Chapter VII - SINKING OF U-606
 
 
HENNINGER Bootsmannsmaat (direct) Two hours on the surface.  Depth charges.  One man on the bridge slightly wounded.
   
(to Machon) Depth gauges kaput.  Mundungsklappen weggerissen.
   
SIMON  Maschinengefr. Depth charges, leakage.
   
   
KAUFMANN Matrosengefr. Came up because of bad air.  Boat listed to starboard after artillery hit.
   
   
METTE Obermasch E-mortoren still running.  H/P in boat.  C/T hatch jammed, perhaps by H/P air.  Schlagssite Steuerbord.  All out of boat.
   
LOESCHE Matrose Chlorine gas in boat.
   
SCHRÖTER Waited on deck with 15 to 16 men while waiting to be taken off.  Drank rum and champagne.  Swam a hundred meters to rescue ships.
   
SCHÜNEMANN Estimated that the boat could remain afloat 30 minutes - resulting in the order to abandon ship.  Later revised his estimate to two hours.  Spoke of Wassereinbruch and confirmed chlorine.  Tried to set scuttling charges but said it was not necessary.  Had trouble with c/t hatch.
   
WOLFGARTEN      (To Machon) Opened the vents in order to let boat sink.  Engineer officer was too weak to do it.
   
SCHRÖTER It was not necessary to scuttle the boat.
   
KAUFMANN At sinking the air was really bad and stank of chlorine.  He thinks that 17/18 d/c's were dropped on them after which the boat was badly down by the stern.  Thought she was going deeper when in fact she was rising.
   
LOESCHE Damage done at sinking near U-Raum.  Large complement on board - some slept in hammocks.  Rushed out of boat before actually necessary.
   
DELOR The indicator on depth gauge was out of order in the control room.  Depth could not be measured in control room any longer.
   
SCHÜNEMANN Did not have to set a scuttling charge.
 
     
     

 

     

   
 
Chapter VII.  SINKING OF U-606
  
     
BOULANGER Officers very proud of the behavior of the crew at the time of sinking as none panicked and all went coolly about the job.
   
  There were 2 convoys, the second about 60 miles away.  Polish D.D. came from second convoy.  U-606 dived after sinkings to escape destroyers.  Denies any damage by d/c's.  Came to surface voluntarily to make quicker get away.  All fatal damage done by gunfire of Polish destroyer.  No knowledge of American D.D. Denies chlorine gas and damage to Horchgerät  Admits damage to Turm and pressure hull.  P/W and L.I. opened vents and were last to leave.  Boat was then not tauchfähig.  U-606 not Fühlungshalter.
   
KAUFMANN DELOR Said that the Captain of U-606 and a number of the crew had swum away from the sinking U0boat, because of a belief that the boat was in a sinking condition and could not remain afloat for more than a short time.  They wished to avoid going down with the boat.  They were wearing life preservers.  K. & D. presume that they died one by one of exhaustion and pulled each other down.  K. & D.  and their companions who were saved calculated that the damaged U-boat would float for some time and decided to stay with it.  They were still clinging to it when the rescuing destroyers arrived.  They stated that the boat had been fatally damaged before the arrival of the destroyers.
   
WOLFGARTEN At sinking c/t hatch stuck due to water pressure.  Wabos damaged the bridge but no other damage sustained.  Surfaced in order to escape but were prevented by artillery fire.  No Wassereinbruck.  Oil in U-raum.  L.I. opened some Ventile.  P/W remained behind to open Flutventile which floods boat.
  Only c/t above water as P/W reached Polish DD.
   
METTE Panic among those crew members who jumped off.
   
DELOR At sinking, no damage from D/C.  No water in U-Raum.  No chlorine.  Lights remained on.  No list.  F.T. had fallen out.