So Close to Home:U-boatsintheGulfofMexico by Michael J. Tougias
In his latest book, So Close To Home, Michael Tougias chronicles the entry of the first U-boats into the Gulf of Mexico in May of 1942, and the survival story of an American family traveling home aboard a torpedoed freighter. This article covers the beginning of U-boat 507's patrol and the exploits of its colorful commander, Harro Schacht, as the sub headed to the mouth of the Mississippi River. -boat 507, commanded by Korvettenkapitan Harro Schacht, snuck into the G ulf of Mexico via the Florida Straits on 1 May 1942 with orders to sink as many US ships as possible. U-506, commanded by Kapitanleutnant Erich Wiirdemann, followed on 3 May. The Uboat commanders were to proceed toward the mouth of the Mississippi, where they might be able to send enough ships to the bottom to block river traffic. Schacht was given plenty ofleeway on where to operate, depending on the defenses he encountered and the opportunities he might come across. He was instructed to use his torpedoes wisely, targeting oil tankers and large freighters. The mas termind behind this patrol was 4,50 0 miles away at his headquarters in Lorient, France, then occupied by the Nazis. Fifty-year-old Admiral Karl Donirz was a rail, thin, tight-lipped serious man, who worked tirelessly to extract maximum efficiency from his U- boats. A submarine commander in the First World War, Donirz was promoted to full admiral during the initial attacks on America's east coast. He
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U-507 conducting sea trials in the Baltic rose through the ranks to become the commander of all U-boats, and in 1943 was made Grand Admiral in charge of the entire Kriegsmarine (German Navy). U-507 was the perfect vessel to send into the Gulf; built in 1939 in Hamburg, it was one of the larger U-boats, a longrange class called Type IXC. Measuring 249 feet in length with a beam of 22 feet, it usually carried 22 torpedoes, which could be loaded in one of six different tubes (four at the bow and two at the stern). Mounted on deck were a 4.1-inch gun and a 37-mm anti-aircraft gun . A second anti-aircraft gun was mounted in the conning tower. The IXC could dive to a maximum depth of755 feet, protected by an outer steel hull and an inner pressure hull. Two nine-cylinder diesel engines powered the U-boat when traveling on the surface. These same engines recharged the enormous batteries for the electrical systems that powered not only the lights and radio, but also electric motors th at allowed the U-boat to stay submerged for brief periods. Submerged, the vessel could only travel 63 nautical miles at four knots before it had to surface to Admiral Karl Donitz, known as "The Lion" to his U-boat men, launched Operation Drumbeat against the United States. He later achieved the rank of Grojadmiral (the equivalent of Grand Admiral) in 1943 and became commander-in-chief of the German Navy. When Hitler committed suicide near the end ofthe war, Donitz became his successor as head ofstate.
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both recharge the batteries (by running the diesel engines) and replace built-up gases with fresh air. Crews typically averaged fifty-two men. Despite the limits of its capacity to stay submerged, the range of this sub was an incredible 13,400 nautical miles when the vessel cruised on the surface at ten kno ts. Maximum surface speed was 18.3 knots, while maximum submerged speed was 7.3 knots . Thirty-fou r-year-old Commander Harro Schacht and his crew on U-507 were on high alert as they passed between C uba and Florida on 30 April. They had just crossed the Atlantic Ocean in a twenty-sixday period and would soon be navigating the first U-boat ever to penetrate the G ulf of Mexico. Spirits were high, and the men looked forward to engaging the enemy. They knew that by being the first of the German subs ro enter these waters, they would have plenty of opportunities ro sink American ships. All the U-boars competed to sink the most ships-or tonnage-on a single patrol. The crew ofU-507 liked their chances of being recognized as one of the best, with Schach t as their ace. He had trained under Erich Topp, one of Germany's most successful U-boat commanders, and Schacht was a sixteen-year veteran of the German Navy. Off the northwestern shores of C uba, the lookout in U-507 spotted a tanker, but it was quite small. Schacht had a decision to make. The American tanker, named Federal, was alone with no protection in sight, but Schacht was still far from the mouth of the Mississippi where he had been ordered to sink as many ships as possible. H e weighed his options. He hated to waste a torpedo on a small ship so distant from his designated area of engagement, yet he also didn't want to squander an opportunity. Like a coach who wants to gauge his team's readiness with a relatively easy scrimmage, Schacht was curious to see how his crew would respond in action after the uneventful ocean crossing.
SEA HISTORY 155, SUMMER 2016