German submarine U-64 (1939)

German submarine U-64 was a Type IXB U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was ordered by them in July 1937. Her keel was laid down by AG Weser in Bremen in December 1938. Following about nine months of construction, she was launched in September 1939 and formally commissioned into the Kriegsmarine in December.

U-64 had a very short career and sank no enemy vessels. Having left her home port of Wilhelmshaven for her first war patrol on 6 April 1940, she was intercepted by Allied aircraft seven days later off the coast of Norway during the invasion of that country and was sunk by a bomb from a Fairey Swordfish aircraft of HMS Warspite (03). Of her crew of 46, eight men died and 38 escaped from the sinking submarine.

Construction
U-64 was ordered by the German Kriegsmarine on 16 July 1937 as part of Plan Z and in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Her keel was laid down on 15 December 1938 by AG Weser in Bremen as Werk 952. She was launched on 20 September 1939 and commissioned on 16 December under the command of Kapitänleutnant Georg-Wilhelm Schulz.

Design
Like all Type IXB submarines, U-64 had a total output of 1000 hp while submerged and 4400 hp when surfaced. As a result, she could travel at a maximum speed of 18.3 kn while surfaced and 7.3 kn submerged. She had a range of 22200 nmi at 10 kn while on the surface and 118 nmi at 4 kn while submerged. U-64 was equipped with six torpedo tubes (four in the bow and two in the stern) and carried a total of 22 533 mm torpedoes. The submarine could also be equipped with 44 TMA mines. U-64's main deck gun was a 10.5 cm SK C/32 naval gun with 110 rounds. She also carried the standard 2 cm FlaK 30 anti-aircraft gun. She had a crew of 46 but could carry up to 56 men at any given time. After being commissioned and deployed, U-64 was stationed in the German port city of Wilhelmshaven.

Service history
U-64 went to sea on 6 April 1940. For eight days, she roamed the North Sea in search of Allied convoys heading to Norway in support of the campaign centred around that country. During that time she encountered no enemy vessels. On 13 April, the eighth day of her first patrol, she was heaved-to in the waters off Bjerkvik in Norway, and was struck by a 350-pound bomb from a British Fairey Swordfish aircraft of HMS Warspite (03). Her deck was also riddled with machine-gun fire. The U-boat then sank to the bottom of the harbor, eight of her crew went down with her. The remaining 38 were able to escape the sinking vessel and were picked up by German mountain troops stationed ashore. They later formed the crew of U-124.