Patrol info for U-74
| Departure | Arrival / Fate | Duration | ||
| 23 Apr 1942 | La Spezia | 2 May 1942 | Lost | 10 days |
Commander | Officers * |
Oblt. Karl Friederich |
The boat was ordered to operate against enemy aircraft carriers that entered the Western Mediterranean from Gibraltar to launch fighter aircraft for Malta.
In the afternoon on 1 May, U-573 was badly damaged during an air attack and called for help. U-74 left its operational area to assist and was en route unsuccessfully attacked by HMS Unbroken at 22.22 hours. No contact was made with the U-boat in distress during the night, which reached the port of Cartagena in neutral Spain under own power the next morning. However, a Catalina flying boat still searching for the crippled U-boat located U-375 during the afternoon on 2 May and its sighting report brought two British destroyers to the scene, which searched the area and located and sank the nearby U-74 while U-375 escaped.
Daily positions, sinkings and allied attacks during the patrol of U-74
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indicates an Allied attack on the boat.
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We have daily positions for all 10 days on this patrol.
Departure from La Spezia on 23 Apr 1942.
24 Apr 1942 - 25 Apr 1942 - 26 Apr 1942 - 27 Apr 1942 - 28 Apr 1942 - 29 Apr 1942 - 30 Apr 1942 - 1 May 1942 -
Sunk on 2 May 1942.
Ships hit by U-74 during this patrol
No entries found.
General Events during this patrol
We have no events listed for this patrol.
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Attacks on U-74 during this patrol
1 May 1942
At 14.05 hours, the boat was attacked by the Hudson T9387 (233 Sqn RAF/B, pilot PO Vivian E. Camacho, RCAF) from Gibraltar with a stick of four 250lb depth charges about 30 miles east-southeast of Almeria, Spain. Two were seen to explode ahead of the swirl about 13 seconds after U-74 crash-dived and escaped without damage. (Sources: ADM 199/1782)
1 May 1942
At 22.22 hours, a U-boat was unsuccessfully attacked by HMS Unbroken with her last two torpedoes about 30 miles southeast of Almeria, Spain. HMS Georgetown, HMS Vidette and HMS Westcott on A/S patrol east of Gibraltar were subsequently sent to this position but found nothing. This must have been U-74 which was unaware of the torpedo attack and en route to assist the crippled U-573. (Sources: ADM 199/662)
2 May 1942
The sinking of U-74:
At 07.40 hours on 2 May, U-74 was seen the last time by the Italian submarine Mocenigo (C.C. Paolo Monechi) which exchanged recognition signals with her in position 37°03N/00°15E. The U-boat sent a last radio message at 10.52 hours and was not heard of again. At this time, U-74 and U-375 were searching for U-573 which had been seriously damaged by an air attack the day before, but then managed to reach the Spanish port of Cartagena under own power around noon. At 14.12 hours, U-375 was bombed by the Catalina AJ162 (202 Sqn RAF/C, pilot FltLt R.Y. Powell) about 55 miles east of Cartagena and its sighting report brought HMS Wishart (D 67) (Cdr H.G. Scott, RN) and HMS Wrestler (D 35) (Lt R.W.B. Lacon, DSC, RN) to the scene. At 16.52 hours, HMS Wishart obtained a firm sonar contact in position 37°16N/00°01E and both destroyers carried out eight attacks until losing contact at 18.49 hours. HMS Wishart dropped 39 depth charges in four attacks while HMS Wrestler used its Hedgehog mortar twice and carried out two attacks with a full pattern of 14 depth charges each. Explosions were heard after both Hedgehog attacks and air bubbles were seen for about two minutes after the sixth attack. The destroyers continued to search the area until HMS Wishart had carried out two depth charge attacks on a firm contact located about seven miles from the original attacks at 22.30 hours. Shortly afterwards a large patch of thin oil was spotted to windward of the attacks. The last two attacks were carried out on U-375 which escaped undamaged, but the heavy depth charge attacks of the destroyers during the afternoon must have fatally damaged U-74 which sank with all hands about 50 miles east-southeast of Cartagena, Spain.
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* These are officers that later became commanders themselves.
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