Ernst Kals
Kapitän zur See (Crew 24)
| Successes 17 ships sunk for a total of 111,249 GRT 3 auxiliary warships sunk for a total of 34,407 GRT 1 ship damaged for a total of 6,986 GRT |
| Born | 2 Aug 1905 | Glauschau, Saxony | |
| Died | 2 Nov 1979 | (74) | Emden |
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Ranks
Decorations
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U-boat Commands
| U-boat | From | To | |
| U-130 | 11 Jun 1941 | 1 Jan 1943 | 5 patrols (286 days) |
Personal information
Ernst Kals began his 18-year career in the German Navy in 1924. After a few years on torpedo boats and light cruisers he transferred to the U-boat arm in October 1940. After one patrol on U-37, in June 1941 he commissioned U-130.
With this boat he was one of the first five commanders who operated off the US east coast during Operation Drumbeat. On his next patrol Kals operated in the Caribbean Sea, where he attacked the oil depot at Bullenbay (Curacao) with gunfire. In September 1941 he was awarded the Knights Cross.
But his greatest success was achieved on 12 November 1942, when he attacked the heavily guarded transport ships on the Fedala roads in Morocco. In five minutes he sank three large transport vessels for a total of 34,507 tons.
In January 1943 he became commander of the 2nd Flotilla based in Lorient, France where he remained to the end of the war. From May 1945 to January 1948 Kapitän zur See Ernst Kals was held in French captivity.
Patrol info for Ernst Kals
| U-boat | Departure | Arrival | ||||||
| 1. | U-130 | 1 Dec 1941 | Kiel | 16 Dec 1941 | Lorient | Patrol 1, | 16 days | |
| 2. | U-130 | 27 Dec 1941 | Lorient | 25 Feb 1942 | Lorient | Patrol 2, | 61 days | |
| 3. | U-130 | 24 Mar 1942 | Lorient | 6 Jun 1942 | Lorient | Patrol 3, | 75 days | |
| 4. | U-130 | 4 Jul 1942 | Lorient | 12 Sep 1942 | Lorient | Patrol 4, | 71 days | |
| 5. | U-130 | 29 Oct 1942 | Lorient | 30 Dec 1942 | Lorient | Patrol 5, | 63 days | |
| 5 patrols, 286 days at sea | ||||||||
Ships hit by Ernst Kals
| Date | U-boat | Name of ship | Tons | Nat. | Convoy | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Dec 1941 | U-130 |  | Kirnwood | 3,829 |  | br | SC-57 |
| 10 Dec 1941 | U-130 | | Kurdistan | 5,844 | | br | SC-57 |
| 10 Dec 1941 | U-130 | | Star of Luxor | 5,298 |  | ag | SC-57 |
| 13 Jan 1942 | U-130 | Friar Rock | 5,427 |  | pa | SC-64 | |
| 13 Jan 1942 | U-130 | Frisco | 1,582 |  | nw | ||
| 21 Jan 1942 | U-130 | | Alexandra Høegh | 8,248 | | nw | |
| 25 Jan 1942 | U-130 | | Varanger | 9,305 | | nw | |
| 27 Jan 1942 | U-130 | | Francis E. Powell | 7,096 |  | am | |
| 27 Jan 1942 | U-130 | | Halo (d.) | 6,986 | | am | |
| 11 Apr 1942 | U-130 | Grenanger | 5,393 | | nw | ||
| 12 Apr 1942 | U-130 | | Esso Boston | 7,699 | | am | |
| 25 Jul 1942 | U-130 | Tankexpress | 10,095 | | nw | ||
| 27 Jul 1942 | U-130 | Elmwood | 7,167 | | br | ||
| 30 Jul 1942 | U-130 | | Danmark | 8,391 | | br | |
| 9 Aug 1942 | U-130 | | Malmanger | 7,078 | | nw | |
| 11 Aug 1942 | U-130 | | Mirlo | 7,455 | | nw | E-6 |
| 25 Aug 1942 | U-130 | | Viking Star | 6,445 | | br | |
| 26 Aug 1942 | U-130 | Beechwood | 4,897 | | br | ||
| 12 Nov 1942 | U-130 | | USS Edward Rutledge (AP 52) | 9,360 | | am | UGF-1 |
| 12 Nov 1942 | U-130 | USS Hugh L. Scott (AP 43) | 12,479 | | am | UGF-1 | |
| 12 Nov 1942 | U-130 | USS Tasker H. Bliss (AP 42) | 12,568 | | am | UGF-1 | |
| 152,642 | |||||||
20 ships sunk (145,656 tons) and 1 ship damaged (6,986 tons). Legend | |||||||