German submarine U-46 (1938)

Unterseeboot "46" was a German Type VIIB U-boat that had a highly successful career with the Kriegsmarine during the Second World War.

Construction and commissioning

She was ordered on 21 November 1936 and was laid down on 24 February 1937 at Germaniawerft, Kiel, becoming 'werk 581'. She was launched on 10 September 1938 and commissioned under her first commander Kptlt. Herbert Sohler on 2 November of that year. Sohler commanded her for her work ups with the 7. Unterseebootsflottille, and she then became a front boat of 7. Flottille and set out from Kiel on her first war patrol on 19 August 1939 in the North Sea, returning on 15 September. [http://uboat.net/boats/u46.htm Career] ]

Career

ohler replaced by Endrass

On 13 April 1940 during the battles around Narvik, Norway "U-46" was depth charged and severely damaged by British destroyers supporting HMS "Warspite". Sohler eventually commanded "U-46" for six war patrols, but failed to score any successes against enemy shipping. He was removed from command on 21 May 1940 and was replaced by Engelbert Endrass the following day. Endrass had been Günther Prien's First Officer aboard "U-47" when they had infiltrated Scapa Flow and sunk the battleship HMS "Royal Oak". "U-47" was to be his first command.

Initial successes

Endrass left Kiel on 1 June to patrol in the North Sea and into the Atlantic. He was immediately successful, on 6 June "U-46" scored her first kill, the armed merchant cruiser HMS "Carinthia". Endrass followed this up with the Finnish merchant SS "Margareta" on 9 June. On 11 June he damaged the MV "Athelprince" and the following day he sank the SS "Barbara Marie" and the SS "Willowbank". His final kill was the Greek SS "Elpis" on 17 June. "U-46" arrived back in Kiel on 1 July after 31 days at sea during which five ships had been sunk for 35,347 tons and another had been damaged for 8,782 tons.

"U-46" relocated to Bergen in August. On 3 August she was spotted by the British submarine HMS "Triad". "Triad" surfaced and attacked "U-46" with her 102mm gun at 2230 hours. Endrass dived, pursued by "Triad" but the two subsequently lost contact. "U-46" sailed again on 8 August. It was another highly successful patrol. On 16 August she damaged the Dutch "Alcinous" and on 20 August torpedoed the Greek "Leonidas M. Valmas". The ship was declared a total loss. On 27 August "U-46" sank the armed merchant cruiser HMS "Dunvegan Castle", followed by the SS "Ville de Hasselt" on 31 August, the SS "Thornlea" on 2 September and the SS "Luimneach" on 4 September. "U-46" arrived at Lorient on 6 September, having sunk five ships for 29,883 tons and damaged another for 6,189 tons.

Convoy interception

Her next patrol out of Saint Nazaire only lasted seven days but claimed two ships sunk on 26 September, the SS "Coast Wings" and the SS "Siljan" for a combined total of 3,920 tons. "U-46" sailed again on 13 October. During this patrol she was involved in wolf pack attacks against the inbound convoys SC-7 and HX-79. She sank the SS "Beatus", SS "Convallaria" and SS "Gunborg" from SC-7 on 18 October, and the SS "Ruperra" and SS "Janus" from HX-79 on 19 October and 20 October respectively. On 25 October "U-46" was attacked by three Lockheed Hudsons of No. 233 Squadron RAF, fatally wounding one of the crew. "U-46" put into Kiel on 29 October after 17 days at sea during which she had sunk 22,966 tons of shipping.

Her next patrol took her from Kiel on 12 February 1941 to Saint Nazaire where she arrived on 4 March after 21 days at sea during which she had not attacked any ships. Her next patrol was more successful. On 29 March the SS "Liguria" was sunk, followed by the SS "Castor" on 31 March and the SS "British Reliance" on 2 April. The SS "Alderpool" was damaged on 3 April and "U-46" returned to port having sunk three ships for 17,465 tons and damaged another for 4,313 tons. The next patrol damaged the SS "Ensis" on 8 June and sank the SS "Phidias" on 9 June. The damaged "Ensis" had rammed her attacker, damaging "U-46"’s tower and periscope, and the patrol was aborted. Endrass carried out his last patrol with "U-46" from 26 July until 26 August but did not attack any ships.

Withdrawal from active service and scuttling

Endrass left the boat on 24 September and "U-46" was designated as a training boat for 26. Unterseebootsflottille. She passed through a number of commanders, Peter-Ottmar Grau, Konstantin von Puttkamer, Kurt Neubert, Ernst von Witzendorff, Franz Saar, Joachim Knecht and Erich Jewinski, and was moved to 24. Unterseebootsflottille in April 1942. She was decommissioned at Neustadt in October 1943. As the end of the war approached she was scuttled on 4 May 1945 in Kupfermühlen Bay. She had sunk 20 merchants for a total of 85,792 GRT, two auxiliary warships for a total of 35,284 GRT and damaged another five ships, one of which was later written off.

References

* [http://uboat.net/boats/u46.htm Unterseeboot 46's career at Uboat.net]
** [http://uboat.net/boats/patrols/u46.html U-46's war patrols]
** [http://uboat.net/boats/successes/u46.html Ships lost to U-46]