German submarine U-958

U-Boat Infobox
type=VIIC
fieldpost number=
yard number=
order date=
keel=March 10, 1942
launch=November 21, 1942
commission=January 1, 1943
yard=Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
U-Boat Patrol
startdate=Start Date
enddate=End Date
assigned unit=Assigned Unit
U-Boat Patrol
startdate=No Patrols
enddate=training boat
assigned unit=5th FlotillaU-Boat Patrol
startdate=May 22, 1944
enddate=May 27, 1944
assigned unit=8th FlotillaU-Boat Patrol
startdate=June 3, 1944
enddate=June 23, 1944
assigned unit=8th FlotillaU-Boat Patrol
startdate=September 7, 1944
enddate=October 11, 1944
assigned unit=8th FlotillaU-Boat Patrol
startdate=October 13, 1944
enddate=December 17 , 1944
assigned unit=8th FlotillaU_Boat Command
startdate=January, 1943
enddate=April, 1945
name=Kptlt. Gerhard Groth
U_Boat Sink
type=Type of Ship Sunk
total=Number of Ships Sunk
tonnage=Gross Registered Tonnage
U_Boat Sink
type=Commercial Vessels
total=2
tonnage=40
U_Boat Sink
type=Military Vessels
total=None
tonnage=0

"U-958" was a German Type VII submarine built during World War II and mainly used for training purposes until losses in other theatres prompted her relocation to operate from Norway and then against Soviet shipping in the Northern Baltic Sea.

Built in Hamburg and completed in January 1943, "U-958" was given to Kptlt. Gerhard Groth, who remained with the boat for her whole operational lifespan. Earmarked for training duties in the Baltic, "U-958" was based in Kiel and helped prepare other boats for operational service, as well as training up potential commanders and officers and honing tactical and operational techniques. She fulfilled this duty for the whole of 1943, before huge losses in the Second Battle of the Atlantic forced her to be deployed from Bergen, Norway.

War Patrols

Just fours days after leaving Bergen on her first patrol designed to catch allied submarines, minelayers and other craft operating off Norwegian waters, "U-958" was seen and attacked by Mosquito aircraft of 333 (Norwegian) Squadron of the Royal Air Force. Their rocket and strafing attacks killed one sailor and wounded two more, forcing the boat's early return to Bergen. A second patrol lasted twenty days amongst the fjords of Norway but without success, failing to see a target during June 1944. The boat returned to her training duties for a short time, but was still needed in an offensive capacity, and was returned to the Baltic in the summer of 1944.

Her third patrol began on the 7 September, and she was tasked with operating in the Northern Baltic along the Finnish coastline. Not only was this area now being used by Soviet naval and civil shipping supplying the war zones in the Baltic States, but it also was used by Finnish vessels. During the patrol the rules of engagement with Finnish shipping changed, as Finland, once an ally of Germany, had agreed a separate peace with the Soviet Union, and was now fighting German troops on their soil in the Lapland War. Although this patrol was a failure, soon after her return on the 11 September, "U-958" was sent back to the same area, this time to cover the withdrawal of German forces from Finland, as well as an attempt to exact some revenge on Finnish shipping. This allowed "U-958" her only victories, when she torpedoed the two small Finnish coastal sailing craft "Linnea" and "Piikio" on the 24 October [ [http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/3365.html uboat.net - Allied Ships hit by U-boats - Linnea (Sailing ship) ] ] .

Following this fourth patrol, "U-958" was pulled back to Kiel and did not conduct any more offensive operations, limited by fuel and opportunity. In April 1945, most of her crew were split up and sent to other boats to replace losses, and on the 3 May the skeleton crew which remained took her out into Kiel roadstead and scuttled her to prevent her falling into allied hands. Two years later the wreck was pulled from the seabed and sold for scrap.

Raiding career

References

* Sharpe, Peter, "U-Boat Fact File", Midland Publishing, Great Britain: 1998. ISBN 1-85780-072-9.
* [http://www.uboat.net/boats/u958.htm U-boat.net webpage for "U-958"]

See Also: List of U-boats