General Discussions  
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII. 
Go to: Forum List•Message List•New Topic•Search•Log In•Print View
Clarification/Correction
Posted by: Michael Lowrey ()
Date: March 07, 2001 01:33PM

<HTML>After looking at the material more carefully, it appears that there is no real conlict about the fate of U 109 between Tarrant, Conway\'s, and Humphrey\'s work. By early 1918, the Allies were using an illuminated minefield in the Dover area. The idea was to combine search lights, patrol craft, nets, and deep mine fields to make it difficult for U-boats to enter and use the English Channel to reach their patrol areas. Apparnetly, the U 109 was trying to penetrate on the surface and was spotted by the drifter Beryl III at short range. The submarine dived to avoid the drifters 3-inch gun fire. An underwater explosion was heard later as the U-boat set off a deeply-laid mine. So yes, the U 109 was mined (and apparently dived on by the Royal Navy shortly thereafter) after being driven down by the Beryl III.

As for Kemp\'s \"U-Boats Destroyed\", the discription of the loss notes the U 109 never radioed after trying to cross the Dover defenses and was presumably mined - an accurate statement as far as it goes. The location and surrounding circumstances are unknown in Kemp\'s listing, a strange comment given the apparent wealth of support to support the incident involving the Beryl III.

Given these facts, it is possible that a ship\'s bell could have been taken from the wreck of the U 109. The water would certainly be shallow enough to dive and the location well known.</HTML>

Options: Reply•Quote


Subject Written By Posted
Ship\'s Bell U109 Bid Conger 03/06/2001 09:24PM
RE: Ship\\\'s Bell U109 Anders Wingren 03/06/2001 09:38PM
RE: Ship\\\\\\\'s Bell U109 Michael Lowrey 03/06/2001 11:50PM
Clarification/Correction Michael Lowrey 03/07/2001 01:33PM


Go to: Forum List•Message List•Search•Log In
Your Name: 
Your Email: 
Subject: 
Spam prevention:
Please, enter the code that you see below in the input field. This is for blocking bots that try to post this form automatically.
 ********   **         **     **  ********         ** 
 **     **  **    **   **     **  **     **        ** 
 **     **  **    **   **     **  **     **        ** 
 ********   **    **   **     **  ********         ** 
 **         *********  **     **  **         **    ** 
 **               **   **     **  **         **    ** 
 **               **    *******   **          ******