Info on U 874 and U 875

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Derek Waller
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Re: Info on U 874 and U 875

#16

Post by Derek Waller » 22 Jun 2013, 19:36

Dear Red Devil,

Ref your post of earlier today, there have been 6 U-Boats on the Mersey since 1945.

U 532

The first U-Boat to visit the Mersey in 1945 was the Type IXC/40, U 532, which had surrendered from sea at Loch Eriboll on 13 May at the end of its return trip from the Far East, and which was then taken via Loch Alsh to Liverpool on 17 May for its cargo to be unloaded in the Gladstone Dock rather than being moved directly to Loch Ryan. However, this did not prove possible, and so U 532 was sailed to Barrow-in-Furness on 25 May for completion of the unloading process. Whilst in Liverpool, the U-Boat was inspected by Admiral Sir Max Horton amid considerable publicity, as well as being open to the public - thus giving rise to the oft-repeated, but erroneous, story that it had surrendered there.

U 1023

Next came U 1023, which was one of the U-Boats that had surrendered from sea at Portland in May 1945. Rather than being transferred quickly and directly to Lisahally in N.Ireland, it was instead - crewed by a mixture of RN and German sailors - sent on an 80-day tour of ports in the south west and west of the UK, starting at Portland on 25 May, and ending in Lisahally on 14 August in order to raise funds for the King George’s Fund for Sailors. This tour, which included Plymouth, Bristol, Cardiff, the Liverpool area, Belfast, Glasgow and the Isle of Mull, involved visits to three separate sites in the Mersey. Liverpool (West Canning Dock from 26 June to 1 July), Birkenhead (Morpeth Dock from 1 July to 5 July), and Manchester (Pomona Dock from 5 July to 12 July). Also, on the night of 12/13 July it was again in Gladstone Dock, Liverpool, awaiting the tide prior to its transit to Fleetwood. Thousands of people viewed the U-Boat during its tour, and a considerable amount of money was raised for the King George VI Sailors Fund.

U 2502

The Type XXI U-Boat, U 2502, on which the Royal Navy wished to conduct trials off south-west Scotland suffered from a series of defects which required it to be docked in the Cammell Laird Shipyard at Birkenhead for inspection and repair before the trials could begin. U 2502 arrived in Birkenhead on 22 July 1945 prior to docking and inspection in the No 4 Graving Dock, which was scheduled to occur from 24 to 29 July. However, on 23 July its starboard main motor’s insulation caught fire and the starboard auxiliary motor suffered from overheating. Once docked, it was discovered that U 2502 would have needed 4 to 6 weeks in the dock to repair the defects, as well as it being a complicated and expensive process which would have involved cutting out a section of the hull. The proposed trials with U 2502 were therefore cancelled, and the U-Boat was returned to Lisahally on 2 August.

U 874 and U 875

Amongst the surrendered U-Boats at Lisahally, there were two long range ocean-going supply/transport U-Boats which had been carrying cargo from Germany to Japan, and which needed to be unloaded. These were the Type IXD2s, U 874 and U 875. U 874 had surrendered in Horten, Norway on 9 May 1945, and been moved to Lisahally where it arrived on 30 May, and U 875 had surrendered in Bergen, Norway on 9 May, and been moved to Lisahally where it arrived on 6 June. However, it was soon realised that both these U-Boats were carrying cargo in their keels, and they were therefore transferred to Birkenhead for this to be removed in a dry dock. U 875 was the first to move, leaving Lisahally on 25 August with a joint Royal Navy and German crew, and then spending three weeks in dock at the Grayson, Rollo and Clover (GR&C) shipyard, where its cargo of optical lenses, mercury and iron were unloaded before it returned to Lisahally on 12 September. It was followed by U 874 on 19 September, again with a mixed Royal Navy and German crew, which was also docked in the CR&C shipyard, and from which optical lenses, mercury and zinc were unloaded. U 874 then returned to Lisahally on 22 October.

U-534

Some 50 years later a sixth U-Boat came to the Mersey, this time permanently. This was U 534, which had been sunk in an air attack in the Baltic east of Anholt Island on 5 May 1945. It was located by divers in 1986, and raised on 23 August 1993. It was first taken to Hirtshals in northern Denmark, and then it was transported to Liverpool where it arrived on 30 May 1996. The intention was to renovate U-534 and display it in the Maritime Museum at Birkenhead. However this was not possible for financial reasons and, instead, the U-Boat was cut into 4 separate sections and is now on public display at the Woodside Ferry Terminal at Birkenhead, near Liverpool.

I hope this helps (though it strays a little from the topic of this thread of posts).

Yours aye

Derek

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red devil
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Re: Info on U 874 and U 875

#17

Post by red devil » 23 Jun 2013, 06:00

thanks for the info Derek , I discounted U 534 as its a modern occurrence. (I have extensive info on this on my ww2 site) I was concentrating in this instance on 1945. There is an image of a U boat in Graysons yard Birkenhead in 1945 which has a contradictory news item to go with it. I have the image saved from a conversation in Facebook on this sub. The newspaper, whichever it was, looks to have used a 'library image' to illustrated a story that was totally different and gave rise to contradictory passages in correspeonding years. The uboat in the image is the 875 (type 9D) I believe but was labelled the 1023 (Type 7C). The image I have of the 1023 is as it is coming along the Mersey, approximately off Egremont (Wallasey) with a mersey ferry approaching. RN officers in conning tower.
Last edited by Dieter Zinke on 23 Jun 2013, 15:20, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Correct spelling "U 534" with space - not "U534".


Bart150
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Location: Rotterdam, Netherlands

Re: Info on U 874 and U 875

#18

Post by Bart150 » 02 Jul 2013, 14:38

@ Derek Walker
I have an elderly relative who has some, in my judgement, rather muddled memories of a U boat at the end of the war.
From the information on this thread I am now sure that he must have seen U 532 in Liverpool, since he was certainly there on the relevant dates.
My question, that may help unmuddle things further, is: Is it possible that he may have seen some of the German crew there?
Bart

Derek Waller
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Posts: 72
Joined: 25 Oct 2010, 14:55

Re: Info on U 874 and U 875

#19

Post by Derek Waller » 02 Jul 2013, 15:01

Dear Bart,

Yes, there will have been a residual German steaming party aboard, comprising the Captain and about 14 others.

The rest of the original crew will have been disembarked at Loch Alsh and sent to POW camps.

So it will have had a mixed RN and German crew. First for the transit from Loch Alsh to Liverpool, then from Liverpool to Barrow, and then from Barrow to Loch Ryan.

Hope that help.

Yours aye

Derek

steve coates
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Re: Info on U 874 and U 875

#20

Post by steve coates » 30 Dec 2016, 13:05

Many years ago when researching Bachstelzen usage aboard U-boats to support my helicopter research, I was advised by U 874 crew member, Günter Schiemann that whilst U 874 did not carry an Fa 330, two crew members had been trained to fly it - Matr.Ogefr. Leonhard Wagner and Matr.Ogefr. Paul Schmidt. A third pilot, Matr.Ogefr. Erich Schlegel had been trained but left U 874 shortly before its final journey.

Can I ask where the details quoted on the first page of this thread come from:

Schubart Werner, MtrOGfr. (ccok) U 874. Bachstelzen-Pilot
Weinberg Kurt, MtrHGfr. U 874. Bachstelzen-Pilot

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