List of all U-boats

U-57

Type

IIC

 
Ordered17 Jun 1937
Laid down14 Sep 1937 Deutsche Werke AG, Kiel (werk 256)
Launched3 Sep 1938
Commissioned29 Dec 1938Oblt. Claus Korth
Commanders
29 Dec 1938 - 4 Jun 1940  Kptlt. Claus Korth (Knights Cross)
5 Jun 1940 - 15 Sep 1940  Oblt. Erich Topp (Knights Cross)
11 Jan 1941 - 16 May 1943   Wilhelm Eisele
17 May 1943 - 31 Jul 1944  Oblt. Walter Zenker
1 Aug 1944 - May, 1945  Oblt. Peter Kühl
Career
11 patrols
29 Dec 1938-31 Dec 1939  5. Flottille (training)
1 Jan 1940-3 Sep 1940  1. Flottille (front boat)
11 Jan 1941-30 Jun 1944  22. Flottille (school boat)
1 Jul 1944-3 May 1945  19. Flottille (school boat)
Successes11 ships sunk, total tonnage 48,053 GRT
1 auxiliary warship sunk, total tonnage 8,240 GRT
2 ships damaged, total tonnage 10,403 GRT
1 ship a total loss, total tonnage 10,191 GRT
Fate

Sank at 0015hrs on 3 Sept, 1940 at Brunsbüttel, in position 53.53N, 09.09E, after an accidental collision with the Norwegian steamship Rona. 6 dead and 19 survivors.

Raised in Sept 1940. Repaired and returned to service on 11 Jan, 1941.

Scuttled on 3 May, 1945 at Kiel.

See the 15 ships hit by U-57 - View the 11 war patrols

Attacks on this boat

25 Aug 1940
On the morning, the boat was located with Asdic by HMS Westcott in the vicinity of convoy HX-65B and attacked twice with depth charges which fell some distance away. U-57 surfaced and chased the convoy until she caught up in the evening and sank a straggler. Afterwards the U-boat was attacked with depth charges by HMS Westcott and HMS Gladiolus and then escaped undamaged as the contact was lost after the initial attacks. (Sources: ADM 199/1707)

1 recorded attack on this boat.

Men lost from the boat

3 Sep 1940
The boat sank after an accidental collision with the Norwegian steamer SS Rona, taking 6 of its crew with her. She was raised shortly afterwards and put into commission as a training boat. [Obermaschinenmaat Bernhard Henz, Maschinengefreiter Kurt Kopf, Matrosengefreiter Hermann Schneider, Funkobergefreiter Kurt Sparschuh,Matrosenobergefreiter Franz Tatzreiter]

  Related: For more info on such losses see - Men lost from U-boats -

U-boat Emblems

We have 3 emblem entry for this boat! See the emblem page for this boat or view each one below.



Hitler's U-boat War, Vol II
Blair, Clay


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Books dealing with this subject include

German U-Boat Losses During World War II. Niestle, Axel, 1998.
Hitler's U-boat War. Blair, Clay, 1996.
Hitler's U-boat War, Vol II. Blair, Clay, 1998.
U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 1. Wynn, Kenneth, 1998.
U-Boat Operations of the Second World War - Vol 2. Wynn, Kenneth, 1998.


There was another U-57 in World War One
That boat was launched from its shipyard on 29 Apr 1916 and commissioned into the Imperial Navy on 6 Jul 1916. The Naval war in WWI was brought to an end with the Armistice signed on 11 Nov, 1918. Read about the U 57 during WWI.