German submarine U-147 (1940)

German submarine U-147 was a Type IID U-boat of the German Navy (Kriegsmarine) during World War II. She was laid down on 10 April 1940 at Deutsche Werke in Kiel as yard number 276, launched on 16 November 1940 and commissioned on 11 December under the command of Kapitänleutnant Reinhard Hardegen.

Design
German Type IID submarines were enlarged versions of the original Type IIs. U-147 had a displacement of 314 t when at the surface and 364 t while submerged. Officially, the standard tonnage was 250 LT, however. The U-boat had a total length of 43.97 m, a pressure hull length of 29.80 m, a beam of 4.92 m, a height of 8.40 m, and a draught of 3.93 m. The submarine was powered by two MWM RS 127 S four-stroke, six-cylinder diesel engines of 700 PS for cruising, two Siemens-Schuckert PG VV 322/36 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 410 PS for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 0.85 m propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 80 - 150 m.

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 12.7 kn and a maximum submerged speed of 7.4 kn. When submerged, the boat could operate for 35 - 42 nmi at 4 kn; when surfaced, she could travel 3800 nmi at 8 kn. U-147 was fitted with three 53.3 cm torpedo tubes at the bow, five torpedoes or up to twelve Type A torpedo mines, and a 2 cm anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of 25.

First patrol
U-147's first patrol was preceded by a short trip from Kiel to Bergen in Norway on 22 February 1941. She then left the Nordic port on 22 February and headed for the Atlantic north and west of Scotland. She sank the Norwegian freighter Augvald a straggler from convoy HX 109, about 72 nmi north north-west of Ness in the Outer Hebrides on 2 March. Following this patrol Hardegen took command of GS U-123 (1940) and was succeeded by his first watch officer, Eberhard Wetjen.

She arrived back in Kiel on 12 March.

Second patrol
The boat's second foray was similar to her first, except it started from Kiel. She sank another Norwegian ship, Rimfakse, about 130 nmi north-west of Scotland on 27 April 1941. She sank no other ships and put into Bergen on 11 May.

Third patrol and loss
U-147's third and final patrol began on 24 May 1941. A week later, she torpedoed the British freighter Gravelines northwest of the Bloody Foreland (western Ireland), which broke in two and was declared a total loss; the forward part of the ship was towed to the Clyde and scrapped. On 2 June U-147 encountered convoy OB 239 north-west of Ireland and attacked alone (a decision which historian Clay Blair described as "bold"). She damaged one ship (Mokambo) before being sunk with all hands by convoy escorts, the destroyer HMS Wanderer (D74) and the corvette HMS Periwinkle (K55).

Cultural references
U-147 is erroneously named as the German submarine setting of the 12 May 1959 episode, "The Haunted U-Boat", of the American supernatural anthology series Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond.