What was the best U-boat?

Discussions on all (non-biographical) aspects of the submarine forces of the Kriegsmarine.
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Benoit Douville
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What was the best U-boat?

#1

Post by Benoit Douville » 17 Dec 2004, 04:50

I have find info about the best U-boat Commander, the best U-boat patrol during the course of the War but what about the best U-boat, I mean the one who had the more kills, who was the Commander of that U-boat? Can we identify the number of that U-boat?

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Sam H.
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#2

Post by Sam H. » 17 Dec 2004, 05:34



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Benoit Douville
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#3

Post by Benoit Douville » 17 Dec 2004, 05:42

Sam H,

It is really appreciated. So U-48 was the best U-boat of World War II.

Regards

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Sam H.
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#4

Post by Sam H. » 17 Dec 2004, 15:54

In terms of merchant shipping yes. Other notable U-Boats and their commanders were responsible for the sinking of the Royal Oak and Barham, its hard to equate the value of a merchant ship and a battleship on a pertonage basis only.

gabriel pagliarani
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#5

Post by gabriel pagliarani » 19 Dec 2004, 01:28

http://www.marina.difesa.it/programmi/programmi04.htm
http://www.marina.difesa.it/diario/2004/scire/index.htm

Today is a special day in Italy. There is a new Scirè servicing the country. The legend still runs.
A La Spezia il varo del Sommergibile Scirè
Il 18 dicembre 2004 a La Spezia, presso gli stabilimenti FINCANTIERI del Muggiano, alla presenza del Ministro della Infrastrutture e dei Trasporti Ing. Pietro Lunardi, la Marina Militare festeggia il varo del secondo sommergibile della classe U 212, al quale viene assegnato un nome glorioso per la storia della Marina stessa e dell'Italia: Scirè.
Madrina del varo la Signora Elisabetta Bianchi, figlia di Emilio Bianchi uno degli eroi della memorabile incursione di Alessandria d'Egitto durante la Seconda Guerra Mondiale.
Il battello riprende il nome del Regio Sommergibile Scirè, della classe "ADUA", costruito nei Cantieri O.T.O. di Muggiano (La Spezia) e varato il 6 gennaio 1938, famoso per l'impresa che stupì il mondo durante la Seconda Guerra Mondiale: il forzamento della base inglese di Alessandria d'Egitto da parte degli incursori della Regia Marina. (vedi nota storica)Il nuovo Scirè, gemello del Todaro varato nel novembre 2003, è un sommergibile convenzionale con un dislocamento di circa 1800 tonnellate in immersione, armato di sei tubi di lancio siluri da 533 mm., con un equipaggio di 27 uomini.
La propulsione è di tipo misto basato su un diesel-alternatore che alimenta una batteria di accumulatori elettrici, e su un sistema generatore d'energia elettrica a funzionamento indipendente dall'aria alimentato con celle a combustibile (H² e O²).
Si tratta, in sintesi, di sommergibili di medie dimensioni caratterizzati dall'impiego di tecnologie innovative che permettono prestazioni molto avanzate, particolarmente notevoli nei settori dell'autonomia occulta, delle segnature, del sistema elettroacustico e di lancio delle armi.

Sommergibile Scirè launched in La Spezia
On Dec 18, 2004 in La Spezia, just out the factory FINCANTIERI of Muggiano, while facing the Minisstro dei Trasporti e delle Infrastrutture (Transports and Industry) Ing. Pietro Lunardi the Italian Navy welcomes the launch of the 2nd submarine of the class U-212, to which a name fulfilled of glory towards the Italian Navy and the Country has been released: SCIRE'. etc. etc.


December 18, 1941: Mission "G.A.3" -The raid of Alexandria

The Scirè submarine, under prince Junio Valerio Borghese’s control was the best in "approaching" the Italian assault crafts. It was built between 1937-38 at the O.T.O. Shipyard and followed the 600 Class-"Adua" Series constructing scheme (also said "Africano"), although the nine submarines made that shipyard had some differences compared to the C.R.D.A and Tosi' shipyards. During November 1941 the British Mediterranean Fleet was in a critical situation: only the battleships HMS Valiant and HMS Queen Elizabeth, based at Alexandria, were available. The Italian Navy studied carefully how to take advantage of that: if those two battleships were destroyed the Italian convoys to Lybia could safely sail with positive effects on the African war. In November 1941 the mission to destroy the British battleship was relied on the Decima MAS Flotilla and the submarine Scirè.The first suitable time of the new moon is a few days before Christmas in 1941. Consequently in the night of December 3, the Scirè, silently sets sail from the Submarines Base of La Spezia. It sails in surface up to the Aeolian Islands unseen by the lookouts of a French steamboat and by the pilots of three enemy airplanes.Crossing the Strait of Messina the submarine is reached by an Italian motorboat with a dispatch for the commander of the Scirè with new information on Alexandria harbour.The vessel continues its route, but off Taormina an British submarine intercepts it. Commander Borghese disengages from a possible enemy attack and the submarine continues toward Greece. Despite a damage (dx thermal engine), in the evening of December 9 the submarine berths at Leroy harbour, a Greek island in the Aegean Sea under Italian control. The watertight cylinders containing the three SLCs are prudentially hidden under curtains. In the following days the sailors of the Scirè try to mend the damaged engine.On December 14 the men of the Decima MAS Flotilla reach the Greek island too.Once completed the reparation, the Italian submarine leaves the island of Leroy and, at the dawn of December 16, it reaches the Egyptians coast at a few miles from Alexandria harbour. The conditions of the sea are unfavourable and consequently Borghese decides on a 24 hour delay of the attack to the British harbour. 17december 1941: the submarine is informed by the Italian Command in Athens that two big British warships are anchored in Alexandria harbour . In the night the submarine begins its approaching manoeuvre sailing in submersion at 60 meters depth. The Scirè advances slowly fearing the mined fields and reaches the preset point for the release of the SLCs after about 23 hours of silent navigation. The release operations of the SLCs start at 20,47 and they were more difficult than expected because they provoked a serious accident to one of the frogmen. After about an hour the submarine sales back, but because of the defective closing of the stern cylinders, it sails with difficulty. Borghese is forced twice to resurface in the attempt to close the defective portholes, but both times the operation fails. Even strongly tilted of stern, the submarine continues its disengagement route in submersion,in the effort of not being discovered and to jeopardize the action of the three SLCs. After about 19 hour submersion the submarine emerges but after only three hours it is forced to submerge again for the approaching of an British destroyer. At 1.00, the submarine emerges again and receives from Athens the message that the aerial recognition has signalled in Alexandria harbour different ships on fire. In fact the three SLCs had entered unseen the enemy harbour and the frogmen of the Decima MAS Flotilla had struck with their explosive charges two British battleships HMS Valiant (30,600 tons), HMS Queen Elisabeth (30,600 tons), the destroyer HMS Jervis (1,690 tons.), the oil-tanker s/s Sagona (7,554 tons) and the steamboat RMS Durham (10,900 tons).The oil released from the oil-tanker Sagona burst and created further damages in the port. Also in this case the low depth of the harbour prevented the complete sinking of the ships: but for about two years the big British war ships were stopped in Alexandria in rescueing and mending operations.In the meantime the Scirè returned to Leroy on December 21. The wounded frogman is disembark and after being supplied with naphtha and supplies, on December 23 the Scirè sets sail bound to La Spezia.On December 25, at midday it is suddenly attached by an British airplane. The submarine doesn't have time to submerge and consequently Borghese orders to try defence by using the machineguns on board. The airplane avoids Italian tracings and releases 5 bombs that nearly hit the hull of the submarine. The vessel can continue its trip back and on December 28 the Scirè berths in the Submarines quay of La Spezia, welcomed with the best honours.

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