The first and last time, U- 17 1 submarine's trip to America.

As mentioned above, it has been thought for 59 years that the U- 166 submarine was sunk by American seaplanes while floating near the coast of the United States. Finally, the submarine proved to be actually U- 17 1, and this time we will talk about her experience. 1On June 7th, 942, the brand-new IXC submarine U- 17 1 left Kiel, Germany, and went to the Gulf of Mexico for its first combat patrol. The drumming operation has come to an end, and the happy days on the American coast are gone forever. U- 17 1 is one of the last U-shaped submarines sent to the coast of the United States for hunting. U- 17 1 submarine trumpeter1200 Germany U- 107 boat 809 14 RMB 24 for U- 17 1 up/kloc-0. The captain is Günther Pfeffer, a naval colonel. He was temporarily in charge of U-67 for one month, and U- 17 1 was the first ship that really belonged to him, and this was the first time he commanded a combat patrol. 1 July, U- 17 1 registered and transferred to 10 submarine fleet. Therefore, when U- 17 1 returns from the United States, it will return to Laurian's 10 submarine fleet base and stay there for follow-up actions. Captain Gunter Pfeffer, he can't laugh. After sailing, U- 17 1 first sailed to Christiaanszoon, Norway for replenishment, then passed through the narrow sea area between Orkney Islands, shetland islands and Faroe Islands, and entered the Atlantic Ocean from the northern line. On July 7th, U- 17 1 arrived in the navy quadrant CC 3682 in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, where the bull boat U-460 was waiting for her. The Atlantic Ocean is more than 2,000 kilometers wide, and there are fuels and materials for hunting, maneuvering and dealing with emergencies. Even large-scale long-range IXC submarines will be stretched, so they should be supplemented whenever possible. In four and a half hours, U- 17 1 replenished 63 cubic meters of fuel, 24-day supply, 50 potassium peroxide emergency oxygen supply devices and other supplies from U-460. This replenishment made U- 17 1 self-sustaining 125 days, which made her stay in the Gulf of Mexico longer than any other U-boat. Cattle boat U-460 U- 17 1 joined the cattle boat in the Atlantic Ocean for replenishment. On July 20th, U- 17 1 sailed along Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, crossed the windward strait between Cuba and Haiti, and arrived at the operation area off the coast of Texas three days later. At about 9: 00 on July 26th, she found the Mexican cargo ship Oaxaca with 43,565,438+0 tons near the Galveston coast, which was carrying printing paper, soda water and other miscellaneous goods from New Orleans to tampico via Veracruz. U- 17 1 immediately fired two torpedoes, but failed to hit. Then two torpedoes were fired, and this time one of them hit the front port of the freighter. The cargo ship quickly entered the water and finally sank into the shallow water on the shore. Six of the 45 crew members on board died and the others were rescued. What makes the cargo ship Oaxaca speechless is that the cargo ship Oaxaca was originally the German cargo ship Hameln, and the April 194 1 was seized by Mexico in Veracruz and renamed for its own use. After the first kill, U- 17 1 continued to move to the Gulf of Mexico. On August 1 day, U- 17 1 was bombed by J4F seaplane of the US Coast Guard at the mouth of the Mississippi River. After successfully diving, she slipped out of the water, leaving the seaplane in circles. It was this battle that was mistaken for sinking U- 166. In fact, the damage of U- 17 1 is very small, at least it will not affect her original safari plan at all. On August 13, U- 17 1 was still cruising in the Gulf of Mexico. What Captain Pfeffer and his crew didn't know was that they were the last German submarine left in the Gulf of Mexico. In the early morning of the same day, they found the American 6,779-ton oil tanker R·M· Parker Jr without escort about 25 nautical miles south of the Dunye Islands in Louisiana. The ship is sailing from Baltimore to Port Arthur, Texas. There are 37 crew members and 7 gunners on board, equipped with 1 5 inch guns and 212.7mm machine guns. Trumpeter 1:700 German World War II U-7C Submarine Static Assembly-Simulation Model of Free Warship Finished Product 373 16 RMB 35 Purchase At that time, the weather was fine, the sea breeze was calm, but there was no moonlight, and the sea was shrouded in darkness. The R·M· Parker Jr. practiced blackout and radio silence, and kept going at the speed of 10 knots, assuming that the submarine could not find her in this visibility. At about 0: 48, two lookouts at the stern suddenly noticed a phosphorescent wake 25 yards behind the stern, and two light spots were moving rapidly. Before they could give an alarm, two torpedoes hit the No.5 and No.6 oil tanks on the port side of the tanker almost at the same time. The tanker tilted immediately after being hit, and the crew only had time to turn off the engine, turn right and put down the lifeboat. The main mast of the ship collapsed in the explosion, and the communication antenna was also reimbursed, and even the distress signal could not be sent out. Due to the serious tilt of the hull, it was dark around, and the weapons on board could not fight back. The German version is different. Pfeffer recalled that only one of the two torpedoes he fired hit, so he fired four more and the tanker was hit by three mines. What happened next, the caliber of both sides was unified again. U- 17 1 surfaced and fired five shots at the tanker with deck guns to accelerate its sinking. Fortunately, everyone on the tanker has boarded the lifeboat. This incident was confirmed by both sides at the post-war veterans' party, which gave Pfeffer a lot of good reputation. The first shot of the submarine detonated the ammunition box at the stern, and the little R M Parker soon sank, but because the local water depth was only 35 meters, the stern had reached the end and the bow was still stubbornly standing on the water. Little R·M· Parker's bow was still on the water, and his result made Pfeffer very unhappy. He thinks that the waters near Galveston and the mouth of the Mississippi River are too shallow, and the surveillance in the air becomes more and more intensive during the day, so he decides to change his working area to the Mexican coast near tampico. On September 4th, U- 17 1 met the Mexican oil tanker Amatlan with a tonnage of 65 1 1 ton in northern tampico, which was a formidable opponent. The first volley of U- 17 1 was discovered by Amatlan and evaded in time. Two torpedoes supplemented by the tail launch tube flashed again. U- 17 1 turned back and made a third volley twice, and was evaded again. The crew who were busy loading torpedoes were going crazy. The seventh torpedo of the tail torpedo tube finally hit, and the tenacious Amaran slowed down due to a large amount of water. Pfeffer exploded 3 mines in anger and sent the Amatlan to the bottom of the sea in one fell swoop, killing 34 crew members 10. Amaran successfully escaped three torpedoes, and was the last merchant ship to sink into the Gulf of Mexico in the U-boat massacre at the turn of spring and summer in 1942. Equally speechless, she was originally an Italian oil tanker wiegel, which was detained by Mexico on February 8, and194110 was renamed vigor for her own use. U- 17 1 The last battle was really ugly. She consumed 10 torpedoes on a target, six of which were obviously wrong. Now there are only two torpedoes left on the ship. Pfeffer wisely decided to stop hunting, and U- 17 1 set foot on the road home the next day. U- 17 1 On this action route in the Gulf of Mexico, they were met in the middle of the Atlantic by cattle boat U-46 1, and they added 23.5 cubic meters of fuel and three weeks of supplies. The most popular thing about Niuchuan is that it has its own bakery, which can provide fresh bread. Due to the long-term humidity in the ship, the bread carried as a staple food began to rot and mold soon after sailing. The crew called it a "white rabbit" and tore open its furry ears to eat some edible parts inside. It is conceivable how fresh bread suddenly appeared in the middle of the Atlantic to boost morale. 165438 on October 9th, U- 17 1 will arrive in end of the tour. In fact, they have crossed the treacherous Bay of Biscay, and the distance from Laurian can be calculated in hours. According to the plan, they should arrive at the meeting point named "Lucy 2" on 16, and the escort ship will meet them and guide them into the port. 1 1: 47, the coastline is in sight. 4 1 trial afternoon 107 13, U- 17 1 can accept the information of shore-based navigation stations, and surface ships also appear in the field of vision. However, the news received shows that this ship is not their escort ship. The real escort ship has been on the road for an hour and is expected to see them soon. At this time, it is in the German-controlled area, and the danger is far away. Pfeffer ordered to continue sailing on the water, waiting for the escort at half speed, and allowed the crew to board the deck in batches. At this time, five roaring German planes appeared in front, one of which flew close to them, and the people on the submarine recognized it as a Ju 52 minesweeper. The plane passed the submarine from 50 meters away, turned around and repeated this action several times. This is a clear warning, but the people on the submarine control tower didn't understand its meaning. JU 52 minesweeper is equipped with coils, which can sweep magnetic mines. 1:250 German JU52-3M alloy transport model simulation Lufthansa World War II military model decoration 46 purchase When the plane passed the submarine again, there was a sudden loud noise and a high water column rose in front of the submarine. Pfeffer responded immediately, and they were struck by thunder. He loudly ordered the engine to stop, but I don't know if it was because the sound tube was damaged and the engine room didn't receive this order, and the diesel engine kept roaring. With the tenacious progress of the submarine, more water rushed in. Pfeffer realized that the ship was going to sink. He shouted, "abandon all ships!" ! ",and then ordered the crew to leave the cabin immediately. Pfeffer heard the chief engineer, Captain Otto Dingerding, shouting from under the control tower, "All of you put on your life jackets! Then I heard him shout, "Everybody on deck!" ! "。 At this time, the hatch cover of the front torpedo compartment suddenly opened and two frightened faces appeared under the hatch. Pfeffer waved and shouted, "Close the hatch!" , two faces flashed, disappeared, doors to cover. There is no information to show whether the two crew members survived. U- 17 1 sank irresistibly, and soon the deck sank to the bottom of the sea. Pfeffer has been guarding the hatch of the control tower and urging the crew to go out. When the seawater flooded into the control tower, he also jumped into the water. At this time, the stern is up and the diesel engine is still running. When he surfaced again, the submarine had disappeared. In fact, it took less than 30 seconds from explosion to sinking. Pfeffer gathered more than 30 drowning people together and took them to nearby Chloe Island. An hour later, patrol boats 134 falk (134 Falke) and other ships arrived one after another to rescue them. The other picture is U- 17 1, but the experience of others is much more dangerous than what he said. Captain Kurt Liu, who survived, recalled that there were about 20 people under the control tower. After the explosion, Pfeffer organized these people to get on the deck, and he also ordered the preparation of cannon to deal with the air raid (implying that Pfeffer was simply stupid enough to think that the plane threw a bomb at them). When the submarine sank, the diesel engine was still working, and the fresh air in the ship was immediately evacuated, and all the personnel in the diesel engine room, motor room and rear cabin died instantly. The remaining personnel in the central control room closed the watertight door in time, and controlled the air intake and exhaust to achieve a balance by operating a series of valves, so that the central control room and the front cabin 16 people were prevented from dying. Because there was chlorine in the battery compartment water boat, they survived by 13 auxiliary respirator. At this time, U- 17 1 has sunk to the bottom of the sea 40 meters deep, and they spent an hour waiting for the seawater to fill the front torpedo compartment to balance the internal and external pressures. With the efforts of a capable mechanic named Sauter, the stuck hatch was finally twisted open. The hatch was blasted by the gas, and was immediately buckled back by the water pressure. After several repetitions, the survivors, including three crew members without respirators, finally climbed out of the submarine. A crew member somehow stayed on the ship and couldn't get out. The other died of severe burns because the respirator poured into seawater, causing a violent reaction of potassium peroxide. The three men were separated in the process of floating, and the bodies were washed ashore a few days later. The remaining 1 1 people finally reached the surface successfully. At this time, Falk was searching for survivors with three other inshore patrol boats, and they were saved. U- 17 1 broke into the minefield laid by the British air-dropped mines because of blind advance without escort and ignoring the warning of the mine-sweeping plane. She left the base 16 weeks, and the degaussing treatment before departure failed, so a magnetic mine put her on the seabed. It is hard to say that captain Pfeffer is not responsible for this incident. He later admitted that he had not made accurate navigation calculations in the previous three weeks. In this way, U- 17 1 stayed at the bottom of the sea about 50 miles away from Laurian, and she tripped on the last step home. The sinking site of U- 17 1 is only one step away from Laurian. The submarine U- 17 1 sank during the first combat patrol, 20 of the 52 crew members were killed and the rest survived. She stayed at sea for 1 15 days and sank three ships, totaling 1764 1 ton. The wreckage of the submarine has been left in its place. After the war, the French navy carried out several underwater explosions on the bow to eliminate the hidden danger of torpedo explosion to the hull, but the hull in the middle and rear parts was still relatively intact. Gunter Pfeffer, the captain of the sunken U- 17 1, boarded the newly-built U- 170 with the surviving crew after being rescued. He served as the captain of U-548 for 44 years, and returned to the shore in the last months of the war as the training director at the torpedo school in Kiel. Either his marksmanship was bad or he was unlucky. In the later days, Pfeffer sank only one ship on U- 170, and his record remained at 4 ships, with 22,304 tons. His rank was never promoted during the war, but he was awarded the iron cross 1st class Medal. After the war, Pfeffer joined the German Navy in * * * and eventually retired with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.