U Boat quistion?

[birdman]

During WW2 there were some German sailors that gave themselves up to local coast watchers on Fort Morgan Rd Alabama. I have never heard of their UBoat being found. I heard that the Navy sunk the Uboat and also that the crew scuttled it . I know that it really happened because of a first hand account that was told of the ubout crew being driven off in a vehical and it is also in the local history book of Baldwin county Al. I am just curious if anyone has any knowledge of this Uboat. The crew is said to have had half a loaf of bread they brought with them in their life boat that was from a local German community about 30 miles away. I used to hear the people of that generation talk about it when I was a kid. I have also heard that a minnie sub was scuttled in Mobile Bay. I talked to a fisherman who said he found it after a storm ,and the next night he said it was covered back up. I know this man at least thought it was a minnie sub. He was not making it up when he told me about about 12 years ago. Just wondering if anyone else had ever heard of the Uboat activity in this area during the war.

 

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[Cablava]

If the local records has the commanders name then you can go to uboat.net and find the u boat from there. If not you need to find more information from your own area. If there are county records then this stoty would have been in the papers at that time as a nice war story, check your local press archives.

 

[Cablava]

U 166 This may be the one but it says there were no survivors, She was found by Shell Oil in 5000 ft of water South of Jacksonville


U-166
Type IXC
Laid down 6 Dec, 1940 Seebeck, Bremen
Commissioned 23 Mar, 1942 Oblt. Hans-G?nther Kuhlmann
Commanders 23 Mar, 1942 - 30 Jul, 1942 Oblt. Hans-G?nther Kuhlmann

Career 2 patrols 23 Mar, 1942 - 31 May, 1942 4. Flottille (training)
1 Jun, 1942 - 30 Jul, 1942 10. Flottille (front boat)

Successes 4 ships sunk for a total of 7.593 GRT
Fate Sunk on 30 July, 1942 Gulf of Mexico, in position 28.5N, 89W, by depth charges from a US Navy escort vessel PC-566. 52 dead (all hands lost).


Previously recorded fate (Last revised by uboat.net during June 2001)
Sunk on 1 August, 1942 in the Gulf of Mexico, in position 28.37N, 90.45W, by a single depth charge from a US J4F-1 Grumman aircraft (USCG V-212/Y).

This may have been an attack on U-171.

The discovery of U-166 (June 10, 2001)
This boat was finally discovered and documented in late May 2001 after years and years of unsuccessful research and wreck-hunting. The wreck was located some 45 miles south of the mouth of Mississippi River, by C & C Technologies with their AUV during oil-survey work for BP Amoco and Shell.

We're compiling an article on the loss and eventual discovery of the boat right now, should be ready in the next few days.

Its discovery also changes its official fate since it's now certain that she was lost right after sinking her fourth and last victim, Robert E. Lee on July 30, 1942. Their wrecks are less than one mile from each other.

She is of course a gravesite now and cannot be disturbed, she is protected by some 5000feet of water in this regard.

uboat.net had published a theory on its location for a long time and that theory was proven correct although most did not subscribe to that one

 

[Cablava]

U 166 was the only listed U Boat loss in the Gulf. Of the 54 missing U Boats non were thought to be in the Gulf. If there were survivors then the boats number will be written somwhere. Keep looking localy and use the Uboat.net site to find info on any given boat.

Good Luck

 

[rgecy]

Re: U Boat question?

The guys at Uboat.net will tell you about how these stories are all made up. I had heard similar stories of local german resident refueling uboats at night out on one of the barrier islands. These stories were past down by members of the local CG Auxilary. I have heard from other divers, that there is a sub off the coast here in SC, but I have nver seen it first hand. The guys on Uboat.net swear that there were no subs in this area, but with so many German subs missing and whereabouts unknown, I think it is very possible.

I am still waiting to see the one here!

Robert in SC

 

[SomeGuy]

I am very hazy on this, but I thought I saw somewhere that the remains of 2 unidentified U-boats had been found in the Gulf of Mexico within the past few years, but I thought they were closer to Mexico than to Alabama.

 

[birdman]

All great info,thanks. One of the coast watchers started Snooks phone Co. in Foley Alabama and he died about 8 years ago.My father knew him well and has heard him talk of the Germans giving up to them on more then one occasion.We also knew a lady named Mrs gainer ,who died several years ago that talked about the encounter. He said one of them spoke perfact English . I will try to do alittle more research on the encounter and will post my findings. Thanks.

 

[ceolacanth]

Birdman
Here is some info I dug up:
Get hold of a book by Melanie Wiggins' Torpedoes in the Gulf: Galveston and the U-Boats, 1942-1943, a total of 24 U-boats attacked ships in the Gulf of Mexico. These included, in approximate chronological order:
Boat Type Notes
U-103 IXB One ship sunk.
U-508 IXC Six ships sunk.
U-507 IXC Eight ships sunk.
U-506 IXC Eight ships sunk.
U-106 IXB Five ships sunk.
U-504 IXC No ships sunk.
U-753 VIIC Four ships sunk.
U-67 IXC Eight ships sunk.
U-129 IXC Six ships sunk.
U-134 VIIC No ships sunk.
U-154 IXC One ship sunk.
U-157 IXC No ships sunk.
U-158 IXC Six ships sunk.
U-509 IXC No ships sunk.
U-171 IXC Three ships sunk.
U-571 VIIC Three ships sunk.
U-84 VIIB Five ships sunk.
U-166 IXC Two ships sunk in Gulf of Mexico. Only U-boat lost in the Gulf of Mexico.
U-600 VIIC No ships sunk.
U-183 IXC/40 One ship sunk.
U-155 IXC Two ships sunk.
U-527 IXC/40 No ships sunk.
U-518 IXC No ships sunk.
U-193 IXC/40 One ship sunk.

With this amount of U Boats opperating in the area You can rest assured some are also sunk in the Gulf area, As Cornelius puts it ?now go and research? hint: if you eliminate the known ones first
BELOW are Video frame captures of U-166 where she lays in 4700ft of waterI wish I could post you a link but I cant remember whert the info came from But I can forward you more pics and the ROV movie if you wish)

 

[birdman]

Wow! That is really great stuff! I will try to dig up more history on the incounter. I asked my father about the old man Snooks account and he said he was real bragadoisous.I know there is somthing to it ,hopefully some resurch will do the trick. The sad thing is the two people that I knew of that seen the Germans are past away.There had to be more eyewitnesses though. I also heard that the FBI came down to interveiw them so maybe there would be some type of records there if that is true. Thanks for all the great information.