U-701 - 3rd War Patrol

Translation by Jerry Mason with help from Andi Forster

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Ships Attacked
Date	KTB Time	Position	Ship	Tons	Nationality	Convoy
15 Jun 42	23.02	36°52'N, 75°51'W	ROBERT C. TUTTLE (damaged by mine)	11,615	American	KN-109
15 Jun 42	23.33	36°49'N, 75°45'W	ESSO AUGUSTA (damaged by mine)	11,237	American	KN-109
16 Jun 42	01.15	36°52'N, 75°51'W	HMS KINGSTON CEYLONITE (FY 214) (mine)	448	British
17 Jun 42	13.48	36°50'N, 75°44'W	SANTORE (mine)	7,117	American
19 Jun 42	04.45 - 06.15	35°00'N, 75°21'W	USS YP-389	170	American
26 Jun 42	05.10	34°59'N, 75°41'W	TAMESIS (damaged)	7,256	Norwegian
27 Jun 42	17.07	34°47'N, 75°24'W	BRITISH FREEDOM (damaged)	6,985	British	KS-514
28 Jun 42	20.16	34°23'N, 75°56'W	WILLIAM ROCKFELLER	14,054	American
29 Jun 42	07.25	35°11'N, 75°07'W	"
			Total = 60,627
Note:  The positions in the table above and in the Google Earth patrol summary are derived from the KTB and in many cases do not match those set forth in authoritative references such as Jürgen Rohwer, Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two or the Uboat.net website.  The goal here is to present the picture relative to the U-boat and not the absolute position that the ship was attacked or sank.

		Kriegstagebuch of "U-701"
		Commander Kapitänleutnant  D  e  g  e  n
		(Reconstruction by B.d.U.)
		1942.
		01.04.42 -
		19.05.42	Brest	Maintenance and overhaul.
		19.05.42
		21.30	Brest	Departed.
		20.05.42	Lorient	Arrived.  Mines loaded.
		21.00	Lorient	Departed for operations area in Chesapeake Bay.
		22.05.42		U-701 reported position from BE 92.
		24.05.42		U-701 reported weather from BE 8360
		30.05.42		U-701 is ordered to switch to Greenland Circuit at 08.00 on 31 May.
		02.06.42		Radio Message from B.d.U.:  Supplement to the mining operations order.
		04.06.42		U-701 reported weather from CC 22.
		06.06.42		U-701 reported sighting steamer DROTTINGHOLM in CB 6215, position CB 5533, 100 cbm.
		07.06.42		U-701 reported from CB 4937, that in CB 4931 had sighted Type "URGUAY" zigzagging on general course 60°, 18 knots.
		08.06.42		B.d.U. to Degen:  Execute task at the earliest on the night of 11 June, further details follow.
		09.06.42		Radio Message from B.d.U:  Degen . . . . execute task as long as situation is favorable, no time limitation.
		12.06.42		U-701 reported execution of fouling.
		13.06.42		U-701 reported 82 cbm fuel oil.
		16.06.42		U-701 reported situation:  Cape Hatteras:  traffic only between 17.00 and 19.00 hours.  Cape Lookout:  Heavy air, stationary sea patrols, good bombs.  By day submerged only.  Sighted:  Tanker and freighters in convoy, today a large independent freighter.  Unexplained double miss.  6 torpedoes, 80 cbm.  No very low frequency reception.
		17.06.42		U-701 reported:  Fixed periscope out of service due to depth bombs.  Akli cartridges only for 4 days.  Today 3 destroyers on N-course in formation and a buoy layer.  1 searching destroyer dropping isolated depth charges at position.
		18.06.42		B.d.U. to Degen:  To date 1 ship ran onto a mine and was sunk.
		20.06.42		U-701 reported:  Situation at Cape Hatteras:  Traffic in batches, no longer daily, recently set off far from land, rounds Diamond Shoal 10 nm distant.  Sighted 18 June 2 tankers, 1 freighter in line ahead formation without escort, N-course, far out of effective range.  Was surprised by patrol
				- 2 -
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	Click the flag to view the above page from the original German KTB
	Sun and Moon Data 11.06.42  (mining operation)

		20.06.42	[USS YP-389]	vessel in the haze.  Destroyed in 1-1/2 hourly artillery combat.  6 torpedoes.  74 cbm.
		23.06.42		Degen reports situation:  Cape Hatteras:  Traffic parallel to the line Diamond Shoal - Cape Lookout only during daylight.  Strength as reported.  Because of large difference in across distance no chance of a target.  Sighted:  21 June large tanker without escort N-course, destroyer, airship, aircraft, at twilight hunted by a fast boat, shook off in the rough sea.  On 24 June moving off to the east because of the moon.  Request attack area.  6 torpedoes, 69 cbm.
		28.06.42
		23.50	[British Freedom] [William Rockefeller]	U-701 reported:  27 June in DC 1231 an 8000 GRT tanker sunk from a southbound convoy, 1 ship torpedoed.  28 June DC 1246 a fully loaded 12000 GRT tanker torpedoed.  N-course.  Completely ablaze for 10 hours, still continuing.  Therefore destroyed.  2 Ato, 1 Eto.  65 cbm.
		29.06.42
		05.25	[William Rockefeller]	U-701 reported:  Tanker sunk with fan shot.  Type GULFPRIDE.
		02.07.42		Radio Message from B.d.U.:  . . . . Degen:  Supply is scheduled in CC 40 or 70.  Adjust return transit accordingly.
		06.07.42		U-701 reported:  Situation Cape Hatteras:  Since 28 June tightened sea and air patrol.  During the night of 2 July 2000 GRT freighter with 3 suspiciously remote escort vessels, probably a trap.  Otherwise outside and within the 200-meter line nothing more seen.  1 Ato, 1 Eto, both stern, 52 cbm.
		07.07.42		U-701 reported:  6 July CA 8740 convoy, 5 steamers, 4 destroyers, SW-course, medium speed.  Monitoring again after letting go.
			No further answer to requests for situation/position reports on 12 and 13 July.  Later from an informant's report (Branch Prkr. 5977/42) 3 other ships ran into the minefield and were sunk.  Size 5000 GRT accepted.  By message of the American government the boat was sunk on 09.07.42 in approximately CA 85.
			From 28.07.42 U-701 was missing one star, on 28.01.43 with effect from 9 July, 1942 missing two stars.  Commander and 6 men in captivity; 39 sailors were lost.
				For the Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote
				- The Chief of Operations Department -

	- 1 -
			Supplement to KTB U-701
			from messages from the prisoner of war correspondence of
			Obermaschinisten B o l l m a n n.
			U-701 received a direct hit from an aircraft bomb in the E-motor room in 35-meters water.  The crew escaped by the conning tower hatch and the forward torpedo hatch, some without Trauchretter, after 50-hous swimming the survivors were rescued by a float plane.
				A 5

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