General Discussions
This is the place to discuss general issues related to the U-boat war or the war at sea in WWII.
The Final Fate of U-873 and U-1406
Posted by:
Derek Waller
()
Date: June 13, 2011 09:47PM
Dear All,
I am now searching for information concerning the final fate of U-873 and U-1406 in the USA in 1948.
These were two of the U-Boats allocated to the US Navy for research purposes in 1945, and which were eventually discarded as being of no further use/interest.
The problem is that I am having a great deal of difficulty in establishing exactly what then became of them. The "accepted wisdom" is that:
U-873 - "was sold in New York on 10 March 1948 for scrap".
U-1407 - "was sold in New York on 18 May 1948 for scrap".
This information was provided to me by the US Navy in the mid 1960s, and since then it has generally been taken forward as the standard commentary, even in all the latest U-Boat books.
However, I should like to take each a bit further - if that is possible.
This is because I have discovered from an extract from the Portsmouth Navy Shipyard’s Daily Log Books for 1948 that U-873 actually left PNY under its own power on 10 March 1948 - perhaps en route to New York (but maybe not). Similarly, in the case of U-1406, whilst it was authorised for disposal by the US Navy in February 1948, it actually left PNY under tow on 18 May 1948 - (again) perhaps en route to New York (but maybe not).
It strikes me as "odd" however that the widely accepted "sold for scrap dates" are the same as the "PNY departure dates"! Thus, what I really want to know is "what happened next"?
The sort of information that I am seeking includes who the ship-breakers were, when they took possession of the 2 U-Boats, where they were actually broken up, was it in New York harbour or elsewhere, and when?
Does anyone know the facts (or even just where to find them) - please?
Yours aye
Derek
I am now searching for information concerning the final fate of U-873 and U-1406 in the USA in 1948.
These were two of the U-Boats allocated to the US Navy for research purposes in 1945, and which were eventually discarded as being of no further use/interest.
The problem is that I am having a great deal of difficulty in establishing exactly what then became of them. The "accepted wisdom" is that:
U-873 - "was sold in New York on 10 March 1948 for scrap".
U-1407 - "was sold in New York on 18 May 1948 for scrap".
This information was provided to me by the US Navy in the mid 1960s, and since then it has generally been taken forward as the standard commentary, even in all the latest U-Boat books.
However, I should like to take each a bit further - if that is possible.
This is because I have discovered from an extract from the Portsmouth Navy Shipyard’s Daily Log Books for 1948 that U-873 actually left PNY under its own power on 10 March 1948 - perhaps en route to New York (but maybe not). Similarly, in the case of U-1406, whilst it was authorised for disposal by the US Navy in February 1948, it actually left PNY under tow on 18 May 1948 - (again) perhaps en route to New York (but maybe not).
It strikes me as "odd" however that the widely accepted "sold for scrap dates" are the same as the "PNY departure dates"! Thus, what I really want to know is "what happened next"?
The sort of information that I am seeking includes who the ship-breakers were, when they took possession of the 2 U-Boats, where they were actually broken up, was it in New York harbour or elsewhere, and when?
Does anyone know the facts (or even just where to find them) - please?
Yours aye
Derek
| Subject | Written By | Posted |
|---|---|---|
The Final Fate of U-873 and U-1406
|
Derek Waller | 06/13/2011 09:47PM |