Hi Anton

I have done loads of research on boats operating in/around SA and can say without a doubt these are myths. Sorry! My research started out chasing myths and I uncovered loads of these. The reality is that as with any coast that u-boats operated off, large amounts of rumours circulate. I have a vast collection of these and ALL proved to be stories - some of them, good ones at that! An example: St Francis Bay in South Africa would have made a wonderful hideaway for a u-boat prior to Oct 42. A house exists on the shores of the bay called "Seeheim". The rumour was that it was built by a u-boat captain who had anchored in the bay to give his crew rest and allow them ashore. If he survived the war, he would return and build a house on this once secluded shore - he returned and built the house. Problem 1: After checking with the locals, I found that the house never belonged to a U-boat captain. Problem 2: No u-boats operated near the SA coast prior to Oct 42.After this, no u-boat would attempt to land sailors ashore or stay surfaced for any long periods near the coast. New modern aircraft (Venturas) arrived and training flights were held over the ocean from bases along the coast. These patrols were known as "scarcrows".
There are many such stories and all u-boat patrols off or near SA have all been documented.When chasing down these myths, I desperately wanted them to be true but .... If you discover anything new, I will gladly eat humble pie! All the best.
Peter