Cape Race. However, about 4 hours later, she was hit by another two torpedoes, also on the port side. U-87 then fired 120 shells from her deck gun until she sank at 0359 hours. The crew of 41 had abandoned the ship before the shelling. As the Nyholt was being abandoned, the master, Alf P. Andersen and two men fell overboard, only the master could be rescued by one of the lifeboats. The first engineer died on the second day; his wool sweater was then given to someone who had none. The lifeboats became separated during a storm around 21 Jan 1942 and was never seen again; it had carried 13 crewmen, one passenger, and one gunner. The motor boat with 24 survivors was spotted by a Hudson aircraft nine days after the sinking, just as they were about to bury a crew member, who died in the lifeboat. The aircraft dropped two life vests containing two thermoses with warm liquids, apples, oranges, cigarettes and some sandwiches of the aircraft crew. The survivors were later picked up by HMCS St Clair (I 65) and landed at Halifax, Canada on 27 Jan 1942. The master died on board the destroyer, and a passenger died at a hospital later. Two 17-year-old British mess boys died in the lost lifeboat, they were both from the same town in Lancashire and had been friends growing up. |
| 17 Jan 1942 | German submarine U-203 sank unescorted Norwegian ship Octavian 50 miles off of Nova Scotia, Canada at 1121 hours, killing all 17 aboard. |
| 18 Jan 1942 | German submarine U-86 sank Greek ship Dimitrios G. Thermiotis off Newfoundland at 0613 hours, killing all 33 aboard. German submarine U-66 sank US tanker Allan Jackson 30 kilometers northeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States at 0833 hours, killing 23 of 35 aboard. Also off North Carolina, just to the southwest, U-123 damaged US tanker Malay, killing 5. At 0644 hours, German submarine U-552 sank US ship Frances Salman, killing all 28 aboard. |
| 19 Jan 1942 | German submarine U-66 sank Canadian ship Lady Hawkins 150 miles off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States at 0743 hours; 251 were killed, 71 survived. On the same day, German submarine U-123 sank US ship City of Atlanta (43 were killed, 3 survived) and US ship Norvana in the same general area, killing 43 of 46 aboard; US tanker Malay was damaged in the same attack. |
| 21 Jan 1942 | German submarine U-754 sank unescorted Norwegian 2,135-ton ship Belize off Newfoundland at 1922 hours; 20 crew members were killed during the sinking, and 4 took to lifeboats; when HMCS Spikenard found the lifeboat four days later, the Canadian sailors discovered only dead bodies. At 2221 hours, German submarine U-130 sank unescorted Norwegian 8,248-ton tanker Alexandra Høegh 200 miles east of Rhodes Island, United States; the first torpedo hit struck in the forward section of the ship, forcing the crew to abandon ship in three lifeboats; a second torpedo hit caused a huge explosion and broke the ship in half; all 28 crew members survived. |
| 22 Jan 1942 | German submarine U-123 sank US freighter Norvana off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States, killing the entire crew. |
| 23 Jan 1942 | German submarine U-66 sank US collier Venore 5 kilometers off North Carolina, United States, killing 17 of 41 aboard. At 0812 hours, U-109 sank British ship Thirlby 20 miles off Nova Scotia, Canada; 5 were killed, 41 survived. At 1340 hours, U-82 sank Norwegian tanker Leiesten 400 miles east of Newfoundland; 6 were killed, 29 survived. |
| 23 Jan 1942 | At 0812 hours, U-109 sank British ship Thirlby 20 miles off Nova Scotia, Canada; 5 were killed, 41 survived. At 1340 hours, U-82 sank Norwegian tanker Leiesten 400 miles east of Newfoundland; 6 were killed, 29 survived. |
| 24 Jan 1942 | German submarine U-66 sank British tanker Empire Gem 20 miles off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States at 0240 hours. |
| 24 Jan 1942 | German submarine U-106 sank British ship Empire Wildebeeste in the Atlantic Ocean 430 miles southeast of Nova Scotia, Canada at 0653 hours. |
| 24 Jan 1942 | U-333 sank Norwegian ship Ringstad in the Atlantic Ocean off Newfoundland at 1525 hours. |
| 25 Jan 1942 | German submarine U-754 sank Greek ship Mount Kitheron off Newfoundland at 0925 hours. 28 miles southeast of Atlantic City, New Jersey at 1002 hours, U-130 sank Norwegian tanker Varanger carrying 12,750 tons of fuel oil from Curacao to New York; all 40 aboard survived. Further south, German submarine U-125 damaged US tanker Olney 10 kilometers off Virginia, United States. Finally, out to sea, U-123 sank British ship Culebra in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, killing all 45 aboard, while en route back to her home port. |
| 26 Jan 1942 | German submarine U-125 sank American ship West Ivis 100 miles off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States at 0556 hours, killing the entire crew of 45. Three hours later at 0842 hours, 325 miles southeast of Nova Scotia, Canada, U-106 sank British ship Traveller, killing all 52 aboard. 200 miles south of Newfoundland, U-582 sank British tanker Refast at 1858 hours; 10 were killed, 32 survived. |
| 27 Jan 1942 | Just after 0000 hours, German submarine U-754 sank Greek ship Icarion off Newfoundland, killing 9 of 29 aboard. Off the east coast of the United States, German submarine U-130 sank US tanker Francis E. Powell 35 miles southeast of Ocean City, New Jersey at 0943 hours (killing 4 of 32 aboard) and damaged US tanker Halo with gunfire off North Carolina. |
| 29 Jan 1942 | The US Coast Guard Cutter Alexander Hamilton was torpedoed and sunk by the German submarine U-132 whilst on patrol off the Iceland coast. |
| 30 Jan 1942 | German submarine U-106 sank US tanker Rochester 80 kilometers off Norfolk, Virginia, United States at 1805 hours, killing 3 of 35 aboard. |
| 31 Jan 1942 | German submarine U-107 sank British tanker San Arcadio 425 miles southeast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States at 0445 hours; 41 were killed, 9 survived. To the south, U-109 sank British tanker Tacoma Star 200 kilometers east of Virginia, United States. Out to sea, U-333 sank German freighter Spreewald by mistake (Spreewald was under disguise as British Royal Mail transport Brittany); 41 German crew members and 31 British prisoners of war were killed, 25 German crew members and 55 British prisoners of war survived. At 2212 hours, U-82 attacked Allied troop convoy NA-2 in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and sank British destroyer HMS Belmont, killing all 138 aboard. At 2331 hours, U-105 attacked Allied convoy SL-98 500 miles southwest of Ireland, sinking British Sloop HMS Culver with 2 torpedoes which detonated the magazine; 126 were killed, 12 survived. |
| 2 Feb 1942 | German submarine U-751 damaged Dutch tanker Corilla off Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada at 0746 hours; Corilla was able to return to Halifax for repairs. To the south, German submarine U-103 sank US tanker W. L. Steed 100 kilometers east of Virginia, United States, killing 34 of 38 aboard. On the far side of the Atlantic Ocean, near Pico Island of the Azores islands, British destroyer HMS Westcott sank German submarine U-581 with depth charges; 3 were killed, 37 of the survivors were captured; commanding officer Leutnant zur see Walter Sitek was able to swim 6 kilometers to shore and eventually return to service via Spain. |
| 3 Feb 1942 | German submarine U-103 sank Panamanian freighter San Gil 25 kilometers off Virginia, United States, killing 2 of 40 aboard. |
| 4 Feb 1942 | German submarine U-103 sank US tanker India Arrow 50 kilometers east of Delaware, United States, killing 26 of 38 aboard. |
| 5 Feb 1942 | German submarine U-103 sank US tankers India Arrow at 0153 hours (26 were killed, 12 survived) and China Arrow at 1808 hours (all 37 aboard survived) 20 kilometers southeast of Cape May, New Jersey, United States. German submarine U-136 sank British corvette HMS Arbutus (Lieutenant A. L. W. Warren) in the North Atlantic 330 miles west of Ireland at 2236 hours; 43 were killed, 47 survived. |
| 6 Feb 1942 | German submarine U-107 sank US freighter Major Wheeler off the east coast of the United States, killing the entire crew of 35. Off Bermuda, German submarine U-106 sank British ship Opawa. Northeast of the Azores islands, German submarine U-109 sank Panamanian ship Halcyon. Finally, German submarine U-82 attempted to attack convoy OS-18, but was sunk by depth charges in return. |
| 8 Feb 1942 | German submarine U-108 sank British freighter Ocean Venture 50 kilometers east of Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States. |
| 9 Feb 1942 | German submarine U-654 attacked Allied convoy ON-60 in the Atlantic Ocean 450 miles east of Cape Race, Newfoundland just after 0000 hours, damaging Free French corvette Alysse; 36 were killed, 34 survived. At 2020 hours, German submarine U-85 also attacked ON-60, sinking British ship Empire Fusilier; 9 were killed, 38 survived. |
| 10 Feb 1942 | The United Kingdom transferred 34 Royal Navy anti-submarine vessels and their crews to the United States Navy for anti-submarine patrols in the western Atlantic Ocean. On the same day, German submarine U-564 sank Canadian tanker Victolite 400 kilometers east of Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States. In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, Free French corvette Alysse sank from damage suffered from an attack by German submarine U-654. |
| 11 Feb 1942 | German submarine U-136 attacked Allied convoy SC-67 south of Iceland at 0133 hours, sinking Norwegian ship Heina (all 30 aboard survived) and Canadian corvette HMCS Spikenard (57 were killed, 8 survived). |
| 11 Feb 1942 | Leonardo da Vinci sighted a freighter in the Atlantic Ocean at 1620 hours; she pursued until 2350 when contact was lost. |
| 12 Feb 1942 | At 0240 hours the unescorted 2,701-ton Norwegian merchant steamer Blink was hit on the port side by one G7e torpedo from German submarine U-108 (Korvettenkapitän Klaus Scholtz) about 160 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States. This torpedo went straight through the hull of the ship without detonating, a similar occurrence had happened the day before when the torpedo had lodged near the engines but failed to explode. It took U-108 a whole 24 hours to catch up again in the heavy seas there had almost been a collision when the submarine had dived when only 50 metres from the vessel. The torpedo that hit and detonated killed four men and a gunner and two men who were seen to launch a raft were never seen again. A lifeboat was launched with 23 survivors but capsized in the sea, one of the crew drowned and all bread and water was lost. Only 11 men were left at the end of the day and by 14 Feb 1942 only 6 were left and found by an American merchant ship Monroe and taken to Baltimore, Maryland, United States. |
| 14 Feb 1942 | German submarine U-576 sank British catapult armed merchant (CAM) ship Empire Spring southeast of Nova Scotia, Canada at 0337 hours, killing all 53 aboard. |
| 15 Feb 1942 | German submarine U-432 sank Brazilian ship Buarque 40 kilometers east of Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States. |
| 17 Feb 1942 | German submarine U-136 sank British transport Empire Comet 250 miles south of Iceland at 2217 hours, killing all 46 aboard. |
| 18 Feb 1942 | German submarine U-432 sank Brazilian tanker Olinda 30 kilometers off Virginia, United States. |
| 18 Feb 1942 | German bombers sank British minesweeping trawler HMT Botanic in the North Sea. |
| 20 Feb 1942 | German submarine U-432 sank US freighter Azalea City 100 kilometers off Virginia, United States, killing the entire crew of 38. German submarine U-129 sank Norwegian ship Nordvangen 30 miles east of Trinidad at 0400 hours, killing all 24 aboard. Finally, Italian submarine Torelli sank British ship Scottish Star 770 miles east of Martinique; 4 were killed, 69 survived. |
| 21 Feb 1942 | German submarine U-432 sank US freighter Azalea City 125 miles southeast of Ocean City, Maryland, United States at 0123 hours, killing all 38 aboard. At 1044 hours, 300 miles southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, U-107 damaged Norwegian tanker Egda; Egda was able to return to port despite the torpedo damage. Finally, German submarine U-504 sank US tanker Republic off Florida, United States, killing 5 of 29 aboard. |
| 22 Feb 1942 | German submarine U-155 attacked Allied convoy ONS-67 in the North Atlantic and sank British tanker Adellen (36 killed, 12 survived) and Norwegian ship Sama (19 killed, 20 survived) at 0703 hours. U-96 sank Norwegian ship Torungen (all 19 killed) and British tanker Kars (50 killed, 2 survived) 20 miles south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. U-128 sank US tanker Cities Service Empire 10 kilometers off Melbourne, Florida, United States, killing 14 of 50 aboard. Finally, U-504 sank US tanker W. D. Anderson 10 kilometers off Port St. Lucie, Florida, killing 35 of 36 aboard. |
| 24 Feb 1942 | German submarine U-94 sank British ship Empire Hail in the Atlantic Ocean at 0145 hours, killing all 49 aboard. |
| 25 Feb 1942 | Italian submarine Torelli sank Panamanian tanker Esso Copenhagen 525 miles east of Trinidad; 1 was killed, 38 survived. On the same day, Italian submarine Da Vinci sank Brazilian ship Cadebelo 800 miles east of Guadeloupe; everyone aboard was killed. |
| 25 Feb 1942 | Leonardo da Vinci sighted Brazilian freighter Cabedello, carrying coal and sailing toward Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the Atlantic Ocean at 0922 hours. At 0944 hours, the Italian submarine fired two bow torpedoes, both hitting the freighter and sinking her in six minutes. Leonardo da Vinci sighted three lifeboats and tried to pick up survivors for interrogation, but rough seas created the danger of accidental ramming, so commanding officer Luigi Longanesi Cattani gave the order to resume the patrol. None of the survivors would be rescued, and thus the entire crew of 54 were ultimately lost in this attack. |
| 26 Feb 1942 | German submarine U-432 sank US bulk carrier Marore 20 kilometers off North Carolina, Virginia, United States. To the north, 20 kilometers east of Barnegat, New Jersey, United States, German submarine U-578 sank US tanker R. P. Resor, killing 47 of 49 aboard. Far out to sea, 230 miles east of Florida, United States, U-504 sank Dutch tanker Mamura at 1913 hours, killing all 49 aboard. |
| 27 Feb 1942 | German submarine U-156 sank British collier Macgregor with the deck gun 20 miles north of the Dominican Republic at 1035 hours; 1 was killed, 30 survived. |
| 27 Feb 1942 | Leonardo da Vinci sighted Latvian freighter Everasma, detached from Allied Convoy TAW-12 and sailing toward Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the Atlantic Ocean at 1955 hours. |
| 28 Feb 1942 | German submarine U-578 attacked destroyer USS Jacob Jones 10 kilometers east of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, United States, hitting her with two or three torpedoes, sinking her. About 80 of the 110 aboard were killed. |
| 28 Feb 1942 | At 0844 hours, the unescorted 1,582-ton Norwegian motor merchant Leif was hit by two torpedoes from German submarine U-653 east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States. The foreship broke away and sank immediately, followed by the rest of the ship eleven minutes later. The crew abandoned ship in heavy seas with wind and rain, one lifeboat containing six survivors and the other 18. As soon as the weather permitted four men (including the master) moved to the lifeboat boat with less men in it. In the afternoon the boats were separated. The boat containing the master and nine survivors would be picked up later, but the other boat, with 14 survivors on board, would never be seen again. |
| 28 Feb 1942 | At 1117 hours German submarine U-156 (Korvettenkapitän Werner Hartenstein) began to shell the unescorted and unarmed steam 7,017-ton tanker Oregon, which was steaming 130 miles north of Mona Passage, north of the Dominican Republic. The first shell struck the starboard side in the quarters of the master and the second struck near the bridge, destroying the radio shack and killing the master and the men on watch on the bridge. The tanker went out of control turned hard to port at 6 knots, colliding slightly with the forecastle of the German submarine before stopping. Most of the eight officers and 28 crewmen abandoned ship in one lifeboat in calm seas, leaving on the starboard side while the port side was taken under fire. Four others were thrown over dove overboard and found safety on a raft. The submarine circled and shelled the ship for 75 minutes, in between only with the anti-aircraft guns as the Germans had to repair the deck gun during the engagement after the counterweights fell off and then fired the last available rounds for the deck gun and the 37mm anti-aircraft gun into the waterline at point blank range. Altogether 58 rounds of 105mm, 304 rounds of 37mm and 101 rounds of 20mm ammunition were expended during the attack. Small fires broke out on the bridge, in one of the fuel tanks and on the stern and eventually a boiler exploded but the cargo of 78,000 barrels of naval fuel never caught fire. The submarine did not wait for the burning tanker to sink and left the area without questioning the 30 survivors who made landfall on the Dominican coast. |
| 28 Feb 1942 | The 2,605-ton Panamanian cargo steamer Bayou, built in 1919, formerly called Lake Fairfax in 1940, was on route from Rio De Janeiro, Brazil for Canada carrying a cargo of manganese ore when she was torpedoed by German submarine U-129 and sank off Dutch colony of Surinam. There was only one survivor. |
| 28 Feb 1942 | Leonardo da Vinci, pursuing Latvian freighter Everasma since the previous date, fired four stern torpedoes at the target at 0143 hours at the distance of 800 meters, and all four missed. At 0234 hours, she fired two bow torpedoes at the distance of 800 meters, and both missed. At 0235 hours, she fired two bow torpedoes, and again missed. At 1043 hours, she fired two stern torpedoes, and both hit. The Italian submarine surfaced and fired 14 100-millimeter rounds at the freighter with her deck gun, followed by another stern torpedo, finally sinking the freighter. 18 were killed in the attack out of the crew of 33. |
| 1 Mar 1942 | German submarine U-656 was sunk by a Hudson patrol bomber of US Navy VP-82 squadron 33 miles south of Cape Race, Newfoundland, killing all 45 aboard. |
| 1 Mar 1942 | The 9,551-ton Norwegian motor tanker Finnanger, since 1941 in British Admiralty service as a Royal Fleet Auxiliary, was torpedoed and shelled by German submarine U-158 (Kapitänleutnant Erwin Rostin) and sank southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland. Finnanger returned fire and fought a courageous fight, but the crew had to abandon the ship. U-158 shelled the ship until she sank. Nothing was ever heard of the 39 crew on board. |
| 1 Mar 1942 | The 4,890-ton British steamship Carperby, carrying 2,009 tons of coal and 3,262 tons of coke, was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-588 (Kapitänleutnant Victor Vogel) about 420 miles south of Newfoundland. None of her complement of 40 survived. |
| 2 Mar 1942 | The 2,362-ton Norwegian merchant steamer Gunny loaded with 3,100 tons of manganese ore and mahogany was 400 miles south of the Bermudas when she was torpedoed by German submarine U-126 (Kapitänleutnant Ernst Bauer) at 2047 hours. U-126 had missed the Gunny earlier that day although no one on board Gunny had seen the torpedo's track. The Gunny sank within a single minute, 13 survivors managed to climb on a raft but had no food or water and the badly injured chief engineer, Birger Jørgensen died on the fourth day. The surviving 12 men managed to stay alive until they were seen and picked up by the Swedish motor merchant Temnaren and landed at the Mexican port of Progreso where the Norwegian Vice Consul, Felix Lejeune, came on board and took them to Merida, as there were no hotels in Progreso. 4 men were admitted to hospital, while the rest were treated by a doctor who came to the hotel. |
| 3 Mar 1942 | German submarine U-129 sank US transport Mary 165 miles north of Dutch Suriname in the Atlantic Ocean at 1705 hours; 1 was killed, 33 survived. On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, German submarine U-68 sank British ship Helenus 86 miles west of Monrovia, Liberia at 1721 hours; 6 were killed, 76 survived. |
| 5 Mar 1942 | German submarine U-404 sank US ship Collamer off Nova Scotia, Canada at 1135 hours. Later that day, U-126 sank US ship Mariana 30 miles north of the Turks and Caicos Islands east of Cuba at 2244 hours, killing all 36 aboard. Finally, at 2307 hours on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean off Sierra Leone, British West Africa, U-505 sank British ship Benmohr; all 56 aboard survived. |
| 5 Mar 1942 | The Norwegian motor tanker O. A. Knudsen of 11,007 tons full of petrol and fuel oil was torpedoed by German submarine U-128 (Kapitänleutnant Ulrich Heyse) at 1533 hours when sailing east of Abaco Island, Bahamas. The torpedo hit in tank #6, and the ship took on a list after the engines were stopped. Eight men stayed on board the ship after the rest of the crew got away in a lifeboat and the motorboat, the remaining men managed to start up the engines and turn the ship towards land. However, a second torpedo hit, killing the British deckboy. The other the left the ship only to return once more to set up a new antenna and contact a shore station. As they made plans to get the ship under way the submarine started to shell the vessel which set fire to the fuel. The master and 5 of the men who had been with him were injured during the shelling, taking the lifeboat in tow the motorboat made it to the coast that evening but could not find a suitable place to land, the following morning a schooner took them under tow to Cornwall on Abaco Island. One of the wounded seamen died on March 10th in hospital and was buried on Abaco Island. |
| 5 Mar 1942 | German Type IXC U-Boat U-505 torpedoed and sunk the British freighter Benmohr off British West Africa (Sierra Leone). All 56 men abaord were rescued. |
| 6 Mar 1942 | German submarine U-505 sank Norwegian tanker Sydhav off Sierra Leone, British West Africa at 1131 hours; 12 were killed, 24 survived. Also in that morning, Italian submarine Tazzoli sank Dutch freighter Astrea in the Central Atlantic. Tazzoli struck again at 2215 hours, sinking Norwegian ship Tønsberg Fjord; all 33 aboard survived. At 2306 hours, 150 miles south of Iceland, U-701 sank British fishing trawler Rononia, killing all 11 aboard. Italian submarine Finzi sank French tanker Melpomene; all 49 aboard survived. Finally, 50 miles south of Newfoundland, German submarine U-587 sank Greenland merchant ship Hans Egede, killing all 23 aboard. |
| 6 Mar 1942 | German Type IXC U-Boat U-505 torpedoed and sunk the Norwegian tanker Sydhav off British West Africa (Sierra Leone). 12 were killed and 24 were rescued. |
| 7 Mar 1942 | At 1759 hours the unescorted 9,755-ton South African whale factory ship Uniwaleco was hit by one of two torpedoes from German submarine U-161 (Kapitänleutnant Albrecht Achilles) in the Caribbean Sea 45 miles west of St. Vincent Passage. The ship apparently went out of control because she ran in circles and settled but did not sink. At 1814 hours, the submarine fired a coup de grâce which hit aft and caused her to sink within three minutes after breaking in two. 18 crew members were lost. The master and 32 crew members landed on St. Vincent. |
| 7 Mar 1942 | Toward the end of the day, at 2314 hours, German submarine U-701 (Kapitänleutnant Horst Degen) sank 349-ton Danish steam trawler Nyggjaberg from the Faroe Islands, killing all 21 aboard. |
| 7 Mar 1942 | U-155 sank Brazilian ship Arabutan 50 kilometers off North Carolina, United States. |
| 8 Mar 1942 | German submarine U-701 sank British anti-submarine trawler Notts County 113 miles southwest of Iceland at 0039 hours, killing all 41 aboard. Off the Grand Banks, Newfoundland, U-587 sank British anti-submarine trawler HMS Northern Princess, killing all 38 aboard. |
| 9 Mar 1942 | German submarine U-94 sank Brazilian ship CayrĂş 100 kilometers east of Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States at 0225 hours; 53 were killed, 36 survived. At 1317 hours, 10 miles east of Cuba, U-126 sank Panamanian tanker Hanseat; all 39 aboard survived. In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, German submarine U-587 sank Greek ship Lily 470 miles east of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada at 1845 hours (all 32 aboard survived the immediate sinking, but only 29 would live to be rescued) and Italian submarine Tazzoli sank Uruguayan ship Montevideo 650 miles east of Florida, United States (14 were killed, 35 survived). In the evening, at 2109 hours, U-96 sank Norwegian ship Tyr 100 miles east of Halifax; all 31 aboard survived the immediate sinking, but 13 of them would never be seen again. |
| 9 Mar 1942 | Leonardo da Vinci sighted a hostile aircraft in the Atlantic Ocean at 1350 hours and submerged to avoid detection. |
| 10 Mar 1942 | At 2310 hours, when northeast of Anguilla, the 9,959-ton Norwegian motor taker Charles Racine was torpedoed by the Italian submarine Giuseppe Finzi (Commander Ugo Giudice). The torpedo hit on the port side, forward of the engine room; water gushed in and the engines stopped. Shortly thereafter another torpedo struck, also on the port side. The radio operator sent out an SOS with their position. After the entire crew of 41 had gotten safely away in four lifeboats they observed two more torpedoes hitting the ship, this time on the starboard side, and later in the night they heard another two explosions followed by flames. The crew remained in the vicinity until daylight, but when the captain rowed back to the ship that morning to look for the fourth boat it was nowhere to be seen, so sail was set for Puerto Rico. |
| 10 Mar 1942 | At 0632 hours, the unescorted 6,776-ton American unarmed steam tanker Gulftrade was torpedoed by German submarine U-588 three miles off Barnegat Light on the coast of New Jersey, United States. The tanker was spotted by the submarine because the running lights and the masthead light had been turned on to avoid collision with several colliers in the vicinity. A torpedo struck the starboard side just forward of the mainmast and just aft of the bridge. The explosion broke the ship in two and oil and debris was sprayed over the vessel from stem to stern and the ship caught fire immediately. Within one minute, the high seas washed over the tanker and extinguished the flames. The engines were stopped and the ship was abandoned by the crew of eight officers and 26 crewmen. The high seas and the fact that oil lay several inches deep all about the deck and had filled the boats complicated the abandoning. Seven survivors stayed on the stern and nine abandoned ship in a lifeboat. Two other boats with 18 men swamped, drowning the officer and 17 crewmen in them. |
| 11 Mar 1942 | German submarine U-701 sank British anti-submarine trawler HMS Stella Capella 38 miles east of Iceland at 0211 hours, killing all 33 aboard. German submarine U-94 sank Norwegian ship Hvoslef 2 miles east of Fenwick Island, Delaware, United States at 0316 hours; 6 were killed, 14 survived. Further south, U-126 sank US freighter Texan within 5 kilometers of the northern coast of Cuba. Italian submarine Tazzoli sank Panamanian ship Cygnet 5 mile east of the Bahamas; all 30 aboard survived. |
| 11 Mar 1942 | The 951-ton coastal collier Horseferry was attacked and torpedoed by a German E-boat, east of Cromer Knoll, Norfolk, England. Eleven of her crew were killed in the attack. |
| 11 Mar 1942 | At 0758 hours, German submarine U-158 struck 2,609-ton US steam merchant Caribsea on the starboard side with a torpedo 20 kilometers east of Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, United States, just off the Cape Lookout Lighthouse. The Caribsea rapidly settled and sank in less than three minutes in shallow waters. No distress signals could be sent and the crew of eight officers and 20 men had no chance to launch the lifeboats. The few survivors climbed onto two rafts that floated free and they later observed the submarine passing within 100 yards. The men on a raft made use of a small metal can as a reflector to attract the attention of the northbound Norlindo, which picked up two officers and five crewmen after ten hours. They were transferred to a US Coast Guard dispatch boat off Cape Henry. Only 7 would survive the sinking. |
| 12 Mar 1942 | German submarine U-158 sank US tanker John D. Gill off North Carolina, United States, killing 4. To the south, in the Bahamas, U-126 sank US freighters Texan at 0234 hours (9 were killed, 38 survived) and Olga at 0611 hours (1 was killed, 32 survived) and damaged US freighter Colabee. 520 miles northeast of the British Virgin Islands, Italian submarine Morosini sank British freighter Manaqui. |
| 12 Mar 1942 | The 2,291-ton British passenger vessel St. Briac, built in 1924 by William Denny & Brothers, Dumbarton, for the Southern Railway Co, London and taken into Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm service in Jun 1941 as a target ship, struck a mine and sank off Aberdeen on the east coast of Scotland, United Kingdom. Four crewmen on board were lost. |
| 12 Mar 1942 | At 1536 hours German submarine U-578 fired a spread of two torpedoes at unescorted 3,089-ton Norwegian steam merchant Ingerto (Master Olaf Ellingsen) in the Atlantic Ocean; one of them struck after 1 minute 11 seconds, causing the ship to sink quickly. |
| 12 Mar 1942 | The 11,641-ton American steam merchant ship John D. Gill was on its second voyage, travelling on route from Atreco, Texas, United States to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States with 141,981 barrels of crude oil. At 2110 hours, just off the coast of North Carolina, United States, a torpedo from German submarine U-158 struck the starboard side. The tanker did not explode or ignite until a life ring with a self-igniting carbide lamp was thrown overboard by a crew member. The ship was immediately engulfed in flames. Explosions wrecked all but No. 2 and No. 4 lifeboats. The No. 2 boat was successfully launched with 15 crew members who were later picked up by the SS Robert H. Colley and taken to Charleston, South Carolina, United States. The No. 4 boat capsized while being lowered and its occupants were dumped into the sea. Many were lost when sucked into the still turning propeller. Of the ships complement of 42 crew and 7 naval armed guard, 23 were killed. |
| 12 Mar 1942 | Morosini fired two stern torpedoes at British freighter Manaqui, which she had been persuing since before midnight on the previous day, in the Atlantic Ocean at 0138 hours, scoring one hit. Manaqui sank at 0143 hours. All 44 crew members and 6 gunners were lost. |
| 13 Mar 1942 | German submarine U-126 damaged US ship Colabee 10 miles north of Cuba at 0441 hours, forcing her to run aground to prevent sinking; 23 were killed, 14 survived. Two hours later, at 0643 hours, U-404 sank Chilean freighter Tolten within 5 kilometers of Asbury Park, New Jersey, United States, killing 25 of 26 aboard. German submarine U-332 sank US schooner Albert F. Paul 100 kilometers east of the Bahamas at 0720 hours, killing the entire crew of 8. At 1747 hours, U-332 struck again, sinking Yugoslavian ship Trepca; 4 were killed, 33 survived. |
| 13 Mar 1942 | Italian submarine Enrico Tazzoli sank 6,422-ton British merchant steamer ship Daytonian 330 miles off Palm Beach, Florida, United States; 1 was killed, 58 survived. Daytonian was on a voyage from Mobile, Alabama, United States to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada with general cargo. |
| 14 Mar 1942 | German submarine U-404 sank US collier Lemuel Burrows 5 kilometers southeast of Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States at 0828 hours; 20 were killed, 1 survived. U-124 set British tanker British Resource on fire with a torpedo 260 miles north of Bermuda at 2118 hours; 46 were killed, 5 survived. |
| 15 Mar 1942 | British tanker British Resource, fatally damaged by German submarine U-124 on the previous day, sank. After dawn, a PBO-1 Hudson aircraft flying cover for Allied convoy ON-72 sank German submarine U-503 245 miles southeast of St. John's, Newfoundland, killing the entire crew of 51. At 0604 hours, U-158 sank US tanker Olean 15 kilometers southeast of Swansboro, North Carolina, United States; 6 were killed, 36 survived. At 0722 hours, U-158 struck again in the same area, sinking US tanker Ario; 7 were killed, 26 survived. Italian submarine Tazzoli sank British ship Athelqueen 270 miles east of Palm Beach, Florida, United States (3 were killed, 46 survived), but would collide with the wreck of Athelqueen, forcing her to end her patrol early for repairs in Bordeaux, France. At about 1200 hours, U-161 sank US Coast Guard lighthouse tender Acacia with her surface guns; all 36 aboard survived and were rescued by destroyer USS Overton. |
| 16 Mar 1942 | Italian submarine Morosini sank Dutch tanker Oscilla 145 miles northeast of Antigua; 4 were killed, 51 survived. At 1824 hours, German submarine U-504 sank British ship Stangarth 300 miels north of San Juan, Puerto Rico on her maiden voyage, killing all 46 aboard. German submarine U-332 sank US tanker Australia 20 kilometers off North Carolina, United States at 1955 hours; 4 were killed, 36 survived. To the northeast, U-404 sank British tanker San Demetrio 60 kilometers east of Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States. At 2317 hours, on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, U-68 sank British ship Baron Newlands 6 miles south of Cape Palmas, Liberia; 18 were killed, 20 survived. |
| 16 Mar 1942 | Morosini fired two bow torpedoes at Dutch tanker Oscilla, which she had sighted before midnight on the previous date, in the Atlantic Ocean at 0503 hours; the Italians recorded both torpedoes hitting, but survivors recalled only one explosion. At 0520 hours, a stern torpedo was fired; it might had hit the target and failed to detonate. At 0523 hours, another stern torpedo was fired; it also might had hit the target and failed to detonate. At 0534 hours, the fifth torpedo was fired, hitting the target on the port side. At 0553 hours, Morosini opened fire with her 100-millimeter guns, hitting the tanker 81 times. The tanker sank; 52 survived, 4 were lost. The survivors were later picked up by the American freighter Explorer. |
| 17 Mar 1942 | German submarine U-404 sank British ship San Demetrio off the east coast of the United States at 0216 hours; 19 were killed, 32 survived. U-124 sank Greek freighter Kassandra and Honduran freighter Ceiba (44 were killed, 6 survived) at 0226 hours off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States; US tanker Acme was also damaged during this attack. On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, U-68 sank British freighters Ile de Batz at 0635 hours (4 were killed, 39 survived), Scottish Prince at 1326 hours (1 was killed, 38 survived), and Allende at 2103 hours (6 were killed, 33 survived) off Liberia and French West Africa. |
| 18 Mar 1942 | German submarine U-124 sank Greek ship Kassandra Louloudis off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States at 0114 hours; all 35 aboard survived. At 0827, U-124 struck again, sinking US tankers US tankers E. M. Clark; 1 was killed, 26 survived. |
| 19 Mar 1942 | German submarine U-124 sank US tanker Papoose 25 miles south of Cape Fear, North Carolina, United States at 0431 hours; 2 were killed, 32 survived. To the northwest, German submarine U-332 sank US freighter Liberator off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina at 0419 hours; 5 were killed, 30 survived. At 0538 hours, U-124 attacked again off Cape Fear, sinking US tanker W. E. Hutton; 13 were killed, 12 survived. |
| 20 Mar 1942 | German submarine U-71 sank US tanker Oakmar over 200 kilometers east of Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States at 2054 hours, killing 6 of 36 aboard. |
| 20 Mar 1942 | The 823-ton Norwegian freighter Risoy, en route from Southampton, England, United Kingdom to Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom with a cargo of 450 tons of scrap iron, was attacked by three German aircraft and sank off Trevose Head, Cornwall, England when hit by a bomb. One member of the crew was killed. |
| 21 Mar 1942 | German submarine U-124 heavily damaged US tanker Esso Nashville 20 kilometers southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina, United States at 0608 hours. At 1005 hours, U-124 struck again, damaging US tanker Atlantic Sun. |
| 22 Mar 1942 | German submarine U-373 sank British ship Thursobank 300 miles east of Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States at 0509 hours; 33 were killed, 26 survived. U-123 sank US tanker Muskogee in the Atlantic Ocean at 1756 hours; all 34 aboard were killed. |
| 23 Mar 1942 | German submarine U-124 sank US tanker Naeco 65 miles southeast of Cape Fear, North Carolina, United States at 1023 hours; 24 were killed, 14 survived. |
| 23 Mar 1942 | In the afternoon, U-754 sank British tanker British Prudence 50 miles south of Newfoundland at 1531 hours; 3 were killed, 47 survived. |
| 23 Mar 1942 | In the Southern Atlantic, German armed merchant cruiser Thor stopped Greek freighter Pagasitikos, forced the 33 aboard to abandon ship, and sank the freighter with a torpedo. |
| 23 Mar 1942 | Morosini sighted British tanker Peder Bogen in the Atlantic Ocean at 1743 hours. At 2214 hours, she fired two stern torpedoes, both hitting the target. All 53 aboard took to lifeboats while the tanker drifted. |
| 24 Mar 1942 | German submarine U-123 sank British tanker Empire Steel with torpedoes and the deck gun 365 miles north of Bermuda at 0300 hours; 39 were killed, 8 survived. |
| 24 Mar 1942 | The 53 survivors of British tanker Peder Bogen, hit by Italian submarine Morosini in the Atlantic Ocean on the previous date, noted that the tanker seemed to be remaining afloat three hours after being hit, and began to return. Also observing the same, Morosini opened fire with her deck gun between 0154 and 0203 hours, missing the tanker, but driving the lifeboats away. Between 0215 and 0228 hours, she fired her deck guns again, this time scoring hits and sinking the tanker. |
| 25 Mar 1942 | German submarine U-552 attacked Norwegian tanker Ocana 100 kilometers southwest of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada at 0413 hours; 53 were killed, 4 survived; Ocana would remain afloat and burning for several days until scuttled by gunfire. At 0609 hours, U-105 sank British tanker Narragansett 400 miles east of Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States, killing all 49 aboard. Far out to sea, 530 miles east of Newfoundland, U-94 attacked British tanker Imperial Transport, causing the crew to abandon ship, but the men would reboard the ship by 2030 hours and continue the journey. |
| 26 Mar 1942 | German submarine U-71 sank US tanker Dixie Arrow 20 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States at 1459 hours, killing 11 of 33 aboard. Further out to sea, German submarine U-123 sank US Q-ship USS Atik 200 kilometers east of Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States at 1937 hours, killing the entire crew of 139; U-123 lost one to USS Atik's machine gun. |
| 27 Mar 1942 | German submarine U-160 sank Panamanian tanker Equipoise 50 kilometers east of Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States at 0238 hours; 41 were killed, 13 survived. Further out to sea, 380 miles east of Virginia, U-150 sank Norwegian tanker MV Svenør at 1340 hours; 8 were killed, 29 survived. Closer to Europe, U-587 unsuccessfully attacked Allied convoy WS-17 and was sank by escorting destroyers; all 42 aboard the German submarine were lost. |
| 29 Mar 1942 | German submarine U-160 sank US ship City of New York 50 kilometers east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States at 1936 hours; 24 of 157 aboard were lost during the sinking or subsequently aboard lifeboats. Further north at 2058 hours, German submarine U-571 sank British ship Hertford 350 miles east of Nantucket, Massachusetts, United States; 4 were killed, 58 survived. Also on this day, Italian submarine Calvi sank British ship Tredinnick in the Mid-Atlantic, killing all 46 aboard. |
| 30 Mar 1942 | German armed merchant cruiser Thor attacked British freighter Wellpark in the South Atlantic at 1400 hours, which was later scuttled by demolition charges; 7 were killed, 41 survived. At 2243 hours, U-68 sank British transport Muncaster Castle 200 miles south of Liberia; 24 were killed, 329 survived. To combat such attacks in the South Atlantic, US Army engineers arrived at Ascension Island on this day to began building an airfield; upon completion, it would be named Wideawake Field. |
| 31 Mar 1942 | German submarine U-754 sank US tug Menominee, barge Allegheny, and barge Barnegat 10 kilometers northeast of Hog Island Lighthouse, Virginia, United States at 0800 hours; 16 were killed, 9 survived. At 2222 hours, 480 miles east of Virginia, U-71 sank British tanker San Gerardo; 51 were killed, 6 survived. |
| 1 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-71 sank British ship Eastmoor 500 miles north of Bermuda at 0403 hours; 16 were killed, 32 survived. About two hours later at 0618 hours, U-754 sank US tanker Tiger 10 miles off Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States, killing 1 of 43 aboard. To the southeast, 60 miles off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States, U-160 sank British ship Rio Blanco at 1622 hours; 19 were killed, 21 survived. In the far south Atlantic, at 1724 hours, German armed merchant cruiser Thor sank British freighter Willesden with gunfire and a torpedo; 2 were killed. Finally, U-202 sank British ship Loch Don 500 miles north of Bermuda at 2314 hours; 3 were killed, 44 survived. |
| 3 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-552 sank US collier David H. Atwater with her deck gun 10 miles off Chincoteague Inlet, Virginia, United States at 0340 hours; 24 were killed, 3 survived. German submarine U-754 sank US freighter Otho 150 kilometers east of Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States, killing 31 of 53 aboard. In the South Atlantic, German raider Thor forced the crew of Norwegian ship Aust to abandon ship and sank her with gunfire. At 2331 hours, U-505 sank US ship West Irmo 200 miles off Ivory Coast, French West Africa; 10 were killed, 90 survived. |
| 3 Apr 1942 | German Type IXC U-Boat U-505 torpedoed and sunk the American freighter West Irmo off the British Gold Coast (Ghana). 10 were killed and 99 were rescued. |
| 4 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-505 sank Dutch ship Alphacca 200 miles off Ivory Coast, French West Africa at 2329 hours; 15 were killed, 57 survived. On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, at 2335 hours, U-154 sank Comol Rico; 3 were killed, 39 survived. |
| 4 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-552 sank US tanker Byron D. Benson 16 kilometers east of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, United States at 2257 hours local time (recorded in U-552 logs as at 0447 hours on 5 Apr 1942, German time), killing 10 of 38. |
| 4 Apr 1942 | German Type IXC U-Boat U-505 torpedoed and sunk the Dutch freighter Alphacca off the French Ivory Coast (CĂ´te d'Ivoire). 15 were killed and 52 were rescued. |
| 6 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-160 damaged US tanker Bidwell 50 kilometers east of Wilmington, North Carolina, United States at 0807 hours, killing 1 of 33 aboard; her crew would manage to repair and bring her back to port for repairs. At 1700 hours, U-571 sank Norwegian tanker Koll 250 miles northwest of Bermuda; 2 were killed, 33 survived (1 of whom would later die of exposure before being rescued). |
| 7 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-754 sank Norwegian tanker Kollskegg 370 miles northwest of Bermuda at 0218 hours; 4 were killed, 38 survived. U-552 sank British freighter British Splendour at 0417 hours (12 were killed, 41 survived) and Norwegian whale factory ship Lancing at 1052 hours (1 was killed, 49 survived) off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States. |
| 8 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-84 sank Yugoslavian ship Nemanja 300 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States at 0457 hours; 13 were killed, 34 survived. Just 10 miles off St. Simons Island, Georgia, United States, U-123 damaged US tanker Oklahoma (killing 19 of 37) at 0752 hours and US tanker Esso Baton Rouge (killing 3 of 62) at 0844 hours. Far to the south, Italian submarine Calvi sank US tanker Eugene V. R. Thayer with a torpedo and 120 shells from her deck gun 20 miles off the northern coast of Brazil. |
| 9 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-123 sank US freighter Esparta within 10 kilometers of Cumberland Island, Georgia, United States at 0716 hours, killing 1 of 40 aboard. To the northeast, 20 kilometers off the coast of North Carolina, United States, U-160 sank US freighter Malchace at 0758 hours, killing 1 of 29 aboard. U-552 sank US tanker Atlas, killing 2 of 34 aboard. At 1004 hours, northwest of Iceland, U-252 sank Norwegian ship Fanefjeld, killing all 24 aboard. |
| 10 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-654 sank British ship Empire Prairie in the middle of the North Atlantic at 0220 hours, killing all 49 aboard. 20 miles off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States, U-203 sank British tanker San Delfino with 7 torpedoes at 0508 hours; 28 were killed, 22 survived. In the same area, U-552 sank US tanker Tamaulipas at 0627 hours; 2 were killed, 35 survived. In the middle of the South Atlantic, German raider Thor stopped British vessel Kirkpool; Kirkpool's crew suffered no losses during the attack, but 16 would drown as the men abandoned ship; Thor rescued 30 survivors. Finally, Norwegian ship Chr. Knudsen disappeared some time during this day with her crew of 33; she was presumably sunk by German submarine U-85. |
| 11 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-123 damaged US tanker Gulfamerica within 5 kilometers of Jacksonville, Florida, United States at 0422 hours, killing 19 of 48 aboard; the burning hulk would finally sink 5 days later. German submarine U-203 damaged US tanker Harry F. Sinclair Jr. 20 kilometers southeast of Swansboro, North Carolina, United States at 1320 hours, killing 10 of 36 aboard; the hulk would later be towed for repairs. 20 kilometers further east, U-160 sank British ship Ulysses; all 290 aboard survived. German submarine U-103 sank Norwegian ship Grenanger in the middle of the Atlantic ocean at 1855 hours; all 36 aboard survived. Finally, off Brazil, Italian submarine Calvi sank Norwegian vessel Balkis. |
| 12 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-203 damaged Panamanian tanker Stanvac Melbourne 15 kilometers southeast of Wilmington, North Carolina, United States at 0626 hours; 3 were killed, 45 survived. German submarine U-154 sank US freighter Delvalle south of Haiti at 0709 hours after a 9-hour pursuit. At 1921 hours, in U-130 sank US tanker Esso Boston in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean; all 37 aboard survived. Finally, Italian submarine Calvi sank Panamanian tanker Ben Brush off the coast of Brazil; 1 was killed, 34 survived. |
| 13 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-123 sank US freighter Leslie 5 kilometers southeast of Cape Canaveral, Florida, United States at 0511 hours, killing 4 of 32 aboard. At 0745 hours, U-123 struck again, sinking Swedish ship Korsholm with her deck gun; 9 were killed, 17 survived. 400 miles south of Newfoundland, U-402 sank British ship Empire Progress at 2326 hours; 12 were killed, 38 survived. Just a short moment before midnight, just off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States, US destroyer USS Roper detected U-85 and proceeded to attack; U-85 dove quickly, leaving 29 men in the water. |
| 14 Apr 1942 | Just after 0000 hours US destroyer USS Roper sank U-85 with 11 depth charges just off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States; Roper was the first American destroyer to sink a German submarine. German submarine U-203 sank British freighter Empire Thrush 10 miles off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States at 1515 hours; all 55 aboard survived. German submarine U-66 sank Greek ship Korthion off Barbados at 1636 hours; 14 were killed, 9 survived. Off Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States, U-571 sank US freighter Margaret at 2102 hours, killing the entire crew of 29. British sloop HMS Stork and corvette HMS Vetch sank German submarine U-252 with depth charges 650 miles west of Brest, France at 2230 hours, killing all 44 aboard. |
| 15 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-575 sank US freighter Robin Hood 250 kilometers east of New Jersey, United States at 0338 hours, killing 14 of 38 aboard. |
| 16 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-123 sank US freighter Alcoa Guide 200 kilometers east of North Carolina, United States, killing 6 of 34 aboard. At 1800 hours, U-572 sank Panamanian ship Desert Light 150 miles east of North Carolina; 1 was killed, 30 survived. |
| 17 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-123 sank US freighter Alcoa Guide with her surface guns 300 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States at 0355 hours; 6 were killed, 27 survived. |
| 18 Apr 1942 | German armed merchant cruiser Michel stopped British tanker Patella with gunfire 136 miles east of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil at dawn, killing 3; the remaining crew of 60 were taken off before the ship was scuttled. German submarine U-136 damaged US tanker Axtell J. Byles 5 kilometers off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States. |
| 18 Apr 1942 | German Type IXC U-Boat U-505 was attacked by an Allied aircraft in the mid-Atlantic but suffered little damage. |
| 18 Apr 1942 | On a passage from Buenos Aires, Argentina for New York, United States via Rio de Janiero, Brazil the 7,417-ton neutral Argentinian motor tanker Victoria with linseed oil was spotted 200 kilometers east of Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States by the German submarine U-201 under command of Adalbert Schnee. A torpedo was launched from the submarine which struck the Victoria on her port side between No.s One and Two holds. The master of the tanker immediately ordered the engines stopped and a distress call to be made, however as the ship seemed not to be settling the crew remained on board. An hour later at 0145 hours Schnee ordered another torpedo to be fired which also struck on the port side near to the bridge, he then surfaced and only then saw that the tanker was a neutral vessel. He immediately reported the mistake to the Commander of Submarines of the wolfpack, who ordered him to submerge and leave the area. The crew abandoned ship after the second hit in two lifeboats which were shortly thereafter separated by wind in the darkness. The distress signal had been picked up by the American Minesweeper USS Owl (AM 2) which was towing the oil barge YOG-38 to Bermuda. She arrived after seven hours and inspected Victoria at dawn; the tanker was lying on an even keel with two gaping holes in her port side. She seemed to be salvageable so a boarding party of eight men was transferred to the tanker and they worked the whole day to start the diesel engines, but the rough seas prevented an engineer that was needed aboard could be transferred during the afternoon. Consequently the men had to remain aboard the next night. |
| 19 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-136 sank US freighter Steel Maker 200 kilometers southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States, killing 1 of 45 aboard. |
| 19 Apr 1942 | At dawn, the lifeboat of the chief officer of neutral Argentinian motor tanker Victoria, which was damaged by German submarine U-201 on the previous day 200 kilometers east of Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States, was spotted by the British steam merchant Empire Dryden. Empire Dryden was just about to pick up the 21 men in it when Empire Dryden spotted American Minesweeper USS Owl (AM 2), which had already been on the scene since the previous day; USS Owl would pick up the 21 men and brought them to the Victoria. Among the 21 men was the engineer of Fairbanks Morse Company, the company that had built the diesel engines of the tanker. With his help it was finally possible to restart the engines and proceed at 1700 hours. The destroyers USS Swanson (DD 443) and USS Nicholson (DD 442) were sent from New York, United States to assist and the latter picked up the remaining survivors from the lifeboat that was under command of the master at 1600 hours, transferring them back to their ship about eight hours later. |
| 20 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-654 sank Swedish ship Agra and US freighter Steel Maker off the east coast of the United States. Not too far away, U-572 sank British ship Empire Dryden and U-109 sank British ship Harpagon. 75 miles north of the Turks and Caicos Island east of Cuba, U-154 sank empty Canadian ship Vineland. |
| 20 Apr 1942 | American minesweeper USS Owl, which had been on station near the damaged neutral Argentinian motor tanker Victoria 200 kilometers east of Hampton Roads, Virginia, United States since 18 Apr 1942, was relieved by the Fleet tug USS Sagamore (AT 20). |
| 21 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-84 sank Panamanian ship Chenango 30 miles off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States at 0300 hours; 30 were killed, 2 survived. At 0236 hours, U-201 sank Norwegian ship Bris in the middle of the North Atlantic; 5 were killed, 21 survived. German submarine U-752 sank US freighter West Imboden 150 kilometers east of Boston, Massachusetts, United States; all 35 aboard survived. Meanwhile, German submarine U-459 departed from Germany on a resupplying mission for other submarines; she was the first of such supply submarines in the German Navy. |
| 21 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-576 sank US freighter Pipestone County 450 kilometers east of Virginia, United States at 1854 hours; all 35 aboard survived and were rescued by US Coast Guard cutter Calypso. |
| 22 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-201 sank US freighter San Jacinto 375 miles southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States at 0329 hours, killing 14 of 183 aboard. Hours later, at 0905 hours, U-201 struck again, sinking British ship Derryheen; all 51 aboard survived. |
| 23 Apr 1942 | Before dawn, German armed merchant cruiser Michel launched torpedo boat LS-4 Esau to attack US tanker Connecticut in the middle of the South Atlantic, which successfully sank the tanker with two torpedoes; 36 were killed, 18 survived. At 2053 hours, German submarine U-125 sank US ship Lammot Du Pont 500 miles southeast of Bermuda; 6 were killed, 48 survived. |
| 24 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-136 sank British ship Empire Drum 280 miles southeast of New York, United States at 2348 hours; all 41 aboard survived. |
| 25 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-108 sank British ship Modesta 110 miles northwest of Bermuda at 0831 hours; 18 were killed, 23 survived. |
| 28 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-136 sank Dutch ship Arundo 30 miles southeast of New York, New York, United States at 1535 hours; 6 were killed, 37 survived. |
| 29 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-108 pursued US tanker Mobiloil from 0900 hours to 1645 hours, finally sinking her 400 kilometers north to Puerto Rico with the sixth torpedo expended in this effort; all 53 aboard survived. |
| 30 Apr 1942 | German submarine U-162 sank British tanker Athelempress 180 miles east of Barbados at 0152 hours; 3 were killed, 19 survived. At 0336 hours, 18 miles south of Cape Fear, North Carolina, United States, U-402 sank Soviet ship Ashkhabad; all 47 survived. German submarine U-507 sank US tanker Federal 5 miles north of Gibara, Cuba at 1810 hours, killing 5 of 33 aboard. |
| 30 Apr 1942 | U-576 sank Norwegian ship Taborfjell about 95 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States at 0737 hours; 17 were killed, 3 survived. |
| 1 May 1942 | German submarine U-752 sank Norwegian ship Bidevind 75 miles southeast of New York, United States at 0543 hours; all 36 aboard survived. 370 miles northeast of Bermuda, U-69 attacked Canadian sailing boat James E. Newsom on the surface with her deck gun at 1728 hours, forcing the crew of 9 to abandon ship. At 2046 hours, U-162 sank Brazilian ship Parnahyba near Trinidad; 7 were killed, 65 survived. |
| 2 May 1942 | German submarine U-402 sank US armed yacht Cythera 115 miles east of Cape Fear, North Carolina, United States, killing 69 of 71 aboard; the two survivors were captured by U-402 and taken to Germany as prisoners of war. During the day, the 36 survivors of Norwegian ship Bidevind, sunk by German submarine U-752 on the previous day off New York, United States, reached the US Coast Guard station near Toms River, New Jersey, United States by lifeboat. After sundown, at 2253 hours, U-66 sank Norwegian tanker Sandar 40 miles north of Trinidad; 3 were killed, 34 survived. |
| 3 May 1942 | German submarine U-455 sank British tanker British Workman 120 miles south of Cape race, Newfoundland at 0638 hours; 6 were killed, 47 survived. At 0824 hours, German submarine U-564 sank British ship Ocean Venus 12 miles off Cape Canaveral, Florida, United States; 5 were killed, 42 survived. At 1054 hours, U-109 sank Dutch ship Laertes also off Florida; 18 were killed, 48 survived. |
| 4 May 1942 | German submarine U-564 damaged US freighter Delisle just off the coast 10 kilometers south of Port St. Lucie, Florida, United States, killing 2 of 36 aboard. To the south, U-162 sank US ship Eastern Sword 12 miles north of Georgetown, British Guiana at 0943 hours; 16 were killed, 13 survived. Later in the day, U-162 struck again 40 miles northeast of Anna Regina at 1900 hours, stopping British schooner Florence M. Douglas, forcing her crew to abandon ship, and sinking the schooner with the deck gun. At 1904 hours, U-564 struck again, sinking British tanker Eclipse in shallow waters 3 miles off Daytona Beach, Florida; 2 were killed, 45 survived. |
| 5 May 1942 | German submarine U-108 sank US freighter Afoundria between Cuba and Haiti. Off Bermuda, U-106 sank Canadian passenger ship Lady Drake (12 were killed, 256 survived) and U-103 sank British ship Stanbank. |
| 6 May 1942 | German submarine U-333 damaged US tanker Java Arrow (2 were killed, 45 survived), sank US tanker Halsey (5 were killed, 23 survived), and sank Dutch freighter Amazone 5 kilometers east of Port St. Lucie, Florida, United States. Further out to sea, U-108 sank Latvian ship Abgara 15 miles southeast of Great Inagua Island, Bahamas. |
| 7 May 1942 | German submarine U-162 sank Norwegian ship Frank Seamans 30 miles northwest of Paramaribo, Suriname at 0800 hours; all 27 aboard survived. To the north, destroyer USS Dallas attacked and damaged German submarine U-333 off Florida, United States, forcing the submarine to set a course for France for repairs, ending her war patrol early. |
| 8 May 1942 | German submarine U-564 sank US freighter Ohioan 10 kilometers north of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States, killing 15 of 37 aboard. On the same day, U-136 sank Canadian sailing ship Mildred Pauline with the deck gun off Nova Scotia, Canada. |
| 9 May 1942 | German submarine U-352 attacked United States Coast Guard Cutter Icarus 50 kilometers east of Wilmington, North Carolina, United States; both torpedoes missed; Icarus' counterattack damaged U-352, forcing her to surface for the crew to scuttle the submarine; 15 were killed, 33 survived. German submarine U-564 attacked Panamanian tanker Lubrafol 3 miles east of Hillsboro Inlet, Florida, United States, detonating the oil she was carrying, though she would burn for two days before sinking; 13 were killed, 31 survived. German submarine U-162 sank Canadian ship Mont Louis 50 miles north of Anna Regina, British Guiana; 13 were killed, 8 survived. |
| 10 May 1942 | German submarine U-588 sank British ship Kitty's Brook 35 miles off of Nova Scotia, Canada; 9 were killed, 25 survived. To the south, U-333 sank British ship Clan Skene 300 miles off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States; 9 were killed, 73 survived. |
| 11 May 1942 | Panamanian tanker Lubrafol, damaged by German submarine U-564 3 miles east of Hillsboro Inlet, Florida, United States two days prior, finally sank after two days of burning. On the same day, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean 400 miles northeast of Barbuda island, U-502 sank British ship Cape of Good Hope; 37 survived. |
| 11 May 1942 | Comandante Cappellini sighted an Allied convoy in the Atlantic Ocean at 1705 hours, consisting of nine ships. At 1908 hours, sloop HMS Hastings was sighted turning toward the Italian submarine, forcing her to submerge. HMS Hastings attacked with depth charges shortly after, followed by another round of depth charge attack at 2315 hours, keeping the Italian submarine under the surface for the remainder of this date. |
| 12 May 1942 | German submarine U-124 sank British catapult armed merchant Empire Dell and British transport Llanover of Allied convoy ONS-92 800 miles west of Ireland at 0200 hours; 2 were killed, 92 survived. At 0340 hours, U-94 also attacked the convoy, sinking Panamanian ship Cocle; 5 were killed, 37 survived. At 0400 hours, U-124 came back for another attack, sinking and Greek ship Mount Parnes and British ship Cristales; 115 were killed. On the North American coast, 50 miles southwest of Anticosti Island, Quebec, Canada, U-553 sank Dutch ship Leto and British ship Nicoya. Finally, at 0540 hours, U-558 sank British anti-submarine trawler HMS Bedfordshire 35 miles south of Cape Fear, North Carolina, United States, killing all 37 aboard. |
| 13 May 1942 | German submarine U-94 sank Swedish ship Tolken and British Batna of Allied convoy ONS-92 in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. To the south, U-128 sank British ship Denpark of Allied convoy SL-109; 21 were killed, 25 survived. 200 miles east of Barbados, U-162 sank US tanker Esso Houston and U-156 sank British ship City of Melbourne and Dutch ship Koenjit. |
| 14 May 1942 | HMS Vetch attacked and sank the German submarine U-252 in the Atlantic Ocean. 90 miles northeast of Barbados, U-162 sank British tanker British Colony with 6 torpedoes; 4 were killed, 43 survived. |
| 14 May 1942 | Seeadler was hit by a torpedo from a British motor torpedo boat, capsized, and then broke in half. 85 of her crew members were killed in the sinking. |
| 15 May 1942 | German submarine U-156 sank Norwegian ship Siljestad 420 miles northeast of Barbados at 0254 hours (2 were killed, 31 survived); several hours later, as Yugoslavian ship Kupa responded to the distress call and arrived to pick up survivors, she was attacked and sunk by U-156 at 2100 hours (2 were killed, 39 survived). |
| 16 May 1942 | German submarine U-751 sank US freighter Nicarao 50 kilometers east of the Bahamas at 0415 hours; 8 were killed, 31 survived. |
| 17 May 1942 | German submarine U-135 sank British ship Fort Qu'Appelle 480 miles east of Long Island, New York, United States; 14 were killed, 11 survived. Further south, also in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, U-653 sank British ship Peisander; all 65 aboard survived. Still further south in the Central Atlantic, German submarine U-156 sank British ship Barrdale at 0904 hours; 1 was killed, 52 survived. Finally, U-432 sank small US trawler Foam (1 was killed, 20 survived) and U-588 sank Norwegian ship Skottland (1 was killed, 23 survived) 85 miles south of Nova Scotia, Canada at about 1800 hours. |
| 18 May 1942 | German submarine U-162 sank Norwegian tanker Beth (sailing in service of the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary force) off Barbados at 0210 hours. U-558 sank Dutch ship Fauna 25 miles northwest of British North Caicos island at 0615 hours. German submarine U-156 sank American ship Quaker City 460 miles east of Martinique at 1018 hours; 10 were killed, 29 survived. At 1852 hours, U-156 fired what would be the first of four torpedoes at British tanker San Eliseo between this evening and the next morning as she unsuccessfully chased the tanker. |
| 18 May 1942 | Leonardo da Vinci sighted two corvettes in the Atlantic Ocean at 1320 hours, but would lose contact after dusk. |
| 18 May 1942 | Comandante Cappellini sighted Swedish cargo ship Tisnaren of convoy OS 27 in the Atlantic Ocean at 1537 hours and gave pursuit. She briefly lost sight of the target between 2309 and 2330 hours. |
| 19 May 1942 | Italian submarine Cappellini sank Swedish ship Tisnaren 600 miles north of Natal, Brazil at 0030 hours; all 40 aboard survived. Sweden was a neutral nation, and Tisnaren had large Swedish flags painted on both sides of the ship. |
| 19 May 1942 | Leonardo da Vinci sighted a freighter in the Atlantic Ocean at 1440 hours, but would eventually lose contact. |
| 19 May 1942 | Comandante Cappellini fired a bow torpedo and fired her guns at Swedish cargo ship Tisnaren of convoy OS 27 in the Atlantic Ocean at 0041 hours. The torpedo struck the cargo ship under the bridge, while the guns scored several hits on the hull. Gunfire ceased briefly to allow the Swedish crew to board lifeboats, and then the guns resumed firing at 0057 hours, sinking her shortly after. The entire crew of 42 survived and were later picked up by a freighter. |
| 20 May 1942 | German submarine U-108 sank Norwegian tanker Norland 500 miles east of Bermuda; all 48 aboard survived. Also in the middle of the North Atlantic, U-158 sank British tanker Darina, killing 6 of 56 aboard. In the South Atlantic, German armed merchant cruiser Michel stopped Norwegian ship Kattegat at 1845 hours, captured the crew of 32, and sank the ship. |
| 21 May 1942 | German submarine U-159 sank British ship New Brunswick (3 were killed, 59 survived) and damaged British fleet oiler Montenol (3 were killed, 61 survived) of Allied convoy OS-28 140 miles east of the Azores islands at 0323 hours. |
| 22 May 1942 | German submarine U-588 sank US freighter Plow City 150 kilometers east of New Jersey, United States at 2010 hours, killing 1 of 30 aboard. U-158 sank Canadian ship Frank B. Baird with the deck gun 465 miles southeast of Bermuda; all 23 aboard survived. |
| 23 May 1942 | German submarine U-432 sank British ship Zurichmoor 150 miles southeast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States just after 0000 hours, killing all 45 aboard. At 2200 hours, in the same general area, U-588 sank British ship Margot; 1 was killed, 44 survived. |
| 24 May 1942 | Comandante Cappellini sighted Argentinian freighter Rio De La Plata in the Atlantic Ocean at 0907 hours; no action was taken. At 1020 hours, she sighted an American cruiser escorted by destroyers, and she submerged to avoid detection, resurfacing at 1347 hours. At 1630 hours, she sighted a tanker and approached, but gave up the pursuit when she determined the target to be an Argentinian ship. |
| 25 May 1942 | German submarine U-593 sank Panamanian tanker Persephone 10 miles off New Jersey, United States at 2053 hours; 9 were killed, 28 survived. |
| 27 May 1942 | German submarine U-578 sank Dutch ship Polyphemus 340 miles north of Bermuda just after 0000 hours; 15 were killed (all of Chinese ethnicity), 60 survived. German submarine U-172 sank British tanker Athelknight 1,260 miles northwest of Saint Barthélemy island at 0319 hours; 9 were killed, 25 survived. |
| 28 May 1942 | U-506 sank British ship Yorkmoor with 55 round from her deck gun; all 45 aboard survived. |
| 28 May 1942 | German submarine U-155 sank Dutch ship Poseidon 150 miles east of Martinique; all 32 aboard survived. |
| 29 May 1942 | A lifeboat containing survivors of Dutch ship Polyphemus, which was sunk by German submarine U-578 on 27 May, was stopped by U-566; after some questioning, the German crew provided the survivors some water and pointed them toward the east coast of the United States. |
| 30 May 1942 | German submarine U-155 sank Norwegian ship Baghdad in the center of the Atlantic Ocean at 0651 hours; 9 were killed, 21 survived. At 1024 hours, U-404 sank US freighter Alcoa Shipper further north, killing 7 of 32 aboard. |
| 30 May 1942 | Comandante Cappellini sighted British Royal Fleet Auxiliary landing ship RFA Dinsdale in the Atlantic Ocean at 1130 hours and pursued her for the remainder of this date. |
| 31 May 1942 | German submarine U-432 sank Canadian ship Liverpool Packet off Nova Scotia, Canada at 0140 hours; 2 were killed, 19 survived. At 0252 hours, U-506 sank British ship Fred W. Green with gunfire 200 miles southeast of Bermuda; 5 were killed, 36 survived. In the South Atlantic, Italian submarine Comandante Cappellini sank British Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker Dinsdale, hitting her with 4 of 6 torpedoes fired; 5 were killed. |
| 31 May 1942 | Comandante Cappellini fired two bow torpedoes at British Royal Fleet Auxiliary landing ship RFA Dinsdale in the Atlantic Ocean east of Pernambuco, Brazil at 0233 hours; they missed, and the British ship began evasive maneuvers. At 0318 hours, the Italian submarine fired two bow torpedoes at the distance of 450 meters as the British began firing her deck gun; two torpedoes struck RFA Dinsdale. At 0330 hours, the Italians heard an explosion. At 0547 hours, an Italian shell struck the engine room. At 0604 hours, another shell struck the engine room. The British ship sank at 0612 hours. 5 were killed during the attack, and 44 survived. The survivors were later picked up by Spanish ship Monte Orduna. |
| 1 Jun 1942 | German submarine U-404 sank US freighter West Notus with gunfire 400 kilometers east of North Carolina, United States, killing 4 of 40 aboard. Further east in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, U-566 sank British ship Westmoreland; 3 were killed, 65 survived. |
| 2 Jun 1942 | German submarine U-159 sank US ship Illinois 450 miles southeast of Bermuda at 0253 hours; 32 were killed, 6 survived. In the same general area at 0255 hours, U-558 sank Dutch ship Triton with the deck gun; 6 were killed, 30 survived. Several hours later, U-553 sank British ship Mattawin off northeastern United States at 0718 hours; all aboard survived. Between 0332 and 0705 hours, U-213 gave chase to Norwegian ship Berganger, which evaded all 5 torpedo attacks, but at 2027 hours she would fall prey to U-578 southeast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States; 4 were killed, 43 survived. |
| 2 Jun 1942 | Leonardo da Vinci sighted Panamanian sailing ship Reine Marie Stewart en route between Lourenço Marques, Mozambique and New York, United States in the Atlantic Ocean at 1745 hours. At 2250 hours, she stopped her with three 100-millimeter rounds and machine gun fire and forced all crew members off the ship. Two boarding parties successively failed to sink the ship with demolition charges. |
| 3 Jun 1942 | German submarine U-172 sank US ship City of Alma 400 miles northeast of San Juan, Puerto Rico at 0410 hours; 29 were killed, 10 survived. At 1000 hours, U-404 sank Swedish ship Anna 245 miles northwest of Bermuda after 5 hours of pursuit; all 17 aboard survived. 40 miles west of Nova Scotia, Canada, U-432 forced the occupants of two small US fishing boats to abandon the vessels before sinking them with her deck gun at 2100 hours. To the south, German submarine U-126 gave Norwegian tanker Høegh Giant east of Guyana. |
| 3 Jun 1942 | Leonardo da Vinci fired a stern torpedo at Panamanian sailing ship Reine Marie Stewart, which had already been stopped by the Italian submarine on the previous date, 20 miles off of the coast of Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate in the Atlantic Ocean at 0655 hours; it missed. At 0730 hours, another torpedo was fired, hitting the target amidships, sinking her. |
| 4 Jun 1942 | German submarine U-126 sank Norwegian tanker Høegh Giant 400 miles east of Guyana at 0140 hours; all 39 aboard survived. Just after dawn, German armed merchant cruiser Stier stopped British ship Gemstone, took off the crew, and sank her with a torpedo 750 miles northeast of Natal, Brazil. |
| 5 Jun 1942 | German submarine U-172 sank US ship Delfina 120 miles north of Puerto Rico at 0608 hours; 4 were killed, 27 survived. At 2210 hours, U-94 sank Portuguese sailing ship Maria da GlĂłria with her deck gun 650 miles east of St. John's Newfoundland; 2 were killed, 42 survived, but only 8 of the survivors would be rescued. |
| 6 Jun 1942 | Speedboat Esau from German armed merchant cruiser Michel damaged US liberty ship George Clymer with a torpedo in the South Atlantic at 0200 hours. Near the Equator in the Central Atlantic, German armed merchant cruiser Stier sank Panamanian tanker Stanvac Calcutta with gunfire (12 were killed, 36 survived and were captured); Stier suffered two hits when Stanvac Calcutta returned fire with her 4-inch gun. |
| 7 Jun 1942 | German submarine U-653 sank destroyer USS Gannet 240 miles north of Bermuda at 0742 hours; 14 were killed, 62 survived. US liberty ship George Clymer, damaged on the previous day by speedboat Esau launched by German armed merchant cruiser Michel, was scuttled by British armed merchant cruiser HMS Alcantara in the South Atlantic; Michel approached to attack HMS Alcantara during the rescue operation, but would arrive far too late. 700 miles southwest of Freetown, British West Africa, Italian submarine Da Vinci sank Danish ship Chile; 5 were killed, 39 survived. |
| 7 Jun 1942 | Leonardo da Vinci sighted a freighter in the Atlantic Ocean at 1240 hours, but would quickly lose contact. At 1815 hours, she sighted another ship, Danish freighter Chile, sailing toward Liverpool, England, United Kingdom with ground nuts, pig iron, and cotton seeds aboard. The Italian submarine fired two torpedoes at the freighter at 2328 hours, but both missed. |
| 8 Jun 1942 | German submarine U-135 sank Norwegian ship Pleasantville 225 miles northwest of Bermuda at 0316 hours; 2 were killed, 45 survived. German submarine U-128 sank Norwegian tanker South Africa 400 miles east of Trinidad at 1419 hours; 6 were killed, 36 survived. |
| 8 Jun 1942 | Leonardo da Vinci fired two torpedoes at Danish freighter Chile, which she had been pursuing since the previous date, in the Atlantic Ocean at 0005 hours. Both torpedoes hit the freighter on the port side, sinking her. 5 of the 44 aboard were killed, while the 39 survivors would later be picked up by British Royal Navy trawler HMT Spaniard. |
| 9 Jun 1942 | German submarine U-124 attacked Allied convoy ONS-100 in the middle of the North Atlantic at 0410 hours, sinking Free French corvette Mimosa with 2 torpedoes; 65 were killed, 4 survived. U-432 attacked Allied convoy BX-23A 100 miles southwest of Pubnico, Nova Scotia, Canada at 1300 hours, damaging British ship Malayan Prince and Norwegian ship Kronprinsen (1 killed); Kronprinsen was beached to prevent sinking. |
| 10 Jun 1942 | German submarine U-157 sank US tanker Hagan just off the northern coast of Cuba, killing 6 of 44 aboard. German submarine U-94 attacked Allied convoy ONS-100 880 miles east of Newfoundland, at 0340 hours, sinking British ship Empire Clough (5 were killed, 44 survived) and British ship Ramsay (40 were killed, 7 survived). At the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River several kilometers off Anticosti Island, Quebec, Canada, U-553 sank British freighter Nicoya and then several hours later Dutch freighter Leto. In the evening, U-129 sank Norwegian ship LA Christensen 340 miles south of Bermuda at 2006 hours; all 31 aboard survived. |
| 10 Jun 1942 | Leonardo da Vinci sighted Dutch freighter Alioth, en route from Liverpool, United Kingdom to Cape Town, South Africa in the Atlantic Ocean at 2024 hours. She fired two torpedoes at 2333 hours, both of which missed. |
| 11 Jun 1942 | 5 miles north of Cuba, German submarine U-157 sank US tanker Hagan 5 miles off northern Cuba at 1010 hours; 6 were killed, 38 survived. German submarines U-569 and U-94 sank British ship Pontypridd 500 miles east of Newfoundland; 2 were killed, 46 survived). U-455 sank British tanker Geo H Jones 500 miles northeast of the Azores islands; 2 were killed, 40 survived. German armed merchant cruiser Michel shelled British freighter Lylepark in the South Atlantic; 20 were killed, 21 survived and were captured, 4 survived and escaped capture. Also on this day, on the US coast, U-373 and U-701 laid mines just at the mouth of the Delaware Bay and off Virginia Beach, respectively, which would cause sinkings in the days to come. |
| 11 Jun 1942 | Leonardo da Vinci fired two torpedoes at Dutch freighter Alioth, which she had been pursuing since the previous date, in the Atlantic Ocean at 0022 hours, both of which missed. At 0149 hours, she fired a bow torpedo, scoring a hit in the aft portion of the freighter. At 0212 hours, the Italian submarine fired a stern torpedo, which missed. At 0355 hours, she sank the target by gunfire. The entire crew of 44 survived the sinking, and their lifeboat would eventually be spotted by carrier HMS Archer, which brought the survivors to Freetown, Sierra Leone Colony and Protectorate. |
| 12 Jun 1942 | German submarine U-124 sank British ship Dartford 550 miles east of Newfoundland; 30 were killed, 17 survived. U-129 sank British ship Hardwicke Grange 400 miles north of Puerto Rico; 3 were killed, 75 survived. |
| 13 Jun 1942 | Italian submarine Da Vinci sank British collier SS Clan MacQuarrie 650 miles south of Cape Verde Islands; 1 was killed, 89 survived. |
| 13 Jun 1942 | Leonardo da Vinci sighted British collier Clan Macquarrie, en route from Durban, South Africa to New York, United States, in the Atlantic Ocean at 0830 hours. Shortly after, she fired four stern torpedoes at the distance of 2,200 meters, scoring one hit. Heavily damaged, Clan Macquarrie was declared abandoned, and the Italians observed the crew leaving the ship. At 1153 hours, with the British ship still afloat, the Italian submarine fired another torpedo at the distance of 500 meters, which missed. At 1200 hours, Leonardo da Vinci surfaced. At 1258 hours, she sank the collier with gunfire. The 93 aboard took to lifeboats and were picked up by Norwegian freighter Glarona and another ship named Desirade. One person, Clan Macquarrie's chief engineer, died while aboard the lifeboat. |
| 15 Jun 1942 | German submarine U-552 attacked Allied convoy HG-84 400 miles west of Brest, France between 0000 and 0500 hours, sinking four British freighters and Norwegian tanker Slemdal. On the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, Allied convoy KN-109 sailed into a minefield 5 miles off Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States, which was laid by U-701 four days prior; British anti-submarine trawler HMT Kingston Ceylonite (33 were killed, 18 survived) and US tanker Robert C. Tuttle (1 was killed, 46 survived) were sunk, US tanker Esso Augusta and destroyer USS Bainbridge were damaged. |
| 16 Jun 1942 | German submarine U-87 attacked Allied convoy XB-25 25 miles east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States at 0417 hours, sinking British ship Port Nicholson (2 were killed, 85 survived) and US passenger liner Cherokee (86 were killed, 83 survived). |
| 17 Jun 1942 | 12 German Ju 88 bombers attacked British destroyer HMS Wild Swan and a group of Spanish trawlers 225 miles west of Land's End, England, United Kingdom; HMS Wild Swan shot down 6 aircraft, but sank after colliding with a Spanish trawler during the battle; 31 British sailers were killed in the sinking and 133 survived; 11 Spanish fishermen were killed. US ship Santore struck a mine and sank in the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, United States; 3 were killed, 43 survived; the mine was laid by German submarine U-701 on 11 Jun 1942. |
| 17 Jun 1942 | The German government confirmed that submarine U-201 had mistakenly damaged neutral Argentinian motor tanker Victoria in the Atlantic Ocean on 18 Apr 1942 and expressed regret. |
| 18 Jun 1942 | German submarine U-124 attacked Allied convoy ONS-102 with 6 torpedoes 500 miles east of Newfoundland at 0622 hours, seriously damaging US ship Seattle Spirit (4 were killed, 51 survived), which was later scuttled by Canadian corvette HMCS Agassiz with gunfire. |
| 19 Jun 1942 | German submarine U-701 sank American patrol craft USS YP-389 5 miles off the North Carolina, United States coast at 0245 hours with her 88-millimeter and 20-millimeter guns, 4 were killed, 21 survived; the engagement was dubbed Battle off Diamond Shoals. |
| 21 Jun 1942 | Canadian minesweeper HMCS Georgia attacked a unidentified submarine by ramming off Newfoundland at 0300 hours, sinking what turned out to be British submarine HMS P-514, killing all 29 aboard. At 0400 hours, German submaine U-128 sank US ship West Ira 120 miles east of Barbados; all 49 aboard survived but 1 of them would die before being rescued. |
| 21 Jun 1942 | Leonardo da Vinci sighted a destroyer in the Atlantic Ocean at 0200 hours and took evasive action. At 1010 hours, she sighted a freighter and again avoided contact as she was out of torpedoes and was heading for her home port of Bordeaux, France. |
| 22 Jun 1942 | Five days after the German government expressed regret for U-201 damaging neutral Argentinian motor tanker Victoria in Apr 1942, German submarine U-202 (Korvettenkapitän Hans-Heinz Linderand) sank Argentinian cargo ship Rio Tercero 120 miles southeast of New York, New York, United States at 1234 hours; 5 were killed, 37 survived. This led to demonstrations off the German Embassy in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Once again Germany acknowledged her responsibility and offered to pay reparations and gave assurances that no further attacks on Argentine vessel would be made. |
| 23 Jun 1942 | German submarine U-84 sank Norwegian tanker Torvanger 540 miles west of the Azores islands; 4 were killed, 33 survived. 100 miles east of Grenada in the Antilles islands, U-128 sank a Norwegian tanker; all 38 aboard survived. |
| 24 Jun 1942 | German submarine U-156 sank British ship Willimantic with gunfire 700 miles southeast of Bermuda at 0904 hours; 6 were killed, 32 survived. At 0937 hours, 30 miles off Cape Fear, North Carolina, United States, U-404 sank Yugoslavian ship Ljubica Matkovic; all 30 aboard survived. At the mouth of the Delaware Bay on the US coast, US rescue tug vessel John R. Williams struck a mine and sank at 2005 hours; 14 were killed, 4 survived; the mine was laid by U-373 on 11 Jun. |
| 25 Jun 1942 | German submarine U-404 attacked an Allied convoy 75 miles off Cape Lookout, North Carolina, United States at 0116 hours, sinking Panamanian SS Nordal (all 32 aboard survived) and damaging US ship Manuela (2 were killed, 40 survived). Before dawn, German submarine U-153 sank British ship Anglo-Canadian 720 miles northeast of Saint Kitts; 1 was killed, 49 survived; the crew of U-153 gave survivors drinking water and cigarettes before leaving the scene of the attack. |
| 26 Jun 1942 | German submarine U-203 sank British ship Putney Hill with a torpedo and her deck gun 450 miles northeast of Puerto Rico at 0544 hours; 3 were killed, 35 survived. US ship Manuela, damaged by German submarine U-153 on the previous day, foundered and sank in the morning while under tow by US Coast Guard ship CG-252. At 0913 hours, U-107 damaged Dutch ship Jagersfontein with a torpedo 500 miles west of Bermuda; Jagersfontein would sink at 1215 hours; all 220 aboard survived. At 2317 hours, U-203 struck again, sinking Brazillian ship Pedrinhas with a torpedo and her deck gun 300 miles northeast of Puerto Rico; all 48 aboard survived. |
| 27 Jun 1942 | German submarine U-404 sank Norwegian ship Moldanger 300 miles southeast of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States; 14 were killed, 30 survived. 650 miles east of the Virgin Islands, U-153 sank US ship Potlatch; 8 were killed, 47 survived; Potlatch was carrying a cargo of tanks, trucks, and supplies for the British forces fighting in Egypt. 250 miles east of Trinidad, U-128 sank US ship Polybius; 10 were killed, 34 survived. |
| 28 Jun 1942 | German submarine U-332 sank US ship Raphael Semmes 1,000 miles east of Florida, United States at 1030 hours; 19 were killed, 18 survived. U-203 sank US ship Sam Houston 100 miles northeast of the Virgin Islands at 1538 hours; 8 were killed, 38 survived. U-701 sank US tanker William Rockefeller 50 miles off the coast of North Carolina, United States at 1816 hours; all 50 aboard survived. U-505 sank US ship Sea Thrush 300 miles northeast of the Virgin Islands at 1855 hours; all 66 aboard survived. |
| 29 Jun 1942 | German submarine U-126 attacked Canadian sailing vessel Mona Marie 50 miles southwest of Barbados at 0125 hours, forcing the crew of 8 to abandon ship. At 0610 hours, U-754 sank British merchant ship Waiwera 400 miles northwest of the Azores islands; 8 were killed, 97 survived. U-153 sank American merchant vessel Ruth with a torpedo 320 miles northeast of Barbuda; 35 were killed, 4 survived. At 1355 hours, U-505 sank American merchant ship Thomas McKean with two torpedoes, 350 miles northeast of Puerto Rico. At 1745 hours, U-158 sank Latvian merchant ship Everalda 360 miles southwest of Bermuda; all 36 aboard survived. |
| 30 Jun 1942 | A US Navy PBM Mariner aircraft sank German submarine U-158 70 kilometers west of Bermuda, killing all 54 aboard. 550 miles west of Ireland, German submarine U-458 sank Norwegian merchant ship Morsfruit; all 36 aboard survived. 650 miles northeast of the island of Saint Martin, Italian submarine Morosini sank Dutch merchant ship Tysa; all aboard survived. |
| 30 Jun 1942 | Morosini sank Dutch freighter Tijsa (also recorded as Tysa) in the Atlantic Ocean at 0700 hours. All 43 aboard the freighter survived. The survivors recorded that three torpedo hits and at least 23 deck gun hits. |
| 1 Jul 1942 | German submarine U-202 sank US passenger-cargo ship City of Birmingham 250 miles east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States at 0127 hours; 9 were killed, 374 survived. At 1831 hours, U-126 sank US ship Warrior 125 miles east of Trinidad; 7 were killed, 49 survived; the 10,080 tons of Lend-Lease supplies bound for the Soviet Union via Iran were lost. Also on this date, Allied convoy departed Liverpool, Englad, United Kingdom with 41 merchant ships in its midst. |
| 3 Jul 1942 | German submarine U-215 sank US ship Alexander Macomb 150 kilometers east of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, United States at 1230 hours; 10 were killed, 57 survived; Alexander Macomb sunk with 9,000 tons of war goods for the Soviet Union. British armed anti-submarine warfare trawler HMS Le Tiger counterattacked and sank U-215 with depth charges, killing all 48 aboard. |
| 6 Jul 1942 | German submarine U-201 sank British ship Avila Star 90 miles east of the Azores islands at 0036 hours; 84 were killed, 112 survived. German submarine U-502 was sunk on the surface by a British RAF Wellington bomber with depth charges 250 miles west of France before dawn; all 52 aboard were killed. |
| 6 Jul 1942 | German submarine U-132 attacked Allied convoy QS-15 at the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River in Quebec, Canada, sinking Belgian ship Hainaut (at 0521 hours; 1 was killed, 44 survived), sinking Greek ship Anastassios Pateras (at 0521 hours; 3 were killed, 26 survived), and fatally damaging British ship Dinaric (at 0646 hours; 4 were killed); Canadian minesweeper HMCS Drummondville rammed (and missed) U-132 and dropped depth charges, causing minor damage to U-132. |
| 7 Jul 1942 | German submarine U-571 sank British ship Umtata, in tow by US tug Edmund J. Moran, 10 miles off Miami, Florida, United States at 0900 hours; all 92 aboard survived. |
| 7 Jul 1942 | US Army Hudson aircraft sank German submarine U-701 with 3 depth charges (2 hits) 20 kilometers southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States at 1500 hours; 29 were killed, 17 survived. |
| 8 Jul 1942 | Survivors of German submarine U-701, sunk by a US Hudson aircraft on the previous day off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States, spotted American aircraft and ships in search of them. |
| 9 Jul 1942 | Survivors of German submarine U-701, sunk by a US Hudson aircraft two days prior off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States, were rescued by a US Navy flying boat; they were delivered to the naval hospital at Portsmouth, Virginia, United States for treatment. In the North Atlantic, U-172 sank US ship Santa Rita at 1624 hours; 4 were killed, 59 survived. In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean between Florida, United States and Morocco, U-66 sank Yugoslavian ship Triglav at 2042 hours; 24 were killed, 19 survived. |
| 11 Jul 1942 | German submarine U-203 sank Panamanian tanker Stanvac Palembang 50 miles northeast of Trinidad at 0352 hours; 5 were killed, 45 survived. American pilots John Haggin and Wynant Farr of the Civil Air Patrol based in Atlantic City, New Jersey, United States reported the sinking of an enemy submarine 25 miles east of Absecon, New Jersey; this sinking was not confirmed by the US Navy. 325 miles west of Madeira archipelago, Free French destroyer LĂ©opard, British frigate HMS Spey, and sloop HMS Pelican sank German submarine U-136 with four depth charges (all 45 aboard were killed) as the three warships escorted Allied convoy OS-33. |
| 12 Jul 1942 | Allied convoy OS-33 was attacked by a German submarine wolfpack 500 kilometers west of Madeira archipelago, with U-116 sinking British ship Cortona (0022 hours; 31 were killed, 23 survived) and British ship Shaftesbury (0945 hours; all 45 aboard survived), U-201 sinking British ship Cortona (shard credit with U-116) and British ship Siris (0413 hours; 3 were killed, 52 survived), and U-582 sinking New Zealand patrol craft HMNZS ML-1090 and British ship Port Hunter (0147 hours; 88 were killed, 3 survived). |
| 13 Jul 1942 | German submarine U-201 sank British ship Sithonia of Allied convoy OS-33 490 miles west of Canary Islands; 7 were killed, 21 survived. |
| 14 Jul 1942 | In the North Sea, the survivors of American freighter Carlton, which had sank on 5 Jul 1942, was discovered by German submarine U-376; he survivors refused German medical assistance, accepting only rations, blankets, and cigarettes. |
| 14 Jul 1942 | German submarine U-130 commanded by Korvettenkapitän Ernst Kals sighted British Convoy SL 115 south of the Azores and west of the Canary islands on passage from Freetown, British West Africa to the United Kingdom. The convoy was escorted by the Sloops HMS Londonderry, HMS Hastings and HMS Bideford with the ex-USCGC HMS Lulworth. The submarine radioed in the location and the Italian submarine Pietro Calvi picked the position of the convoy up and her commander Captain Primo Longobardo moved in to attack. HMS Lulworth spotted the submarine forcing her to crash dive. Passing over the submarine, Lulworth dropped an accurate spread of depth charges which so damaged the Italian submarine she was forced to the surface. Lulworth opened fire on the Italians and made two unsuccessful attempts to ram before hitting her amidships. A boarding party was attempting to get on board the submarine but was hampered by fire from both parties and the Italian submariners leaping into the water. The Pietro Calvi then capsized and went under taking the leader of the boarding party with her. 42 of the 78 crew of the Pietro Calvi were lost with the boat including Longobardo. During the attack U-130 had arrived and fired torpedoes at HMS Lulworth but missed, and the sloops Hastings and Londonderry drove the Germans away. HMS Lulworth spent the following month being repaired, the damage caused by the ramming had been extensive but the ship made the passage without incident. |
| 15 Jul 1942 | German submarine U-201 attacked British ship Yeoman of Allied convoy OS-33 with torpedoes and gunfire 400 miles southwest of the Canary Islands at 0146 hours; 43 were killed, 10 survived and were rescued by Spanish tanker Castillo Almenara. In the same area, German submarine U-582 sank British ship Empire Attendant, also of Allied convoy OS-33, at 0330 hours; 59 were killed. In the South Atlantic, 1225 miles west of Portuguese Angola, German armed merchant cruiser Michel sank British transport Gloucester Castle with gunfire at 1900 hours; 93 were killed, 61 survived. |
| 15 Jul 1942 | At 2025 hours, U-576 attacked Allied convoy KS-520 with four torpedoes 30 miles off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, United States, sinking Nicaraguan ship Bluefields, damaging US ship Chilore, and damaging Panamanian ship J. A. Mowinckel; two US Navy Kingfisher aircraft counterattacked with depth charges as well as motor vessel Unicoi with deck guns, sinking U-576, killing all 45 aboard. |
| 16 Jul 1942 | German submarine U-161 attacked Allied convoy AS-4 500 miles north of Saint Thomas, Virgin Islands at 1543 hours; the Germans observed two hits, both of which were made on US transport Fairport, which sank with all 123 aboard surviving in two lifeboats and five rafts. In the South Atlantic, German armed merchant cruiser Michel, after shadowing the targets since morning, sank US tanker William F. Humphrey with 3 torpedoes and gunfire at 2100 hours (8 were killed, 40 survived); at the same time, Michel's speedboat Essau damaged the other ship, Norwegian tanker Aramis, with 2 torpedoes. |
| 17 Jul 1942 | Whitley aircraft of No. 61 Squadron RAF and Lancaster aircraft of No. 502 Squadron RAF sank German submarine U-751 northwest of Cape Ortegal, Spain, killing all 48 aboard. 1,000 miles West of Angola, German armed merchant cruiser Michel, having pursued since the previous evening, caught up and sank Norwegian tanker Aramis at dusk; 20 were killed, 23 survived and were captured. |
| 18 Jul 1942 | German submarine U-575 damaged British tanker San Gaspar (12 were killed, 40 survived) 50 miles east of Trinidad at 0625 hours; several hours later, 100 miles further east, U-575 struck again, sinking sailing vessels Glacier and Comrade with her deck gun. German submarine U-160 attacked Panamanian transport Carmona with multiple torpedoes southeast of Trinidad between 1633 and about 1715 hours, sinking her; 4 were killed, 31 survived). |
| 19 Jul 1942 | German submarine U-564 attacked Allied convoy OS-34 200 miles north of the Azores islands at 0230 hours, sinking British ship Lavington Court (7 were killed, 41 survived) and Empire Hawksbill (all 47 aboard were killed). German submarine U-332 attacked transport Leonidas M. south of Newfoundland at 1655 hours, but the torpedo missed; at 1711 hours she opened fire with her deck gun, followed by another torpedo at 1725 hours and another at 1742 hours; Leonidas M. was hit by the third torpedo, sinking her (all 31 aboard survived and 2 were captured). |
| 20 Jul 1942 | German submarine U-132 damaged transport Frederika Lensen of Allied convoy QS-19 off Anticosti Island in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in Canada at 1839 hours; 4 were killed, 36 survived. Frederika Lensen would be beached to prevent sinking although she would ultimately be declared a total loss due to extensive damage. |
| 20 Jul 1942 | German 3rd Torpedo Boat Flotilla (T4, T10, T13, and T14) laid two minefields in the English Channel. |
| 21 Jul 1942 | After a four-hour pursuit, German submarine U-160 sank British transport Donovania 5 miles off Grand Matelot Point, Trinidad at 1029 hours, hitting her with 1 of 3 torpedoes fired; 5 were killed, 45 survived. |
| 22 Jul 1942 | German submarine U-582 sank unarmed US ship Honolulan 500 miles west of Freetown, British West Africa between 2012 and 2040 hours. All 39 aboard survived; the German submarine crew gave the survivors two boxes of cigarettes before departing. |
| 23 Jul 1942 | German submarine U-752 sank British ship Garmula 200 miles southwest of Freetown, British West Africa; 21 were killed, 67 survived. |
| 24 Jul 1942 | Canadian destroyer HMCS St. Croix sank German submarine U-90 560 miles east of St. John's, Newfoundland; all 44 aboard were killed. |
| 25 Jul 1942 | German submarine U-160 sank Dutch ship Telamon 75 miles southeast of Trinidad at 0144 hours; 23 were killed, 14 survived. At 0352 hours, U-552 attacked Allied convoy ON-113 580 miles east of St. John's, Newfoundland, damaging British tanker British Meriton (1 was killed) and British ship Broompark (4 were killed). At 0955 hours, U-89 sank Canadian fishing boat Lucille M. with her deck gun 75 miles south of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada; all 11 aboard survived. Finally, at 2305 hours, U-201 sank British minesweeping trawler HMS Laertes 185 miles southwest of Freetown; 19 were killed. |
| 25 Jul 1942 | Completed in July 1937 as Petrofina for Sigurd Herolfson & Co A/S of Oslo, Norway, the ship was renamed in 1939 to Tankexpress for the same owner. Since 1940 she had been in the British Admiralty service as Royal Fleet Auxiliary. The 10,095-ton tanker was sailing unescorted in ballast for Trinidad when at 1653 hours, about 900 miles west of Freetown of British West Africa, she was hit on the starboard side behind the bridge in no. 4 tank by two torpedoes fired by German submarine U-130. The boat deck was destroyed and a raft and lifeboat rendered useless, moments later the flying bridge collapsed. The Tankexpress developed a list to starboard and the entire crew of 39 abandoned the ship in the motorboat and two remaining lifeboats. Distress calls had been put out by the radio operator, but no reply had been returned. A coup de grâce was fired that struck the ship in the engine room, but the tanker remained afloat the German submarine surfaced and fired 87 rounds from the deck gun after which the tanker capsized and sank. The lifeboats were tied together and set off for Freetown towed by the motorboat. |
| 26 Jul 1942 | German submarines U-607 and U-704 sank British ship Empire Rainbow of Allied convoy ON-113 475 miles east of St. John's, Newfoundland at 0811 hours; all 37 aboard survived. |
| 27 Jul 1942 | German submarine U-582 sank US ship Stella Lykes 820 miles west of Freetown, British West Africa at 0847 hours; 1 was killed, 49 survived, 2 of whom were captured. At 1414 hours, U-752 sank Norwegian ship Leikanger 450 miles southwest of Freetown; 18 were killed, 13 survived. At 1740 hours, U-130 sank British ship Elmwood 670 miles west of Freetown; all 51 aboard survived. |
| 28 Jul 1942 | German submarine U-66 sank British ship Weirbank 130 miles east of Tobago at 0040 hours; 1 was killed, 66 survived. At 0715 hours, U-115 sank Brazilian ship Barbacena 350 miles east of Tobago; 6 were killed, 56 survived. At 0800 hours, U-754 sank US fishing boat Ebb with her deck gun 60 miles south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; 5 were killed, 12 survived. At 2230 hours, U-155 struck again, sinking Brazilian tanker Piave 350 miles east of Tobago; 1 was killed, 34 survived. |
| 29 Jul 1942 | German submarine U-160 sank Canadian ship Prescodoc off the coast of British Guyana at 1019 hours; 16 were killed, 5 survived. |
| 29 Jul 1942 | The 2,445-ton Norwegian merchant steamer Bill had left Ceara, Brazil on 22 Jul 1942 with general cargo including 500 tons of manganese ore, for Trinidad and New York. At 2000 hours she was hit by a torpedo from U-155 (Kapitänleutnant Adolf Piening), it struck her port side amidships in No. 3 hold and the vessel sank within ten minutes, 170 miles south-east of Barbados. The master, Christian Hartvig, was taken on board the submarine and kept as a prisoner. The Germans gave the survivors a course on which to steer for Barbados. The three lifeboats were separated but all survived. One boat of seven was found by the American merchant steamer West Durfee on 1 Aug, eight more made into land three days later and the remainder landed on Saint Vincent island in the Lesser Antilles. Christian Hartwig was taken to hospital after the submarine docked but died in Rennes, France from heart trouble. |
| 30 Jul 1942 | German submarine U-132 attacked Allied convoy ON-113 100 miles southeast of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada at 0110 hours, sinking British ship Pacific Pioneer; all 71 aboard survived. |
| 30 Jul 1942 | At 1958 hours, German submarine U-155 sank US ship Cranford 250 miles east of Barbados; 11 were killed, 36 survived. |
| 30 Jul 1942 | At 2048 hours, German submarine U-130 sank British ship Danmark 550 miles south of the Cape Verde Islands; all 46 aboard survived. |
| 31 Jul 1942 | Canadian Hudson aircraft (Squadron Leader Norville Small) sank German submarine U-754 on the surface 120 miles southwest of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; all 43 aboard were killed. 760 miles east of St. John's, Newfoundland, German submarines U-164, U-210, U-217, U-511, U-553, and U-588 attacked Allied convoy ON-115 without success; Canadian corvette HMCS Wetaskiwin and destroyer HMCS Skeena counterattacked and sank U-588 with depth charges, killing all 46 Germans aboard. 150 miles east of the Azores islands, U-213 attacked Allied convoy OS-35 but was sunk by British sloops HMS Erne, HMS Rochester, and HMS Sandwich; all 50 aboard were killed. |
| 1 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-155 sank Dutch ship Kentar at 0220 hours (17 were killed, 62 survived) and British ship Clan MacNaughton at 1800 hours (5 were killed, 77 survived) southeast of Barbados. 100 miles east of Trinidad, Italian submarine Tazzoli sank Greek ship Kastor; 4 were killed, 31 survived. |
| 1 Aug 1942 | German 3rd Torpedo Boat Flotilla (T10, T13, and T14) laid a minefields in the English Channel after sundown and into the next date. |
| 2 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-510 misidentified Uruguay ship Maldonado and sank her 250 miles southeast of Bermuda at 0545 hours; all 49 board survived but the captain would be taken prisoner. At 0927 hours, U-254 sank British ship Flora II 145 miles southeast of Reykjavik, Iceland; all 30 aboard survived. At 1818 hours, U-160 sank British ship Treminnard 200 miles east of Trinidad; all 39 aboard sur4vived but the captain would be taken prisoner. |
| 3 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-552 detected Allied convoy ON-115 330 miles east of St. John's, Newfoundland, and submarines U-71, U-217, U-597, U-553, and U-704 moved in to attack in coordination; ships of the convoy became disarrayed as the convoy attempted to change course to evade the attack; U-552 sank British ship Lochkatrine (9 were killed, 81 survived) and damaged British tanker G. S. Walden (1 was killed) at 0305 hours; at 0401 hours, U-553 damaged Belgian ship Belgian Soldier. Further out in the North Atlantic, U-605 sank British trawler Bombay 190 miles southeast of Reykjavik, Iceland at 1654 hours, killing all 13 aboard. |
| 4 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-160 sank Norwegian tanker Havsten 200 miles east of Trinidad at 0159 hours; 2 were killed, 31 survived but 2 were captured by U-160. At 0229 hours, German submarine U-607 sank already-damaged Belgian ship Belgian Soldier of Allied convoy ON-115 330 miles east of St. John's, Newfoundland; 21 were killed, 39 survived. At 1558 hours, U-176 sank British ship Richmond Castle 1,100 miles southeast of Newfoundland; 14 were killed, 50 survived. At 1615 hours, U-155 sank British ship Empire Arnold 600 miles east of Trinidad; 9 were killed, 48 survived but the captain was captured by U-155. |
| 5 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-155 forced the 16 crewmen of Dutch freighter Draco to abandon ship and then sank her with gunfire 325 miles east of Barbados at 1145 hours. At 1613 hours, U-458 sank British ship Arletta of Allied convoy ON-115 170 miles south of Newfoundland; 36 were killed, 5 survived. At 1848 hours, U-593 sank Dutch ship Spar of Allied convoy SC-94 500 miles east of Newfoundland; 3 were killed, 36 survived. |
| 6 Aug 1942 | German submarines U-71, U-210, U-379, U-454, U-593, U-595, U-597, U-607, and U-704 attacked Allied convoy SC-94 520 miles southeast of the southern tip of Greenland; U-454 and U-595 were seriously damaged by convoy escorts and turned for home ports, while U-210 was sunk by Canadian destroyer HMCS Assiniboine by gunfire and ramming (6 were killed, 37 survived). At 1719 hours, U-66 sank small Polish freighter Rozewie 180 miles east of Tobago in the Central Atlantic; 3 were killed, 16 survived but the captain was captured by U-66. At 1908 hours, U-86 sank US schooner Wawaloam with 3 torpedoes (all missed) and deck gun 525 miles southeast of Nova Scotia, Canada; all 7 aboard survived. |
| 7 Aug 1942 | The 2,687-ton Norwegian motor merchant Breñas was heading to New York, New York, United States from Maranhão, Brazil with 3,044 tons of general cargo on board when she was sighted by German submarine U-108 (Korvettenkapitän Klaus Scholtz) in the South Atlantic. The submarine appeared on the starboard bow of the ship, when the captain Oscar Kløcker was resting in the day room. When he heard the lookout and realized something was wrong, he ran out to the lower bridge. At that time the submarine was 3 cable lengths off and it was too late to ram it. He went to the bridge and altered course so that the boat was right behind them and gave orders to open fire with the aft 6-pound gun, as well as with both machine guns located on the chart house roof. It was obvious that the submarine was getting ready to attack with its deck guns. The submarine achieved no hits but came ever closer and there was a lot of shrapnel on the boat's fore and after decks. 35 shots were fired from Breñas, with the last 2 appearing to have hit the boat, which gave up the battle at 0930 hours, whereupon the voyage was continued at highest possible, zig-zagging at speed. At 1945 hours a torpedo hit Breñas on the port side between No. 3 and 4 hatches, resulting in a heavy list, the ship sinking in about 10 minutes. At that time, Gunner Fredriksen had just arrived in the mess room, then immediately ran back to the gun deck, only to find that the gunner on duty was not there, the gun was at that time in such a shape that it could not be used, with the ammunition ripped out of its casing. The motorboat that he was assigned to had been torn loose, so they tried to launch the gig, which was on the starboard side, but when this failed, he and several others ended up in the water. The port boat was successfully lowered, and most of the survivors assembled in it. The only fatality during the sinking was José Souza Gomez, the Brazilian Mess boy. The submarine then came up asking for the captain, who at first refused to identify himself, but was eventually ordered aboard the submarine, where he stayed for 5 weeks. Scholtz offered food and cognac to the people in the lifeboat, but as they felt they would be fine with what they had, this was refused. The 32 survivors were later rescued and put ashore in Trinidad on 10 Sep 1942. The Captain was interrogated and kept prisoner for nine months before being sent back to Germany. He later wrote about the weeks on board the submarine in a book "Skip og menn" (Ships and Men). |
| 7 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-572 sank Dutch ship Delfshaven 800 miles west of Freetown, British West Africa at 0225 hours; 1 was killed, 38 survived. |
| 7 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-109 (Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Bleichrodt) struck 6,030-ton Norwegian steam tanker Arthur W. Sewall with two torpedoes 1,400 miles west of Freetown, British West Africa. They hit the tanker below the bridge on the starboard side and at #7 tank. The vessel immediately developed a list to port as the master Wilhelm Pallesen ordered the crew to take to the lifeboats. As 19 members of the crew took to three boats another torpedo was fired but missed, the remaining crew saw the trail of this torpedo as it sped by only yards from the stationery tanker. The remaining crew then left the ship before another torpedo struck home. The tanker however, remained afloat forcing the submarine to surface and shell her with her deck gun. It was thirty minutes before the Arthur W. Sewall sank, taking 55 direct hits before doing so, at the same time the German crew fired 20-millimeter anti-aircraft guns and light machine guns at her now empty bridge. She finally sank at midnight after two and a half hours. The submarine could not find any of the lifeboats in the darkness despite searching with searchlights and left the scene. |
| 8 Aug 1942 | German submarines U-379 and U-176 attacked Allied convoy SC-94 485 miles southeast of the southern tip of Greenland in the afternoon; at 1325 hours, U-379 fatally damaged British merchant ship Anneberg and sank US merchant ship Kaimoku (50 survived); at 1518 hours, U-176 sank British merchant ship Kelso (3 were killed, 40 survived), sank British merchant ship Trehata (23 were killed, 25 survived), and disabled Greek merchant ship Mount Kassion (47 survived). British corvette HMS Dianthus counterattacked U-379 by ramming and depth charges, sinking the German submarine; 40 were killed, 5 survived. |
| 8 Aug 1942 | Morosini made her final report in the Atlantic Ocean at 1100 hours, noting that she was estimated to arrive in the Bordeaux, France region around 0600 hours on 10 Aug 1942. This was to be her last signal. She went missing some time after this report, and all 58 aboard were never seen again. |
| 8 Aug 1942 | German 3rd Torpedo Boat Flotilla (T10, T13, and T14) began escorting oiler Ermland in an attempt to break out into the Atlantic Ocean. |
| 9 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-155 sank British tanker San Emiliano 450 miles east of Trinidad at 0324 hours; 40 were killed, 8 survived. At 0649 hours, U-176 sank the already-abandoned British merchant ship Radchurch of Allied convoy SC-94 485 hours southeast of the southern tip of Greenland. German submarine U-752 sank Dutch ship Mendanau 400 miles southwest of Freetown, British West Africa at 2113 hours; 69 were killed, 16 survived. At 2237 hours, 750 miles west of Free town, U-130 sank Norwegian tanker Malmanger; 2 were killed, 32 survived but 2 were taken prisoner. ALso on this day, German armed merchant cruiser Stier attacked British freighter Dalhousie with gunfire; all 37 aboard were captured before Stier scuttled Dalhousie with torpedoes. |
| 9 Aug 1942 | An message was sent out to Morisini at 2300 hours, informing her that a German ship Uckermark, escorted by torpedo boats T10, T13, and T14, might come across her path in the Atlantic Ocean. She did not respond to this message. |
| 10 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-510 damaged British motor tanker Alexia with 3 torpedoes 50 miles east of Antigua at 0215 hours. |
| 10 Aug 1942 | German submarines U-660 and U-438 attacked Allied convoy SC-94 500 miles west of Ireland; at 1220 hours, U-438 damaged Greek merchant ship Condylis; at 1221 hours, U-660 sank Condylis, sank British merchant ship Empire Reindeer (all 65 aboard survived), British merchant ship Cape Race (all 63 aboard survived), and fatally damaged British merchant ship Oregon (2 were killed, 36 survived); at 1629 hours, U-438 sank the already-abandoned Oregon. |
| 10 Aug 1942 | U-155 sank Dutch merchant ship Strabo with her deck gun northeast of Paramaribo, Suriname at 1850 hours; all 13 aboard survived. |
| 10 Aug 1942 | U-600 stopped British sailing vessel Vivian P. Smith with a warning shot from her deck gun 140 miles east of Turks and Caicos Islands at 2130 hours; after the crew of 11 abandoned ship, Vivian P. Smith was scuttled by U-600's deck gun. |
| 10 Aug 1942 | Reginaldo Giuliani sank British freighter Medon by torpedo and gunfire in the Atlantic Ocean. She was sailing from Port Louis, Mauritius to New York, United States in ballast. All 64 aboard survived. |
| 10 Aug 1942 | An message was sent out to Morisini informing her that she was to make rendezvous with German ship Uckermark, escorted by torpedo boats T10, T13, and T14 in the Atlantic Ocean at 1000 hours. At 1000, Morisini failed to appear. Three German aircraft in flight in the area searched for her, but failed. |
| 11 Aug 1942 | At 1913 hours, German submarine U-109 sank British tanker Vimeira in the Atlantic Ocean; 17 were killed, 37 survived. |
| 11 Aug 1942 | The 7,455-ton steam tanker Mirlo, Norwegian owned but sailing under British Admiralty service since 1940, was heading for Freetown, Sierra Leone from Port of Spain, Trinidad with a full cargo of 10,000 tons of fuel oil and diesel. At 1427 hours, about 870 miles west-southwest of Freetown, the tanker was struck by one of two torpedoes fired from German submarine U-130 (Korvettenkapitän Ernst Kals). The crew took to three lifeboats and Kals brought the submarine alongside them, taking the Master, Olav Reinertsen, on board. Reinertsen asked Kals if he could return to the tanker to find one of the crew who was still missing and probably injured. This was allowed and Able Seaman Sverre Gustavsen was then taken aboard the submarine where he was treated. Kals apologized for having to sink Mirlo, saw to it that he had the bandages and everything else he needed to treat the injured man and said he would send a telegram to the Admiralty with their position so that they could be rescued. Kals already had two prisoners from SS Malmanger on the boat at that time. Another torpedo was sent into Mirlo and she disappeared in seconds in a huge explosion of oil and flames, which for a while threatened the people in one of the boats. |
| 11 Aug 1942 | German oiler Ermland successfully broke out into the Atlantic Ocean via the Bay of Biscay, arriving at Royan, France; she was escorted by torpedo boats T10, T13, and T14 of German 3rd Torpedo Boat Flotilla. |
| 13 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-752 sank US ship Cripple Creek 400 miles southwest of Freetown, British West Africa at 0740 hours; 1 was killed, 51 survived. |
| 13 Aug 1942 | Reginaldo Giuliani attacked American freighter California by torpedo and gunfire in the Atlantic Ocean. The ship was en route from Cape Town, South Africa to Trinidad. All 38 aboard abandoned the sinking ship, and one of them would later die of exposure before being rescued. |
| 14 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-598 attacked Allied convoy TAW-12 50 miles northeast of Pueto Padre, Cuba at 1155 hours, sinking British freighter Michael Jebsen (7 were killed, 40 survived), sinking British tanker Empire Corporal (6 were killed, 49 survived), and damaging British tanker Standella (6 were killed, 52 survived). |
| 14 Aug 1942 | Reginaldo Giuliani sank British freighter Sylvia de Larrinaga 700 miles southwest of Cape Verde Islands at 1930 hours, killing 3 of 53, including the master. |
| 14 Aug 1942 | South of Saint Helena island, German armed merchant cruiser Michel sank British freighter Arabistan with gunfire; 66 were killed. |
| 15 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-705 attacked Allied convoy SC-95 570 miles west of Ireland at 0358 hours, sinking US ship Balladier; 13 were killed, 32 survived. |
| 15 Aug 1942 | Uckermarck and Ermland departed Royan, France, escorted by torpedo boats T4 and T10, in an attempt to pass through the English Channel for coast of the Bay of Biscay. |
| 16 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-507 sank Brazilian passenger ship Baependy at 0012 hours (270 were killed, 36 survived), merchant ship Araraquara at 0203 hours (131 were killed, 11 survivied), and ship Annibal Benévolo at 0913 hours (150 were killed, 4 survived) off Aracaju, Brazil. At 0745 hours, 620 miles west of Ireland, German submarine U-596 stopped Swedish merchant ship Suecia, forced the crew of 35 and 12 passengers to abandon ship (1 would drown in the process and 1 lifeboat containing 8 men would never be found), and sank the ship along with its cargo of American steel bound for Britain with a torpedo. |
| 16 Aug 1942 | Uckermarck and Ermland arrived at La Pallice, La Rochelle, France; they were escorted by torpedo boats T4 and T10. |
| 17 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-507 sank Brazilian ship Itagiba off Brazil at 1549 hours (36 were killed, 145 survived); later at 1803 hours, as Brazilian ship Arará approached to rescue survivors, U-507 sank her as well (20 were killed, 16 survived). Meanwhile, at 1756 hours, German submarine U-566 sank Norwegian merchant ship Triton 200 miles northeast of the Azores islands; all 43 aboard survived. At 2244 hours, after a 6-hour pursuit, German submarine U-108 sank US tanker Louisiana 200 miles off French Guiana; all 49 aboard were killed. |
| 18 Aug 1942 | German submarine wolfpack BlĂĽcher consisted of U-214, U-333, U-406, U-566, U-590, U-594, and U-653 attacked Allied convoy SL-118 565 miles west of Portugal; at 1852 hours, a spread of torpedoes fired by U-214 sank Dutch merchant ship Balingkar (2 were killed, 91 survived), sank British merchant ship Hatarana (all 108 aboard survived), and damaged British armed merchant cruiser Cheshire (all aboard survived); U-653 was detected by a British Liberator aircraft of No. 120 Squadron RAF, and was forced to return to Brest, France after sustaining heavy damage. |
| 19 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-507 stopped Brazilian sailing vessel Jacyra at 0530 hours, forced her crew of 6 to abandon ship, and scuttled her at 0800 hours with charges. At 0907 hours, U-510 sank British merchant ship Cressington Court 200 miles off French Guiana; 8 were killed, 36 survived. German submarine U-406 attacked Allied convoy SL-118 450 miles west of Portugal at 1622 hours, fatally damaging British ship City of Manila; 1 was killed, 95 survived. |
| 20 Aug 1942 | British ship City of Manila, damaged by German submarine U-406 on the previous day, sank 450 miles west of Portugal. A PBY Catalina aircraft of US Navy squadron VP-73 attacked German submarine U-464 with depth charges 250 miles west of the Faroe Islands between Britain and Iceland at 0530 hours, killing 2 men and damaging the submarine; U-464 was scuttled at 0815 hours after the 51 survivors abandoned ship; all survivors were captured by the British. |
| 21 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-506 sank British ship City of Wellington 100 miles southwest of Freetown, British West Africa at 2243 hours; 7 were killed, 66 survived. |
| 22 Aug 1942 | New Zealand troop transport HMNZS Awatea rammed US destroyer USS Buck in heavy fog 225 miles south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada; HMNZS Awatea suffered damage from depth charge detonations, USS Buck suffered damage and suffered 7 killed, and destroyer USS Ingraham collided with oiler USS Chemung during the rescue effort, causing more accidental depth charge detonations that would kill 218 and sink USS Ingraham (only 11 survived Ingraham's sinking). Elsewhere, German submarine U-507 sank Swedish merchant ship Hammaren 12 miles off the coast of Brazil at 0950 hours; 6 were killed, 25 survived. |
| 23 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-506 sank British ship Hamla 150 miles southwest of Freetown, British West Africa at 2337 hours; all 40 aboard were killed. |
| 24 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-162 sank Dutch ship Moena 100 miles east of Barbados at 1113 hours; 4 were killed, 83 survived. |
| 25 Aug 1942 | German submarines attacked Allied convoy ONS-122 in the middle of the North Atlantic, with U-605 sinking British ship Katvaldis (3 were killed, 40 survived) and British ship Sheaf Mount (31 were killed, 20 survived) at 0145 hours, U-176 sinking British ship Empire Breeze at 0200 hours (1 was killed, 48 survived), and U-438 sinking Norwegian ship Trolla at 0205 hours; convoy escorts counterattacked with depth charges, lightly damaging 6 submarines and seriously damaging U-174 and U-256. After a 12-hour chase, U-604 sank Dutch merchant ship Abbekerk 15 miles to the southeast of ONS-122 at 0348 hours; 2 were killed, 62 survived. German submarine U-130 sank British ship Viking Star 160 miles south of Freetown, British West Africa at 1944 hours; 7 were killed, 54 survived. |
| 26 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-162 sank Norwegian tanker Thelma 60 miles east of Barbados at 0423 hours; 2 were killed, 31 survived. |
| 26 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-130 sank British ship Beechwood 160 miles south of Freetown, British West Africa at 1124 hours; 1 was killed, 43 survived (the captain was taken prisoner). |
| 27 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-156 sank British ship Clan MacWhirter 190 miles north of Madeira island at 0100 hours; 12 were killed, 74 survived. At 1348 hours, U-517 sank US passenger ship Chatham off Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Canada; 14 were killed, 548 survived. |
| 28 Aug 1942 | German submarines U-165 and U-517 attacked Allied convoy SG-6 in the Strait of Belle Isle just outside of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Canada at 1432 hours, with U-165 damaging US ship Arlyn and US fleet oiler Laramie (4 were killed, 103 survived), and U-517 finishing Arlyn off (12 were killed, 37 survived. At 1908 hours, U-566 attacked Allied convoy SL-119 with three torpedoes 390 miles west of Porto, Portugal, damaging Dutch ship Zuiderkerk (all 68 aboard survived; ship later scuttled by British sloop HMS Erne) and damaging British ship City of Cardiff (21 were killed, 63 survived). |
| 29 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-66 sank US ship Topa Topa 660 miles west of Trinidad at 0237 hours; 25 were killed, 35 survived. British ship City of Cardiff, damaged by German submarine U-566 on 28 Aug 1942, sank from her damage 390 miles west of Porto, Portugal. |
| 30 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-66 sank Panamanian ship Sir Huon 375 miles east of Trinidad at 0926 hours; all 46 aboard survived. At 1930 hours, U-66 struck again, sinking US ship West Lashaway; all 56 aboard survived but some would die before being rescued. |
| 31 Aug 1942 | German submarine U-516 sank US tanker Jack Carnes 200 miles north of the Azores islands at 0154 hours; all 56 aboard survived but 28 of them would become missing. At 1004 hours, U-609 attacked Allied convoy SC-97 300 miles southeast of Greenland and sank Panamanian ship Capira (5 were killed, 33 survived) and Norwegian ship Bronxville (all 39 aboard survived). At 1417 hours, U-66 sank British tanker Winamac 390 miles east of Trinidad; 30 were killed, 21 survived. |
| 1 Sep 1942 | German submarine U-759 was spotted near Allied Convoy SC-97 500 miles east of the southern tip of Greeland in the North Atlantic; U-759 avoided the ramming attempt by Canadian corvette HMCS Morden but would succumb to depth charging by Morden; all 43 aboard were killed in U-759's sinking. 50 miles to the east, U-91 was damaged by a Catalina PBY aircraft of US Navy VP-73 squadron. 15 miles east of Cape Coast, Gold Coast, British West Africa, U-125 sank British ship Ilorin at 2206 hours; 33 were killed, 4 survived. |
| 1 Sep 1942 | A British Sunderland aircraft attacked Italian submarine Reginaldo Giuliani on the surface in the Bay of Biscay west of France at 1244 hours, damaging the submarine; 2 were killed. |
| 3 Sep 1942 | After a 30-hour pursuit, German submarine U-109 sank British ship Ocean Might 200 miles south of Abidjan, CĂ´te d'Ivoire, French West Africa at 0050 hours; 4 were killed, 50 survived. At 0557 hours, U-107 attacked a group of British ships 5 miles off the coast of Portugal, sinking Penrose (2 were killed, 42 survived) and Hollinside (3 were killed, 48 survived). German submarine U-517 sank Canadian ship Donald Stewart in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, Canada at 0756 hours; 3 were killed, 17 survived. German submarine U-162 attacked British destroyers HMS Vimy, HMS Pathfinder, and HMS Quentin without success 60 miles southeast of Barbados at 1805 hours; the British destroyers counterattacked with depth charges and ramming (by HMS Vimy); 2 of the 51 aboard were killed in U-162's sinking and the remainder were captured. Also on this day, British Whitley aircraft attacked U-660 and U-705 in the Bay of Biscay 400 west of Saint-Nazaire, France; U-705 was sunk with all 45 aboard killed. |
| 5 Sep 1942 | German submarine U-506 sank British merchant ship Myrmidon 200 miles south of Cape Palmas, Liberia at 0233 hours; all 245 aboard survived. German submarine U-513 sank British ship Saganaga (30 were killed, 14 survived) and Canadian ship Lord Strathcona (all 44 aboard survived) at Wabana, Bell Island, Newfoundland at 1615 hours. |
| 6 Sep 1942 | German submarine U-514 sank British sailing vessel Helen Forsey by gunfire 500 miles east of Bermuda at 1100 hours; 2 were killed, 4 survived. At 2323 hours, U-109 sank British passenger-cargo ship Tuscan Star 300 miles southwest of Cape Palmas, Liberia, 51 were killed, 63 survived but 1 of them would be taken prisoner. |
| 7 Sep 1942 | German submarine U-517 attacked Allied convoy QS-33 at the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River, Canada at 2300 hours, sinking Greek ship Mount Pindus (2 were killed, 35 survived), Greek ship Mount Taygetus (2 were killed, 26 survived), and Canadian collier Oakton (3 were killed, 17 survived). 40 miles south of Iceland, U-617 sank Faroese trawler Tor II; 18 were killed, 3 survived. |
| 9 Sep 1942 | German submarine U-584 made contact with Allied convoy ON-127 in the middle of the North Atlantic and relayed the finding to 11 fellow wolfpack mates. At 1516 hours, U-755 sank US Navy weather ship USS Muskeget 590 miles northeast of St. John's, Newfoundland; all 121 aboard were killed. At 1528 hours, U-66 sank Swedish ship Peiping 875 miles north of Antigua island; 3 were killed, 31 survived. |
| 10 Sep 1942 | German armed merchant cruiser Michel sank US freighter American Leader 850 miles west of Capetown, South Africa before dawn; 11 were killed, 47 survived and were captured by Michel. |
| 10 Sep 1942 | German submarine U-96 attacked Allied convoy ON-127 765 miles west of Ireland at 1631 hours, sinking Belgian ship Elisabeth van Belgie (1 was killed, 55 survived), sinking Norwegian tanker Sveve (all 39 aboard survived; see further account below), and damaging British tanker F. J. Wolfe (all aboard survived). Sveve, which was at station 32 in the convoy, unsuccessfully attempted to steer hard to port to avoid the incoming torpedo. The torpedo hit just below the surface on the port side of the No. 5 main tank, filling the hold and pump room full of sea water within four minutes. This damage together with damaged bulkheads and long holes on the starboard side above the water line made the Master, Harald Hansen, order that the ship be abandoned. All 39 crew members including two gunners left the vessel in lifeboats, 20 minutes after the attack and within the hour they were picked up by the Canadian Flower-class corvette HMCS Sherbrooke (K 152). The corvette then attempted to sink the Sveve with 15 rounds from her gun, but it was not until the evening that she finally sank by the stern after the valves had been opened by the corvette's crew. At 2110 hours, ON-127 was again the target of an attack, this time by a wolfpack of 12 German submarines; U-659 disabled British tanker Empire Oil with 2 torpedoes (all 53 aboard survived). |
| 11 Sep 1942 | German submarine U-404 attacked Allied convoy ON-127 800 miles west of Ireland, damaging Norwegian tanker Marit II at 0016 hours; 2 were killed. At 0135 hours, U-218 also attacked the same convoy, damaging Norwegian tanker Fjordaas. At 0147 hours, U-584 sank British tanker Empire Oil 765 miles west of Ireland, which was a member of ON-127 that was already disabled by U-659 on the previous date and already abandoned. Elsewhere, U-96 sank Portuguese sailing vessel DelĂŁes at 1150 hours, U-517 sank corvette HMCS Charlottetown in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence in northeastern Canada at 1300 hours (9 were killed, 55 survived), and U-584 sank Norwegian merchant ship Hindanger at 1925 hours (1 was killed, 40 survived). |
| 12 Sep 1942 | German submarines attacked Allied convoy ON-127 750 miles east of Newfoundland; U-211 damaged British whale factory ship Hektoria (1 was killed) and British ship Empire Moonbeam (3 were killed) at 0105 hours; U-608 sank Hektoria at 0351 hours and sank Empire Moonbeam at 0459 hours; U-404 damaged Norwegian tanker Daghild at 0617 hours; counterattacks by escorting vessels damaged U-218 and U-380, forcing them to return to France for repairs. In the South Atlantic, U-68 sank British merchant ship Trevilley 750 miles southwest of Gold Coast, British West Africa at 0332 hours; 2 were killed, 53 survived. U-515 sank Panamanian tanker Stanvac Melbourne (at 1000 hours; 1 was killed, 48 survived) and Dutch tanker Woensdrecht (at 1041 hours; 1 was killed, 73 survived) 40 miles east of Trinidad. |
| 13 Sep 1942 | At 0058 hours, U-506 sank Swedish merchant ship Lina 150 miles off Liberia; 3 were killed, 30 survived. At 0135 hours, U-512 sank US tanker Patrick J. Hurley with gunfire 950 miles northeast of Barbados; 17 were killed, 22 survived. U-594 sank Panamanian ship Stone Street (13 were killed, 39 survived but 1 was captured) 600 miles east of Newfoundland at 1436 hours; Stone Street was a straggler of Allied convoy ON-127. |
| 14 Sep 1942 | German submarine U-91 sank Canadian destroyer HMCS Ottawa 440 miles east of St. John's, Newfoundland at 0205 hours; 109 were killed, 65 survived; HMCS Ottawa was escorting Allied convoy ON-127. |
| 15 Sep 1942 | German submarine U-68 sank Dutch ship Breedijk 450 miles northeast of Ascension Island at 0058 hours; 2 were killed, 37 survived. At 0714 hours, U-515 sank Norwegian merchant ship Sørholt 100 miles east of Trinidad; 7 were killed, 31 survived. At 1833 hours, U-517 attacked Allied convoy SQ-36 with 4 torpedoes at the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River, Canada, sinking Norwegian ship Inger Elisabeth (3 were killed, 23 survived) and Dutch ship Saturnus (1 was killed, 35 survived. German submarine U-261 was attacked and sunk by a British Whitley bomber 100 miles southwest of the Faroe Islands; all aboard were killed. |
| 16 Sep 1942 | German submarine U-558 sank US ship Commercial Trader 75 miles east of Trinidad at 1100 hours; 10 were killed, 28 survived. British tanker F. J. Wolfe and British ship Empire Soldier, members of Allied convoy ON-127, collided 25 miles east of St. John's, Newfoundland; Empire Soldier would sink from damages sustained in this collision. At 1200 hours, U-165 attacked Allied convoy SQ-36 at the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River 10 miles northwest of Cap-Chat, Canada, sinking Greek ship Joannis, damaging British ship Essex Lance (1 was killed), and damaging British ship Pan York. |
| 16 Sep 1942 | The 39 survivors of Norwegian tanker Sveve, a victom of German submarine U-96 on 10 Sep 1942, were dropped off in St. John's, Newfoundland. |
| 17 Sep 1942 | At 0625 hours, German submarine U-515 sank US ship Mae 41 miles north of Georgetown, Guyana; 1 was killed, 40 survived. At 1314 hours, U-109 sank British collier Peterton 200 miles northwest of the Cape Verde Islands; 9 were killed, 34 survived but 1 (the captain) was captured. |
| 18 Sep 1942 | German submarine U-175 sank Canadian ship Norfolk 25 miles off British Guyana at 0152 hours; 6 were killed, 13 survived. |
| 18 Sep 1942 | The Olaf Fostenes, a 2,994-ton Norwegian motor merchant, was on a voyage alone from Liverpool, England, United Kingdom to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in ballast when torpedoed by German submarine U-380 (Kapitänleutnant Josef Röther) at 0921 hours. Master Valvatne, all of the 32 crew members, and three gunners abandoned ship in two lifeboats and were questioned by the Germans who asked for the master but they were told that he had been lost. The survivors set sail for Newfoundland and would be located by an aircraft on 26 Sep 1942. The Olaf Fostenes and her two sister ships were modern fruit transports known for their high speed. |
| 19 Sep 1942 | German submarine U-552 sank British anti-submarine trawler HMS Alouette 50 miles southwest of Lisbon, Portugal at 0300 hours; 17 were killed, 27 survived. At 0648 hours, U-516 sank US merchant ship Wichita 300 miles northeast of Barbados; all 50 aboard were killed. At 1546 hours, U-156 sank British ship Quebec City 500 miles southwest of Liberia; 5 were killed, 41 survived. At 1937 hours, U-512 sank Spanish merchant ship Monte Gorbea 60 miles east of Martinique; 52 were killed, 27 survived. |
| 19 Sep 1942 | An inquiry for the loss of Norwegian tanker Sveve, a victim of German submarine U-96 on 10 Sep 1942, was held at St. John's, Newfoundland, the master, 2nd mate (Officer on watch) and the helmsman attending. |
| 20 Sep 1942 | German submarine U-515 sank British ship Reedpool 120 miles northeast of Georgetown, British Guyana at 0815 hours; 5 were killed, 53 survived but 1, the captain, was captured. At 1517 hours, U-596 attacked Allied convoy SC-100 300 miles southeast of Iceland, sinking British ship Empire Hartebeeste (all 46 aboard survived). |
| 21 Sep 1942 | German submarine U-175 sank Yugoslavian ship Predsednik Kopajtic 20 miles off British Guyana at 0640 hours; 3 were killed, 25 survived. |
| 22 Sep 1942 | In the early morning hours the unescorted Norwegian merchant ship Vibran (Master Per E. Palm) was torpedoed and sunk by German submarine U-582 about 400 miles north-northwest of the Azores; she was in ballast and on her way to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The master, 34 crew members, two gunners and eleven passengers were lost. The ship was reported missing and was presumed lost. Amongst the crew were two British 17-year-old mess boys, Ken Humphreys from Liverpool and Bertie Aiken from Cardiff. |
| 23 Sep 1942 | German submarine U-617 attacked Allied convoy SC-100 200 miles east of the southern tip of Greenland just after the start of the day, sinking British tanker Athelsultan at 0019 hours (51 were killed, 10 survived) and British merchant ship Tennessee at 0142 hours (15 were killed, 20 survived. At 0026 hours, U-211 sank US tanker Esso Williamsburg 500 miles south of Greenland; most of the 60 aboard were killed, and the few survivors never reached land. 580 miles southeast of Newfoundland, U-582 sank Norwegian merchant ship Vibran; all 48 aboard were killed. At 0615 hours, U-515 sank Norwegian ship Lindvangen off British Guyana; 15 were killed, 8 survived. At 1103 hours, U-515 struck again in the same area, damaging US ship Antinous. British aircraft attacked German submarine U-177 on the surface off the Faroe Islands at 1330 hours, causing no damage but killed one. At 2334 hours, U-125 sank British ship Bruyère 380 miles southwest of Freetown, British West Africa after an 8-hour pursuit; all 55 aboard survived. |
| 24 Sep 1942 | German submarine U-432 sank US ship Penmar 400 miles east of southern Greenland at 0144 hours; 2 were killed, 59 survived. In the same general area, U-617 sank Belgium ship Roumanie at 0158 hours; 42 were killed, 1 survived. At 0924 hours, U-175 sank US ship West Chetac 100 miles north of Georgetown, British Guyana; 31 were killed, 19 survived. At 1825 hours, U-512 sank US merchant ship Antinous (under two by British rescue tug HMS Zwatre Zee) also north of British Guyana. At 1910 hours, U-619 sank US ship John Winthrop 450 miles southeast of Greenland; all 52 aboard were killed. |
| 26 Sep 1942 | The survivors of Norwegian motor merchant Olaf Fostenes, sunk by German submarine U-380 on 18 Sep 1942, were found in two lifeboats by an aircraft in the North Atlantic. |
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Visitor Submitted Comments
2. Roger N. ThomasAnonymous says:
28 Dec 2013 02:51:33 AM
Nice to have what is up but it would be much more interesting if you had a similar timeline with Allied actions and reactions.
28 Dec 2013 02:51:33 AM
Nice to have what is up but it would be much more interesting if you had a similar timeline with Allied actions and reactions.
3. Anonymous says:
4 Jan 2015 04:25:22 PM
Germany declared war on the U.S. before the U.S. declared war on Germany.
4 Jan 2015 04:25:22 PM
Germany declared war on the U.S. before the U.S. declared war on Germany.
All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.
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1 Jun 2012 08:39:04 AM
God Bless Edwin Wray RIP.
Perished Oct 31 1941 in the North Atlantic when His ship DD-245 USS Reuben James was sunk by U-boat.
Lest we Forget
They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.