U-73 or Unterseeboot 73 was a German Type VIIB submarine of the Kriegsmarine during World War II. U-73 was launched 27 July 1940, by Bremer Vulkan of Bremen-Vegesack, Germany.[1]
U-73 sank one ship of 4260 tons during the first patrol from 2 February 1941 to 3 March 1941, with Helmut Rosenbaum in command.[2] Rosenbaum was credited with sinking four ships for 25148 tons during U-73's second patrol from 25 March 1941 to 24 April 1941.[3] No ships were sunk during U-73's third patrol from 20 May 1941 to 25 June 1941, 4th patrol from 29 July 1941 to 1 August 1941, fifth patrol from 7 August 1941 to 17 September 1941, or sixth patrol from 11 October 1941 to 11 November 1941.[4]
U-73 entered the Mediterranean Sea on 14 January 1942 during its seventh patrol.[5] Helmut Rosenbaum claimed U-73 sank a destroyer in February, but post-war records offer no confirmation.[6] U-73 was under repair at Spezia for four months after being depth-charged by an allied aircraft on 1 April 1942.[7] On 11 August 1942 U-73 sank the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle of Operation Pedestal.[8] Rosenbaum was awarded the Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes and sent to command the Black Sea U-boat flotilla.[8]
First watch officer Horst Deckert was promoted to command of U-73.[9] Deckert was the son of German-American parents living in Chicago[10] and had joined U-73's crew as a midshipman in 1940.[11] U-73 was depth-charged during an unsuccessful attack on Operation Torch troopships on 7 November 1942.[12] On 10 November 1942, U-73 missed the battleship HMS Rodney with four torpedoes launched at a range of five kilometers.[13] In January 1943, U-73 sank the 7200-ton American Liberty ship Arthur Middleton from convoy UGS 3.[14] As allied forces prepared for Operation Husky U-73 sank the 1600-ton British freighter Brinkburn off Oran on 21 June 1943 and damaged the 8300-ton Royal Navy oiler Abbeydale on 28 June 1943.[15] U-73 sank a medium-sized allied freighter in November 1943.[16]
U-73 found convoy GUS-24 off Oran on 16 December 1943, and torpedoed the 7200-ton American Liberty ship John S. Copley.[17] As the damaged Liberty ship returned to port, destroyers USS Woolsey, Trippe, and Edison left Mers-el-Kebir to find the U-boat.[17] U-73 was located by sonar at 18:15.[18] Hull turbulence made hydrophones ineffective at the speed U-73 was leaving the area, so U-73 tGerman submarine U-73 (1940) - pedia, the free encyclopediab Perfect k Online Sex wGerman submarine U-73 (1940) - pedia, the free encyclopediav x Perfect Slave Slave