Technical
steam - single screw-� 6,635 GRT - 11,010 DWT� - 453'9" x 56' x 27'3"
Service speed 10.5 knots

Master: Felix W Kretchmer

The vessel was proceeding without routing instructions.�� U-66 was on the surface in this new moon night, approaching the Winter Quarter Lightship north-east of Diamond Shoalls (Cape Hatteras).� As she did so the totally darkened form of an approaching northbound tanker moved before the lookouts' binoculars.� Zapp estimated the distance at three miles.

Out of the log of Zapp :� "Recognize tanker with three masts, narrow medium-high funnel.� Tanker is heavily loaded..did not attack".

Zap followed the tanker for four hours until he was in a favourable position.� 08.33 CET - the range closed to 1800 meters and two torpedoes were fired.� One of the torpedoes broached the surface and an alert lookout on the tanker apparently saw this because the tanker, which had not been zigzagging, seemed suddenly to go hard left rudder.� It was however too late to escape as after a running time of 122 seconds the first torpedo slammed into the starboard side forward of the bridge near the foremast in the forward tank.

Four seconds later the second torpedo struck aft of the deckhouse between No.2 and No.3 tank.� A bright ball of flame arched over the mortally fractured victim.� The forward end of the tanker twisted off to port orward of the midship house, nearly in line with the foremast and sank five minutes after the detonation.� Ten minutes later the stern canted to starboard and disappeared too.

Burning oil spread over the water hundreds of feet around the ship making it nearly impossible to abandon ship.� Many of the men burned to death since only lifeboat No.3 with 8 men in it could be launched.� Five men jumped into the water and clung to the wreckage.� The radio operator was picked up 15 minutes later by the lifeboat.� The 2nd mate, the 3rd mate and an able seaman were picked up by the destroyer USS Roe (DD 418) four hours later.� Then the destroyer picked up the men from the lifeboat.� Seven hours later she found the Master in the water.

On 19 January all survivors were landed at Norfolk, Virginia. Of the eight officers and 27 men aboard, only three officers and 10 men survived; eight of them injured.

Many thanks to Walter Janssens for the extensive information on this page.

Unless otherwise stated, all dates and times are from the German perspective and are given in CET.
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