Martin Antonenko
A Fixture
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2008
- Messages
- 8,994
A submarine is boarded ...!
At the beginning of May 1941 the British destroyer HMS "Bulldog" ...
... gives under Commander Addison Joe Baker-Cresswell together with the destroyer HMS "Broadway" ...
... and the corvette HMS "Aubretia" in the North Atlantic escort for convoy OB 318 ...
... who transports important war materials and food from Halifax to the British Isles.
The convoy has already been sighted by several German submarines that have been maneuvering into attack positions since the day before.
U 94 (Kapitänleutnant Herbert Kuppisch, with white cap) ...
... already sunk two steamers of the convoy on May 8th.
Also U 110 (Kapitänleutnant Fritz-Julius Lemp, here with the commander of the submarines, Admiral Dönitz) ...
... is near the convoy. The attempt to attack over water at night has to be stopped because of the very bright moonlit night - far too dangerous!
The next morning, May 9, 1941, U 201 (Kapitänleutnant Adalbert Schnee) is also ...
... approached.
In order not to have to radio, U 110 and U 201 briefly appear next to each other and the two commanders agree on suitable attack tactics.
Around noon, U 110 attacked the convoy at periscope depth.
Lemp fires three torpedoes, which sinks two ships.
But then U 110 is unlucky!
Shortly afterwards one spotted on the British corvette "Aubretia" ...
... the periscope of the U 110.
Immediately the U-fighter runs at full speed towards the U 110 and throws depth charges - supported by the "Bulldog" and "Broadway" rushing, who also throw what they have! And "Bulldog" alone has 70 of these things on board!
Lemp allows the U 110 to dive in alarm, but the boat does not reach greater depths in time and is so badly damaged by the depth charges at the stern that it has to surface!
As a result of some ruptured battery cells, chlorine gas forms in the boat. In addition, compressed air lines burst and the down and rudder rudders were badly damaged.
U 110 can no longer dive, can no longer drive - and is unable to maneuver on the surface of the water, surrounded by three enemy warships!
The next original photo was taken by "Aubretia" and shows "Buldog" right next to the wrecked U 110 ...:
Commander Baker-Cresswell...
... decides to sink the U 110 by ramming, orders "Full Speed Ahead!" and holds square towards the immobile submarine!
When Kapitänleutnant Lemp notices this, he orders "All hands off board!" - After disembarking, counts the swimmers briefly and then jumps into the sea as the last one.
He did not order the self-sinking or the destruction of the secret things because the stern of the U 110 is already under water ...
... and he assumes that his boat will drown in no time.
However, contrary to expectations, the U 110 does not sink, whereupon "Bulldog" stops attempting to ram it and Commander Baker-Cresswell hurries to launch a boat with an armed boarding party ...
... because he recognizes the unique chance to steal German secret things!
Captain Lemp also recognizes in the water what the British are up to and swims back to his boat to sink it by opening the sea valves!
From that moment on he is never seen again - he was probably shot while swimming in the water by a member of the British boarding party, even if the British report produced later says nothing about this.
The boarding party got on board the U 110 and captured all of the secret things!
The showpiece is a copy of the German "Enigma" encryption machine ...
... with all code documents ...
...and especially! - the exchangeable rollers - which were changed daily according to a fixed procedure (see photo above!) in order to constantly change the code and make it "decryption-proof"!
14 other crew members of U 110 drown in the cold North Atlantic, 32 survivors took HMS "Bulldog" on board.
Commander Baker-Cresswell gives a tow to U 110 and tries to tow the boat and bring in a pinch ...:
But the next morning the wounded boat suddenly sank.
When HMS "Bulldog" arrives at the Clyde two days later, the "Enigma" and the code documents are quickly brought to the British code specialists in Bletchley Park ...:
From now on the British can read the radio traffic of all German submarines and their communication with the BdU, which will be fatal for many German submarines ...
Exactly four years later to the day, HMS "Bulldog" will make history one more time:
On board this ship, the German crews of the Channel Islands Guernsey, Jersey and Alderney will capitulate on May 9, 1945!
At the beginning of May 1941 the British destroyer HMS "Bulldog" ...
... gives under Commander Addison Joe Baker-Cresswell together with the destroyer HMS "Broadway" ...
... and the corvette HMS "Aubretia" in the North Atlantic escort for convoy OB 318 ...
... who transports important war materials and food from Halifax to the British Isles.
The convoy has already been sighted by several German submarines that have been maneuvering into attack positions since the day before.
U 94 (Kapitänleutnant Herbert Kuppisch, with white cap) ...
... already sunk two steamers of the convoy on May 8th.
Also U 110 (Kapitänleutnant Fritz-Julius Lemp, here with the commander of the submarines, Admiral Dönitz) ...
... is near the convoy. The attempt to attack over water at night has to be stopped because of the very bright moonlit night - far too dangerous!
The next morning, May 9, 1941, U 201 (Kapitänleutnant Adalbert Schnee) is also ...
... approached.
In order not to have to radio, U 110 and U 201 briefly appear next to each other and the two commanders agree on suitable attack tactics.
Around noon, U 110 attacked the convoy at periscope depth.
Lemp fires three torpedoes, which sinks two ships.
But then U 110 is unlucky!
Shortly afterwards one spotted on the British corvette "Aubretia" ...
... the periscope of the U 110.
Immediately the U-fighter runs at full speed towards the U 110 and throws depth charges - supported by the "Bulldog" and "Broadway" rushing, who also throw what they have! And "Bulldog" alone has 70 of these things on board!
Lemp allows the U 110 to dive in alarm, but the boat does not reach greater depths in time and is so badly damaged by the depth charges at the stern that it has to surface!
As a result of some ruptured battery cells, chlorine gas forms in the boat. In addition, compressed air lines burst and the down and rudder rudders were badly damaged.
U 110 can no longer dive, can no longer drive - and is unable to maneuver on the surface of the water, surrounded by three enemy warships!
The next original photo was taken by "Aubretia" and shows "Buldog" right next to the wrecked U 110 ...:
Commander Baker-Cresswell...
... decides to sink the U 110 by ramming, orders "Full Speed Ahead!" and holds square towards the immobile submarine!
When Kapitänleutnant Lemp notices this, he orders "All hands off board!" - After disembarking, counts the swimmers briefly and then jumps into the sea as the last one.
He did not order the self-sinking or the destruction of the secret things because the stern of the U 110 is already under water ...
... and he assumes that his boat will drown in no time.
However, contrary to expectations, the U 110 does not sink, whereupon "Bulldog" stops attempting to ram it and Commander Baker-Cresswell hurries to launch a boat with an armed boarding party ...
... because he recognizes the unique chance to steal German secret things!
Captain Lemp also recognizes in the water what the British are up to and swims back to his boat to sink it by opening the sea valves!
From that moment on he is never seen again - he was probably shot while swimming in the water by a member of the British boarding party, even if the British report produced later says nothing about this.
The boarding party got on board the U 110 and captured all of the secret things!
The showpiece is a copy of the German "Enigma" encryption machine ...
... with all code documents ...
...and especially! - the exchangeable rollers - which were changed daily according to a fixed procedure (see photo above!) in order to constantly change the code and make it "decryption-proof"!
14 other crew members of U 110 drown in the cold North Atlantic, 32 survivors took HMS "Bulldog" on board.
Commander Baker-Cresswell gives a tow to U 110 and tries to tow the boat and bring in a pinch ...:
But the next morning the wounded boat suddenly sank.
When HMS "Bulldog" arrives at the Clyde two days later, the "Enigma" and the code documents are quickly brought to the British code specialists in Bletchley Park ...:
From now on the British can read the radio traffic of all German submarines and their communication with the BdU, which will be fatal for many German submarines ...
Exactly four years later to the day, HMS "Bulldog" will make history one more time:
On board this ship, the German crews of the Channel Islands Guernsey, Jersey and Alderney will capitulate on May 9, 1945!
