German submarine U-564 (2024)

German submarine U-564
Career (Nazi Germany)
Name:	U-564
Ordered:	24 October 1939
Builder:	Blohm + Voss, Hamburg
Laid down:	30 March 1940
Launched:	7 February 1941
Commissioned:	3 April 1941
Fate:	Sunk on 14 June 1943[1]
General characteristics
Class & type:	Type VIIC U-boat
Displacement:	769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced 871t (857 long tons) submerged
Length:	Overall 67.1m (220ft 2in) pressure hull 50.5m (165ft 8in)
Beam:	Overall 6.2m (20ft 4in) pressure hull 4.7m (15ft 5in)
Draught:	4.74m (15ft 7in)
Propulsion:	Surfaced: two supercharged MAN, 6 cylinder, 4-stroke M6V 40/46 diesels totalling 2,800 - 3,200bhp(2,400 kW). Max rpm: 470-490.
Speed:	Surfaced 17.7 knots (20.4mph; 32.8km/h) submerged 7.6 knots (8.7mph; 14.1km/h)
Range:	Surfaced: 8,190nmi (15,170km; 9,420mi) Submerged: 81nmi (150km; 93mi)
Test depth:	230 m (754ft). Calculated crush depth: 250-295m (820-967ft)
Complement:	44 to 52 officers and ratings
Armament:	5 x 53.3cm (21in) Torpedo tubes: four bow, one stern (14 torpedoes or 26 TMA or 39 TMB mines) 1 x C35 88mm gun/L45 deck gun with 220 rounds C30 20 mm flak guns

German submarine U-564 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for the Nazi German Kriegsmarine for service during the Second World War. The RAF sank her in the Bay of Biscay on 14 June 1943.

Construction and commissioning[]

She was ordered on 24 October 1939 and was laid down on 30 March 1940 at Blohm + Voss, Hamburg, as 'werk 540'. She was launched on 7 February 1941 and commissioned under her first commander Oberleutnant Reinhard Suhren on 3 April of that year. Suhren commanded her for her work-up with the 1st U-boat Flotilla between 3 April and 1 June 1941. She then became a front (operational) boat of the 1st U-boat Flotilla, and set out on her first patrols.^[2]

Operational career[]

Early patrols[]

Her first patrol took U-564 from Kiel to Brest in occupied France, spending a total of 41 days at sea. The patrol brought a number of successes; on 27 June Suhren came across convoy HX-133. He damaged the Norwegian tanker MVKongsgaard and sank the Dutch SSMaasdam and the British MVMalaya II that day. He had one further success on that patrol, sinking the Icelandic merchantman SSHekla on 29 June. U-564 put in to Brest on 27 July, having sunk three merchant ships for 18,678gross register tons(GRT), and damaged another for 9,467 tons.^[2]

She sailed again from Brest on 16 August, heading into the Atlantic. She came across convoy OG-71 and sank the Irish SSConlara and the British tug Empire Oak on 22 August. She sank an escort the following day, the HMSZinnia. U-564 returned to Brest on 27 August after 12 days at sea, having sunk three ships for 2,587GRT. She sailed again on 16 September, this time encountering convoy HG-75 on 24 October. She sank three British merchantmen that day, the SSAlhama, SSAriosto and the SSCarsbreck.^[2] U-564 was attacked later in the evening, by a bomb from an aircraft and later by an escort with depth charges. She escaped damage however, and returned to port at Lorient on 1 November having spent 47 days at sea and sunk three ships for 2,587 tons.^[2]

U-564 relocated to La Pallice in early 1942, and sailed from there on 18 January. She sank the Canadian tanker MVVictolite 260mi (420km) northwest of Bermuda on 11 February and damaged the British tanker MVOpalia, although not severely, (her deck gun firing 83 rounds, but only scoring three hits), on 16 February, before returning to Brest on 6 March after 48 days on patrol with 11,410GRT sunk and 619GRT damaged.^[2]

Off the American coast[]

U-564 sailed from Brest on 4 April 1942, to cross the Atlantic and prey on shipping off the North American coast, including Florida. She was in position in early May and on the 3rd secured her first success, sinking the British SSOcean Venus. On the 4th she damaged the British SSEclipse, and on 5 May she damaged the American SSDelisle. On the 8th she sank the American merchantman SSOhian, the following day she sank the Panamanian tanker MVLubrafol. Her final success in American waters was to sink the Mexican tanker SSPotrero del Llano. U-564 arrived back in Brest on 6 June, having spent 64 days at sea and sunk four ships for 24,390GRT and damaged two ships for 13,245GRT.^[2]

U-564 repeated the exercise on her next patrol, departing Brest on 6 July to operate off the coast of South America. Whilst outward-bound across the Atlantic, Suhren came across convoy OS-34 and on 19 July sank the British merchant ships SSEmpire Hawksbill and MVLavington Court. Operating off the northern South America coast, he sank the SSBritish Consul and the SSEmpire Cloud west of Grenada on 19 August and on the 30th, she sank the Norwegian tanker Vardaas north of Scarborough. U-564 arrived back in Brest on 18 September after 72 days on patrol, having sunk five ships for 32,181GRT.^[2]

Fiedler takes charge[]

This was Suhren's last patrol as commander of U-564. He left on 1 October to become an instructor, Oberleutnant Hans Fiedler took command.^[2] He took the boat on two war patrols in 1943 but failed to hit any enemy ships. On one of these sorties events took a dramatic turn when the U-boat lost a crewman, Fähnrich zur See (Ensign) Heinrich Fuerhake. U-564 was transferred to operate out of Bordeaux in April 1943. She left the French port city for the final time on 9 June with four other outbound U-boats, U-185, U-358, U-634 and U-653.^[2] A Royal Air Force Short Sunderland spotted the boats and attacked them off Cape Finisterre at 18.59 hours on 13 June. The aircraft targeted U-564 and dropped its bombs, but was shot down by anti-aircraft fire, killing all 11 of the crew. U-564 had sustained heavy damage and turned back, escorted by U-185.^[2]

Sinking[]

An Armstrong Whitworth Whitley sighted the two U-boats in the Bay of Biscay the following day and shadowed them. U-564 was unable to dive due to the damage already sustained. By 16.45 hours the Whitley was running low on fuel and attacked U-564. The two U-boats damaged their attacker with anti-aircraft fire but the aircraft's depth charges fatally damaged U-564 and she sank at 17:30 hours. The damaged Whitley was forced to ditch, where a French trawler rescued the crew. There were 18 survivors from U-564 including the commander. U-185 picked them up and transferred them to the German destroyerZ24 two hours later.^[2]

Raiding history[]

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage (GRT)	Fate
24 June 1941	Kongsgaard	Norway	9,467	Damaged
27 June 1941	Maasdam	Netherlands	8,812	Sunk
27 June 1941	Malaya II	United Kingdom	8,651	Sunk
29 June 1941	Hekla	Iceland	1,215	Sunk
22 August 1941	Clonlara	Ireland	1,203	Sunk
22 August 1941	Empire Oak	United Kingdom	484	Sunk
22 August 1941	HMS Zinnia	United Kingdom	900	Sunk
24 October 1941	Alhama	United Kingdom	1,352	Sunk
24 October 1941	Ariosto	United Kingdom	2,176	Sunk
24 October 1941	Carsbreck	United Kingdom	3,670	Sunk
11 February 1942	Victolite	Canada	11,410	Sunk
16 February 1942	Opalia	United Kingdom	6,195	Damaged
3 May 1942	Ocean Venus	United Kingdom	7,174	Sunk
4 May 1942	Eclipse	United Kingdom	9,767	Damaged
5 May 1942	Delisle	USA	3,478	Damaged
8 May 1942	Ohioan	USA	6,078	Sunk
9 May 1942	Lubrafol	Panama	7,138	Sunk
14 May 1942	Potero del Llano	Mexico	4,000	Sunk
19 July 1942	Empire Hawksbill	United Kingdom	5,724	Sunk
19 July 1942	Lavington Court	United Kingdom	5,372	Sunk
19 August 1942	British Consul	United Kingdom	6,940	Sunk
19 August 1942	Empire Cloud	United Kingdom	5,969	Sunk
30 August 1942	Vardaas	Norway	8,176	Sunk

References[]

• U-564's war patrols
• Ships lost to U-564