German submarine U-51 was a Type VIIB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine that operated during World War II. She was ordered on 21 November 1936 and laid down on 26 February 1937 in Kiel. She was launched on 11 June 1938 and commissioned on 6 August 1938.
During her service in the Kriegsmarine, U-51 conducted four war patrols and sank five enemy vessels for a loss of and one auxiliary warship of . She was a member of one wolfpack.
She was sunk on 20 August 1940 in the Bay of Biscay by a torpedo from a British submarine.
German Type VIIB submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIA submarines. U-51 had a displacement of 753t when at the surface and 857t while submerged. She had a total length of 66.5m (218.2feet), a pressure hull length of 48.8m (160.1feet), a beam of 6.2m (20.3feet), a height of 9.5m (31.2feet), and a draught of 4.74m (15.55feet). The submarine was powered by two MAN M 6 V 40/46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of NaNPS for use while surfaced, two BBC GG UB 720/8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750PS for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23abbr=onNaNabbr=on propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to .
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . U-51 was fitted with five 53.30NaN0 torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.82NaN2 SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and one 2cm (01inches) anti-aircraft gun The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.
U-51 was ordered by the Kriegsmarine on 21 November 1936 (as part of Plan Z and in violation of the Treaty of Versailles). She was laid down on 15 September 1938 by Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft AG, in Kiel as yard number 586. U-51 was launched on 11 June 1938 and commissioned on 6 August of that same year under the command of Kapitänleutnant (Kptlt.) Ernst-Günther Heinicke.
After being commissioned and deployed, U-51 was stationed in the German port of Kiel. This city was to be her home for the rest of her brief career.
During her service with the Kriegsmarine, she took part in four combat patrols. She joined the 7th U-boat Flotilla on 6 August 1938. She was to remain a part of this flotilla until her loss.
The first of U-51s four patrols began on 17 January 1940 when she left Kiel and crossed the North Sea. She negotiated the 'gap' between the Orkney and Shetland Islands and claimed her first success west of Rockall when she sank the Gothia on 22 January. Moving south down the west coast of Ireland, she encountered the Eika west of the Scilly Isles on the 29th and sent her to the bottom. After sailing between the Scottish islands once more, but in the opposite direction, the boat docked at Wilhelmshaven on 8 February after 23 days at sea.[1]
The main incident of note on the submarine's second sortie was when the French submarine launched two torpedoes at her in the North Sea at 57°N 5°W on 21 April 1940. They missed.[2] The rest of the patrol was carried out parallel to the Norwegian coast.
For her third foray, the boat entered the Atlantic after passing between the Faroe and Shetland Islands. Having left Kiel on 6 June 1940, she sank the Saranc on the 26th about west southwest of Lands End. U-51 went on to sink the Q-ship on the 29th. This ship, used as a decoy, was formidably armed with nine 4-inch guns and four torpedo tubes. Her ballast was given extra buoyancy which meant three 'eels' (U-boat slang for torpedoes), were needed to dispose of the vessel, which still took over an hour to sink.
The boat departed Kiel on 9 August 1940. She sank the Sylviafield about west northwest of Rockall. There were 36 survivors, of which 20 were picked up by the Belgian trawler Rubens and landed at Fleetwood on the English west coast. The remainder were recovered by another trawler which was under British Admiralty control and named . Her human cargo was discharged at Tobermory, Isle of Mull.
U-51 was sunk by a torpedo from the British submarine in the Bay of Biscay on 28 August 1940. Forty-three men died; there were no survivors.
U-51 took part in one wolfpack, namely:
During her service, U-51 sank five merchant ships for a loss of and one auxiliary warship of .
| Date[3] | Ship | Nationality | Tonnage[4] | Fate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 January 1940 | Gothia | 1,640 | Sunk | ||
| 29 January 1940 | Eika | 1,503 | Sunk | ||
| 25 June 1940 | Saranac | 12,049 | Sunk | ||
| 25 June 1940 | Windsorwood | 5,395 | Sunk | ||
| 29 June 1940 | HMS Edgehill | 4,724 | Sunk | ||
| 15 August 1940 | Sylviafield | 5,709 | Sunk |
The fourth U-boat in the film The Navy Comes Through has the number U-51.