Unterseeboot 512

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U-512
Type		IXC
Launch Date		October 9, 1941
Commission Date		December 20, 1941
Construction yard		Deutschewerft, Hamburg
Patrols
Start Date	End Date	Assigned Unit
August 15, 1942	October 2, 1942	10th Flotilla
Commanders
December, 1941	October, 1942	Kptlt. Wolfgang Schultze
Successes
Type of Ship Sunk	Number of Ships Sunk	Gross Registered Tonnage
Commercial Vessels	3	20,619
Military Vessels	None	0

Unterseeboot 512 (usually abbreviated to U-512) was a German Type IXC U-boat of the Kriegsmarine built for service in the Second Battle of the Atlantic. Although she was short lived, U-512 was a quite successful boat, making full use of the time she enjoyed in the entrance to the Caribbean Sea, during the Second happy time. She was commanded by Kptlt. Wolfgang Schultze, an admiral's son and previously training captain of U-17.

The Deutschewerft shipyards in Hamburg built her during 1941, and she was completed in December, ready for her working-up period in the Baltic Sea to train her crew and iron out any engineering problems. Following this, she was detailed to cross the Atlantic Ocean and operate off the northern coast of South America in order to catch unescorted allied shipping heading for or leaving the Panama Canal.

Contents 1 War Patrol 2 Raiding career 3 Crew Manifest 4 References 5 See also

[edit] War Patrol

Departing from Kiel on the 15 August 1942, U-512 headed into the Atlantic and then to the southwest, arriving in her designated patrol zone by the second week in September. She was almost immediately successful, sinking the slow, unescorted 10,000 ton American tanker SS Patrick J. Hurley with her deck guns, claiming 17 lives. ^[1] A week later, a second ship was found, the lone Spanish freighter SS Monte Gorbea, which was sunk with 52 lives despite her neutral status. This act would undoubtedly have led to Schultze's court-martial, had he returned from the patrol.^[2] U-512's final victory came on the 24 September, when another American ship, the 6,000 ton SS Antionus was sunk by two torpedoes off Venezuela ^[3].

On the 2 October, while still lurking off the South American coast, U-512 was spotted by a B-18 Bolo aircraft belonging to the 99th Bombardment Group of the United States Army Air Force off Cayenne. The aircraft flew low and dropped its bomb load directly on the boat, sinking her and 51 of her crew instantly. Only one man, Matrosengefreiter Franz Machen of U-512 escaped the boat and was rescued from his raft by USS Ellis ten days later.^[4]

[edit] Raiding career

Date	Ship	Nationality	Tonnage	Fate
12 September 1942	SS Patrick J Hurley	American	10,865	Sunk
19 September 1942	SS Monte Gorbea	Spanish	3,720	Sunk
24 September 1942	SS Antionus	American	6,034	Sunk

[edit] Crew Manifest

Name	Position	Navy Equivalent Rank	Fate
Schultze, Wolfgang	Kapitänleutnant	Lieutenant	Lost At Sea
Müller, Herman	Oberleutnant (Ing.)	Lieutenant (j.g.) Eng. duties only	Lost At Sea
Gregerswn, Helmut	Oberleutnant z. S.	Lieutenant (j.g.)	Lost At Sea
Klinghelz, Herman	Leutnant z. S.	Ensign	Lost At Sea
Kock, Paul	Fähnrich	Midshipman	Lost At Sea
Korn, Siegfried	Fähnrich	Midshipman	Lost At Sea
Hoffmann, Walter	Obersteuermann	Warrant quartermaster	Lost At Sea
Helbel, Karl	Obermaschinist	Warrant machinist	Lost At Sea
Tiehle, Herbert	Obermaschinist	Warrant machinist	Lost At Sea
Sawka, Harry	Bootsmaat	Coxswain	Lost At Sea
Jensch, Erich	Bootsmaat	Coxswain	Lost At Sea
Amannt, Adolf	Funkmaat	Radioman, 3cl	Lost At Sea
Schöniger, Wolfgang	Funkmaat	Radioman, 3cl	Lost At Sea
Lilienthal, Herbert	Maschinenmaat	Fireman, 1cl	Lost At Sea
Fleissner, Werner	Maschinenmaat	Fireman, 1cl	Lost At Sea
Müller, Richard	Maschinenmaat	Fireman, 1cl	Lost At Sea
Kämpf, Wilhelm	Maschinenmaat	Fireman, 1cl	Lost At Sea
Nemetz, Kurt	Maschinenmaat	Fireman, 1cl	Lost At Sea
Gertung, Werner	Maschinenmaat	Fireman, 1cl	Lost At Sea
Loch, Gerhart	Matrosenobergefreiter	Seaman, 1cl	Lost At Sea
Freiland, Helmut	Matrosenobergefreiter	Seaman, 1cl	Lost At Sea
Unkoff, Stephan	Mechanikerobergefreiter	Seaman, 1cl	Lost At Sea
Sennewald, Heinz	Mechanikermaat	Torpedoman's mate, 3cl	Lost At Sea
Lupcek, Günther	Matrosengefreiter	Seaman, 2cl	Lost At Sea
Ostermann, Walter	Matrosengefreiter	Seaman, 2cl	Lost At Sea
Panknin, Willi	Matrosengefreiter	Seaman, 2cl	Lost At Sea
Losnenski, Heinz	Matrosengefreiter	Seaman, 2cl	Lost At Sea
Rollfing, Heinz	Matrosengefreiter	Seaman, 2cl	Lost At Sea
Michalke, Günther	Matrosengefreiter	Seaman, 2cl	Lost At Sea
Jackob, Hans	Matrosengefreiter	Seaman, 2cl	Lost At Sea
Klause, Hans	Funkgefreiter	Seaman, 2cl	Lost At Sea
Piska, Kurt	Mechanikergefreiter	Seaman, 2cl	Lost At Sea
Siebert, Alfred	Mechanikergefreiter	Seaman, 2cl	Lost At Sea
Frenzen, Heinz	Maschinengefreiter	Fireman, 3cl	Lost At Sea
Sauvage, Edward	Maschinengefreiter	Fireman, 3cl	Lost At Sea
Preuss, Emil	Maschinengefreiter	Fireman, 3cl	Lost At Sea
Helbich, Rudi	Maschinengefreiter	Fireman, 3cl	Lost At Sea
Lebner, Günther	Maschinengefreiter	Fireman, 3cl	Lost At Sea
Erbel, Adolf	Maschinengefreiter	Fireman, 3cl	Lost At Sea
Simer, Hans	Maschinengefreiter	Fireman, 3cl	Lost At Sea
Schneider, Karl	Maschinengefreiter	Fireman, 3cl	Lost At Sea
Blüme, Heinz	Maschinengefreiter	Fireman, 3cl	Lost At Sea
Glass, Karl	Maschinengefreiter	Fireman, 3cl	Lost At Sea
Kapps, Adolf	Maschinengefreiter	Fireman, 3cl	Lost At Sea
Felsenkeller, Erwin	Maschinengefreiter	Fireman, 3cl	Lost At Sea
Sender, Alfred	Maschinengefreiter	Fireman, 3cl	Lost At Sea
Machon, Franz	Matrose	Apprentice Seasman	Survived
Flesternike, Paul	Matrose	Apprentice Seasman	Lost At Sea

[edit] References

• Sharpe, Peter, U-Boat Fact File, Midland Publishing, Great Britain: 1998. ISBN 1-85780-072-9.
• U-boat.net webpage for U-512

1. ^ uboat.net - Allied Ships hit by U-boats - Patrick J. Hurley (Steam tanker)
2. ^ uboat.net - Allied Ships hit by U-boats - Monte Gorbea (Motor merchant)
3. ^ uboat.net - Allied Ships hit by U-boats - Antinous (Steam merchant)
4. ^ Uboat.net: U-512

[edit] See also

• List of U-boats