From the start of offensive operations in mid-January through March, 1942, U-boats sank 39 ships. The first U-boat was finally sunk off the American Coast on April 14, 1942. The US destroyer USS Roper sank U-85 east of the Outer Banks, after using radar to catch it on the surface.
How many American ships were sunk by German U-Boats?
In the course of events in the Atlantic alone, German U-boats sank almost 5,000 ships with nearly 13 million gross register tonnage, losing 178 boats and about 5,000 men in combat….
| U-Boat Campaign | |
|---|---|
| Strength | |
| ? surface vessels 366 Q-ships | 351 U-boats |
| Casualties and losses |
What happened to the U-boat that sank the Lusitania?
After the single torpedo struck, a second explosion occurred inside the ship, which then sank in only 18 minutes. Only 761 people survived out of the 1,266 passengers and 696 crew aboard, and many of the casualties were American citizens….Sinking of the RMS Lusitania.
| Painting of the sinking | |
|---|---|
| Date | 7 May 1915 |
| Cause | Torpedoed by German U-boat U-20 |
Where was torpedo alley?
North Carolina
Torpedo Alley/Location
The Torpedo Alley, or Torpedo Junction, off North Carolina, is one of the graveyards of the Atlantic Ocean, named for the high number of attacks on Allied shipping by German U-boats in World War II.
How far could a German U boat travel?
When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).
What was the Enigma machine used for?
The Enigma machine was an electro-mechanical rotor cipher machine used by the German navy to encrypt and decrypt messages passing from shore to ships at sea. They considered their codes unbreakable and felt safe in exchanging relatively large volumes of radio messages.
Where was the first U-boat sunk in WW2?
Sunk on 14, April 1942 she was the first U-boat to be sunk in US waters in the war. The boat was lost with all hands of 45 when the US destroyer USS Roper sank her. The wreck is located approximately 18 miles east of Nags Head, NC.
How did the British retrieve the Enigma keys from the U-559?
Some accounts (such as that of Kahn) say that they “swam naked” to U-559, which was sinking, but slowly. Sebag-Montefiore states that they either leapt from Petard or, in Brown’s case, from a whaler. They retrieved the U-boat’s Enigma key setting sheets with all current settings for the U-boat Enigma network.
What happened to the Enigma in the Atlantic?
While the naval Enigma messages were being read, convoys could be routed clear of the Nazi wolf packs lying in wait in the Atlantic. At a stroke this safety net had disappeared. From February to October 1942 hundreds of thousands of tons of allied shipping was sunk each month.
