U-52 file photo [6067]

U-52

CountryGermany
Ship ClassType VII-class Submarine
BuilderFriedrich Krupp Germaniawerft
Yard Number584
Slip/Drydock NumberII
Ordered15 May 1937
Laid Down9 Mar 1937
Launched21 Dec 1938
Commissioned4 Feb 1939
Decommissioned1 Oct 1943
Displacement753 tons standard; 857 tons submerged
MachineryTwo 1400PS diesel engines and two 375PS electric motors
Speed18 knots
Range8,700nm at 10 knots
Crew44
Armament4x bow torpedo tubes, 1x stern torpedo tube, 14 torpedoes, 1x88mm gun,
Submerged Speed8 knots

Contributor:

ww2dbaseSubmarine U-52 was commissioned to Lieutenant Captain Wolfgang Barten in Feb 1939. She made a total of 13 war patrols during the war; one of them was under the command of Barten, while the latter 12 were under the command of Lieutenant Captain Otto Salman. On 4 Aug 1940, she was attacked by British warships; the depth charges caused heavy damage, which kept her in shipyards for repairs for four months. During her combat career, she sank 13 Allied transports totaling 56,000 tons. Between Jun 1941 and Oct 1943, she served as a training submarine. She was decommissioned at Danzig, Germany in Oct 1943. She was transferred to Kiel, Germany some time between late 1943 and early 1945. On 3 May 1945, she was scuttled at Kiel. She was broken up for scrap starting in 1946.

ww2dbaseSource: Uboat.net.

Last Major Revision: May 2008

Submarine U-52 Interactive Map

Photographs

German submarine U-52 surfaced, date unknown

U-52 Operational Timeline

4 Feb 1939 U-52 was commissioned into service.
21 Jun 1940 At 0411 hours the 1,144-ton unescorted Finnish freighter Hilda was hit by one torpedo from German submarine U-52 commanded by Kapitänleutnant Otto Salman and sank in a few minutes in the Bay of Biscay, killing 5. The master and ten crew members survived aboard a lifeboat.
4 Aug 1940 German submarine U-52 sank three transports in convoy HX-60 in the Atlantic Ocean 300 miles northwest of Ireland, Geraldine Mary (3 killed, 48 survived), Gogovale (all 37 survived), and King Alfred (7 killed, 34 survived); U-52 was depth charged by Royal Navy escort vessels, causing significant damage, but she was able to escape and sail to Kiel, Germany for repairs; she would be out of action until 17 Nov 1940.
1 Oct 1943 U-52 was decommissioned from service.




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German submarine U-52 surfaced, date unknown


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