Patrol info for U-553
| Departure | Arrival / Fate | Duration | ||
| 7 Oct 1941 | St. Nazaire | 22 Oct 1941 | St. Nazaire | 16 days |
Commander | Officers * | ||
 Kptlt. Karl Thurmann |
1WO Oblt. Erich Lilienfeld |
1WO Oblt. Wolfgang Eickstedt |
ObStrm Walter Zenker |
Daily positions, sinkings and allied attacks during the patrol of U-553
Legend
means a ship hit (sunk or damaged).
indicates an Allied attack on the boat.
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We have daily positions for all 16 days on this patrol.
Departure from St. Nazaire on 7 Oct 1941.
8 Oct 1941 - 9 Oct 1941 - 10 Oct 1941 - 11 Oct 1941 - 12 Oct 1941 - 13 Oct 1941 - 14 Oct 1941 - 15 Oct 1941 - 16 Oct 1941 - 17 Oct 1941 - 18 Oct 1941 - 19 Oct 1941 - 20 Oct 1941 - 21 Oct 1941 -
Arrival at St. Nazaire on 22 Oct 1941.
Ships hit by U-553 during this patrol
| Date | U-boat | Commander | Name of ship | Tons | Nat. | Convoy | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Oct 1941 | U-553 | Karl Thurmann |  | Silvercedar | 4,354 |  | br | SC-48 |
| 15 Oct 1941 | U-553 | Karl Thurmann | | Ila | 1,583 |  | nw | SC-48 |
| 17 Oct 1941 | U-553 | Karl Thurmann | | HMS Gladiolus (K 34) | 925 | | br | SC-48 |
| 6,862 | ||||||||
3 ships sunk (6,862 tons). Legend | ||||||||
General Events during this patrol
1941
15 Oct 1941. Hard day for U-553. At 0705hrs the boat sighted convoy SC-48 and attacked an hour later with some success (see above). At 1024 the boat was forced away by an escort. During the next attempt at 1624hrs the escort HMCS Columbia attacked U-553 with six depth charges, but without result. Two hours later the Canadian escort attacked with a torpedo, but missed. More depth charges followed. In the night the boat lost the convoy when it changed course.
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Attacks on U-553 during this patrol
15 Oct 1941
At 16.24 hours, the boat crash dived after being spotted by HMCS Columbia while shadowing the convoy SC-48 on its port beam. The destroyer obtained no Asdic contact but dropped six depth charges at the diving spot and then remained in the area to keep U-553 down. At 18.15 hours, the U-boat fired its stern torpedo at the destroyer but she managed to evade the attack after a lookout spotted the torpedo track. Running out HMCS Columbia picked up a good contact and delivered an accurate attack with a depth charge pattern, but U-553 had already dived to 55 meters and only received minor damage. In the meantime HMS Gladiolus joined the hunt but carried out no attacks as the U-boat had already crept away. (Sources: KTB U-553/ADM 237-187)
17 Oct 1941
After a successful attack on convoy SC-48, the boat dived to 90 meters when a destroyer approached and dropped three depth charges at the diving position, detonating high above the U-boat which escaped further attacks by passing under the convoy. The destroyer was probably USS Kearny that dropped a single depth charge at 00.22 hours. (Sources: KTB U-553/ADM 237-164)
About this data
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See all patrols for U-553
* These are officers that later became commanders themselves.
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