U-593

Type VIIC

Laid down 17 Dec 1940 Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Commissioned 23 Oct 1941 Kptlt. Gerd Kelbling (Knights Cross)
Commander 10.41 - 12.43 Kptlt. Gerd Kelbling
Career 16 patrols 10.41 - 02.42 8th Flotilla (Königsberg)
03.42 - 10.42 7th Flotilla (St. Nazaire)
11.42 - 12.43 29th Flotilla (La Specia)
Successes 13 ships sunk for a total of 43,005 tons
including the British destroyers HMS Tynedale (1,000 tons) , Holcombe (1087 tons) and the US minesweeper Skill (815 tons)
1 ship of 4,853 tons damaged
Fate Sunk 13 Dec, 1943 after a 32 hour-chase in the western Mediterranean north of Constantine, in position 37.38N, 05.58E, by depth charges from the US destroyer USS Wainwright and the British escort destroyer HMS Calpe. Entire crew survived.

On 11 December 1943, USS Niblack DD424, USS Benson DD421, and USS Wainwright DD419 joined the HMS Holcombe in a search for a German U-boat whose torpedoes had sunk several freighters off Bizerte the previous day. U-593 attacked the "hunters" and blew up Holcombe with an acoustic torpedo. Niblack rescued 90 survivors and transferred them to an Army hospital ship that night. During the transfer, she spotted antiaircraft fire from U-593 against a British patrol plane and directed Wainwright (DD-419) and HMS Calpe to the scene. Then Wainwright made contact with U-593. First Wainwright and then HMS Calpe attacked with depth charges. Those attacks brought the submarine to the surface, and Wainwright's gun crews pumped fire into her hull. In less than two minutes, the German crew began to abandon their vessel. Wainwright responded with a boarding party. After a gallant effort, American sailors rescued survivors but failed to save the U-boat. The attack group returned to Algiers and delivered the prisoners to British authorities.

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Information was provided by Uboat.net and Richard Angelini, Benson Class Destroyers Page

Type	VIIC
Laid down	17 Dec 1940	Blohm & Voss, Hamburg
Commissioned	23 Oct 1941	Kptlt. Gerd Kelbling (Knights Cross)
Commander	10.41 - 12.43	Kptlt. Gerd Kelbling
Career	16 patrols	10.41 - 02.42 8th Flotilla (Königsberg) 03.42 - 10.42 7th Flotilla (St. Nazaire) 11.42 - 12.43 29th Flotilla (La Specia)
Successes	13 ships sunk for a total of 43,005 tons including the British destroyers HMS Tynedale (1,000 tons) , Holcombe (1087 tons) and the US minesweeper Skill (815 tons) 1 ship of 4,853 tons damaged
Fate	Sunk 13 Dec, 1943 after a 32 hour-chase in the western Mediterranean north of Constantine, in position 37.38N, 05.58E, by depth charges from the US destroyer USS Wainwright and the British escort destroyer HMS Calpe. Entire crew survived.