U-618

Type

VIIC

Ordered

15 Aug 1940

Laid down

29 May 1941

Blohm & Voss, Hamburg (werk 594)

Launched

20 Feb 1942

Commissioned

16 Apr 1942

Oblt. Kurt Baberg

Commanders

16 Apr 1942	-	15 Apr 1944		Kptlt. Kurt Baberg
16 Apr 1944	-	14 Aug 1944		Oblt. Erich Faust

Career
10 patrols

16 Apr 1942	-	31 Aug 1942	5. Flottille (training)
1 Sep 1942	-	14 Aug 1944	7. Flottille (active service)

Successes

3 ships sunk, total tonnage 15,788 GRT

Fate

Sunk 14 Aug, 1944 in the Bay of Biscay west of St. Nazaire, in position 47.22N, 04.39W, by depth charges from the British frigates HMS Duckworth and HMS Essington, and by depth charges from a British Liberator aircraft (Sqdn. 53/G). 61 dead (all hands lost).

Loss position

See the 3 ships hit by U-618 - View the 10 war patrols

Wolfpack operations

U-618 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
   Pfeil (12 Sep 1942 - 22 Sep 1942)
   Blitz (22 Sep 1942 - 26 Sep 1942)
   Tiger (26 Sep 1942 - 30 Sep 1942)
   Wotan (5 Oct 1942 - 19 Oct 1942)
   Neuland (4 Mar 1943 - 6 Mar 1943)
   Ostmark (6 Mar 1943 - 11 Mar 1943)
   Stürmer (11 Mar 1943 - 20 Mar 1943)
   Seewolf (21 Mar 1943 - 30 Mar 1943)
   Adler (11 Apr 1943 - 13 Apr 1943)
   Meise (13 Apr 1943 - 20 Apr 1943)
   Specht (21 Apr 1943 - 25 Apr 1943)
   Schill 3 (18 Nov 1943 - 22 Nov 1943)
   Weddigen (22 Nov 1943 - 7 Dec 1943)
   Coronel (7 Dec 1943 - 8 Dec 1943)
   Coronel 2 (8 Dec 1943 - 14 Dec 1943)
   Coronel 3 (14 Dec 1943 - 17 Dec 1943)
   Borkum (18 Dec 1943 - 26 Dec 1943)
   Hela (28 Dec 1943 - 1 Jan 1944)

Attacks on this boat and other events

20 Nov 1943
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down: British Liberator BZ816 (53 Sqdn RAF/N, pilot S/L K.A. Aldridge)

At 19.25 hours the boat was attacked by the Leigh Light equipped Liberator near the combined convoy SL-139/MKS-30. The aircraft was already hit during the first strafing run and no bombs were dropped, coming around for a second attack it was shot down about 1000 metres behind U-618 by the quadruple 20mm AA gun. All nine crewmen were lost. (Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)

19 Mar 1944
The boat, while attempting to enter the Mediterranean, was harassed by allied aircraft and surface ships for an entire week (19 Mar - 25 Mar) before aborting to France with heavy battle damage. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 494)

6 Apr 1944
At 23.33 hours, the inbound boat was attacked by the Leigh Light equipped Liberator aircraft BZ769 (53 Sqdn RAF/N, pilot F/O C. Allison, RCAF) after being picked up on radar in the Bay of Biscay. The pilot had been confused by two radar contacts, the other apparently being a trawler or another surface vessel and passed behind U-618 when it was hit in the port wing and the fuselage by AA fire. The aircraft then returned to base without dropping bombs because the bomb bay doors could not be re-opened, the radar set had been disabled and the beam gunner wounded. (Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)

30 Jul 1944
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down:British Wellington Mk.XIV (RAF Sqdn 172/J)

At 01.25 hours, the boat was attacked in the Bay of Biscay at night by a Wellington aircraft (RAF Sqdn 172/J, pilot F/L L.H. Such), which was hit by AA fire and crashed into the sea, killing the crew of six men.

(Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)

4 recorded attacks on this boat.

General notes on this boat

30 Dec 1943. On 30 Dec 1943 U-618 saved 21 survivors from the sunken German destroyer Z 27. After the war these destroyer men became honorary members of the crew and took part in their annual meetings (only those men from U-618 not on the last mission of course).

Men lost from U-boats

Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-618 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.