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SHARKHUNTERS International
History of the German submarine U-48
the MOST Successful Submarine of World War II
Conning Tower Emblems - above left, three Skippers = three black tomcats; above right - tonnage totals
Below left is the Mützenabzeichen (cap badge)
   

Much of this information, the data, the photos etc. comes directly from the veterans, the veterans' organizations and is the most accurate available anywhere..............much of this information is not even known elsewhere.
 

         
The wear and tear of war is evident in the conning tower badly in need of repainting.

Under three different Skippers, U-48 became the MOST successful submarine of any navy in World War II.  It is generally accepted that the I.W.O. (First Watchkeeping Officer) Reinhard "Teddy" Suhren did much of the shooting.  In fact, when Heinrich Bleichrodt was going to be decorated with his Knights Cross, he said that he would refuse it unless Suhren was also decorated with the Knights Cross.

             No Men lost

Commanders of U-48 include:

HERBERT SCHULTZE (191-1986)	HANS-RUDOLF RÖSING (313-1987)	Bleichrodt

NOTE - Sharkhunters Member's names appear in bold capital letters followed by their Membership Number.

I.W.O. "Teddy" Suhren

U-48 was initially attached to the U-Flottille Wegener then to the 7th U-Bootflottille based at St. Nazaire, France.  She was transferred to the 26th U-Bootflottille based at Pillau as a Schulboot (school boat) and used there for training until March 1942.  U-48 was then transferred to the 3rd ULD (U-Boot Lehr Division or submarine training division).  At the end of the war, she was scuttled by her own crew.
 

U-48 had 12 Feindfahrten (war patrols) in her short combat life, but sank more ships and more tonnage than any other submarine in World War II.  There were patrols in the North Atlantic but also a minelaying patrol off Portland, England; operations against British forces off Narvik in April 1940; and the unsuccessful search for survivors of BISMARCK.

                  SHIPS SUNK BY U-48 (SCHULTZE commanding)

ROYAL SCEPTER		WINKLEIGH		FIRBY
EMILE  MIGUET		HERONSPOOL		LOUSIANE

+  The Captain of the American liner PRESIDENT HARDING radioed that he had rescued the entire crew of 36 from HERONSPOOL.  Captain Batson, Master of HERONSPOOL said that at 6 o'clock Friday evening he saw the EMILE MIGUET being shelled about six miles distant, so he steered his ship away to the north eastward.  About 8 o'clock they heard an explosion and saw a column of water rise on the starboard beam.  Half an hour later the submarine approached and signaled 'What ship?"
     "As soon as we could make him out," Captain Batson said, "we fired two shots at him whereupon he dived.  I hauled to the westward for two hours then zig-zagged.  About 11pm the submarine appeared in sight nearly aft.  We quickly fired two shots at him in succession.  He disappeared but reappeared at midnight and fired a shot which exploded close to our starboard beam.  Then we sighted him on the starboard quarter and again we fired."
     After a while the submarine submerged again but soon there was a violent explosion in the forepart of the HERONSPOOL.  She had been torpedoed.  Captain Batson continues, "We then abandoned ship in two lifeboats and after pulling away for some diistance, we lay to.  We saw that the forepart of the ship appeared to have been blown away and that she was listing to port.  The submarine appeared in full view a short distance away 20 minutes later but seemed not to notice us.  We sighted PRESIDENT HARDING about 5:30am and shortly after that HERONSPOOL disappeared"

SNEATON	CLAN CHISHOLM	GUSTAV A. REUTER
GERMAIN	BURGERDIJK	SULTAN STAR

DEN HAAG	WILJA	NICOLAOS ANGELOS
NAILSEA LASS	GERMANIC	BEAVERDALE

*  As one might imagine. firing into a convoy such as this attack on Convoy HX.115, is a chaotic thing.  U-48 reported two different ships hit, but her torpedoes actually missed them and hit two other ships.  They thought they had sunk ATHELPRINCE but she was not even hit.  They did hit and sink EASTLEA but they erroneously reported her as MASUNDA.
 

                  SHIPS SUNK BY U-48 (RÖSING commanding)

STANCOR	VIOLANDO N. GOULANDRIS	TUDOR
BARON LOUDOUN	MOORDRECHT	HEDRUN

VILLE de GAND   (sunk)		EROS  (damaged)

                  SHIPS DAMAGED BY U-48 (RÖSING commanding)

Sharkhunters Members get all this information and a whole lot more including a monthly Magazine with facts, veteran's memories and stories you cannot get anywhere else - and when you join, you may select one of our hand-signed photos of veterans of the war as your free gift.  Send us an email at sharkhunters@earthlink.net with your name, and request a FREE sample of our KTB Magazine.  You will love it - and there is NO obligation!
 

SHIPS SUNK BY U-48 (Bleichrodt commanding)

HMS  DUNDEE		CITY OF BENARES		MAGDELENA
BRANDANGER		PORT GISBORNE		SCORESBY

SANDSEND		SHIREK

**     Not certain if U-48 sank KENDOROC; there are reports another U-Boat sank her with gunfire.
***   SHIREK was first hit by U-47 four hours earlier and left in flames.  U-48 sank her with a coup d'grace.
 

                  SHIPS DAMAGED BY U-48 (Bleichrodt commanding)

****  EMPIRE SOLDIER swerved to avoid torpedo from U-48 and hit another ship causing minor damage.

U-48 was scuttled by her own crew off Neustadt Bay while under command of Todenhagen in the unofficial Operation Regenbogen (Rainbow) against orders from Großadmiral Karl Dönitz.  Sometime between 1947 and 1953 she was raised by the Allies and broken up.
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Sharkhunters Members get all this information and a whole lot more including a monthly Magazine with facts, veteran's memories and stories you cannot get anywhere else - and when you join, you may select one of our hand-signed photos of veterans of the war as your free gift.  Send us an email at sharkhunters@earthlink.net with your name, and request a FREE sample of our KTB Magazine.  You will love it - and there is NO obligation!

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Many thanks to our friend and Sharkhunters Member since 1987 GEORG HÖGEL for all the conning tower emblems used in our monthly KTB Magazine and also here on the pages of our website.  GEORG was radioman aboard U-30, the first boat into combat, the first to sink a ship (the liner ATHENIA) and the first into an occupied French port.  When that Skipper (Lemp) took command of U-110, GEORG was one of the former crew to transfer to the new boat under Lemp.  After the war, he was Professor of Art at a major German university.