Can anyone ID this boat or at least it's type?

[modelnut]

A friend just sent me this picture and email:

When my Uncle died, I came into possession of his limited memorabilia which included this photo, dated May 1943, by the photo lab in his hometown in PA. My Uncle was a gunner's mate on Buckley class DEs and served on convoy duty in the North Atlantic.

On the white photo border, he wrote U-Boat captured on the ocean. But, this looks like a late model U-boat to me. I'm having trouble figuring out how my Uncle could have this photo with that date on the back. I've checked the records and the early captures were of VIICs. This one looks like a IX, with the wintergarden gun deck on the rear.

Smarter minds than mine will be able to help. Still...nice little snapshot, huh?

Major Charles Davenport, USAF (Ret)

Can anyone offer anything concerning this boat or its type?

- Leelan

[wlambing]

Re: Can anyone ID this boat or at least it's type?

Leelan,

Looks like to me that you've got a picture of U-505. Type IX. Looks like it was taken just before the boarding party was sent over.

Have a great weekend!

B^)

[JWLaRue]

Re: Can anyone ID this boat or at least it's type?

Leelan,

Accepting the information provided as being accurate, it looks like the U-569. She was a Type VIIC that was scuttled May 22, 1943 in the North Atlantic after being badly damaged by aircraft of the escort carrier USS Bogue. The presence of Buckley-class destroyer escorts would be very much in keeping a hunter-killer task force of the time.

She was the only boat that was destroyed by a U.S. hunter-killer task force and had a large number of survivors durign that time period.

-Jeff

p.s. it does look a little like a Type IX, but the date is wrong. She was captured early June 1944. Plus photos of the U-505 all showed her down quite a bit more by the stern due to the attempt by the crew to scuttle the boat when they abandoned ship. If the date is wrong, then I too would have immediately said U-505.

[bigdave]

Re: Can anyone ID this boat or at least it's type?

If I remember they had to tow her and use the props to charge the batteries to run the pumps.
Kind of like early regenerative braking.

[modelnut]

Re: Can anyone ID this boat or at least it's type?

Thank you!

I will pass this along.

- Leelan