A first in submarine warfare took place on February 9, 1945 between a German U-boat and a British submarine, with the state of world affairs today it may not be the last. Off the coast of Norway a three hour drama between U-864 and HMS Venturer P-68 took place under the surface of the North Sea. U-864 was en route to Japan with a cargo of mercury and more importantly jet engines parts manufactured by Messerschmitt. HMS Venturer had already scored one U-boat kill on Nov. 11, 1944 by sinking U-711, and now Lt. James Stuart Launders, D.S.O., D.S.C. & Bar, R.N. was on the hunt for a second.

This encounter was not by chance, Venturer had been ordered to sink U-864 and given her probable position courtesy of Hitler's own machine, the Enigma. The coded messages were deciphered at Bletchley Park and passed on to the appropriate authorities. It was one of these decrypts that gave away U-864, but it was not just that simple, one had to find the boat and sink her.

U-864 departed from Bergen, Norway for its first war patrol on Feb. 7 and was intercepted by Venturer on the 9th. She was found by dead reckoning and located by the sound of her propellers. Launders did not want to risk a quick attack as he needed to be sure he would complete his mission, so he therefore trailed the U-boat for some three hours before launching his torpedoes. From time to time the periscope of U-864 was visible, but the boat stayed under the surface. After some time the commander, Korvettenkapitän Ralf-Reimar Wolfram, realized he was being followed and began to take evasive action by zig-zagging, still under water. Launders, having little choice made a radical decision, he would fire his torpedoes while submerged, at another submerged target.

U-864 managed to avoid three of the four torpedoes fired, but under water it takes only one and the fourth one found the target. U-864 broke in half and sank with all hands. In all of naval warfare this is the only known incident where one submarine sank another submarine while both were submerged. Lt. Launders received a Bar for his D.S.O., he retired from the Royal Navy as a Commander in 1964, but remained in an advisory roll for the rest of his life. Launders died in 1988.

The wreck of U-864 was located in 2003 and after several surveys it was discovered that mercury was leaking from the containers. As of 2016 the Norwegians have still been unable to decide how to deal with the environmental contamination being caused by the mercury.

© 2008 Michael W. Pocock
MaritimeQuest.com

HMS Venturer P-68, date and location unknown.

Auerbach, Wolfgang

Leutnant (ing)

Bannasch, Josef

Matrosengefreiter

Baum, Werner

Matrosenobergefreiter

Baumgärtner, Rudolf

Maschinenmaat

Benker, Paul

Sanitätsobergefreiter

Benz, Siegfried

Matrose

Beyersdorff, Kurt

Maschinenmaat

Budde, Friedrich

Matrosenobergefreiter

Bukowski, Jürgen

Maschinengefreiter

von Chlingensperg, Rolf

Leutnant

Luftwaffe

Degand, Erich

Maschinenhaupgefreiter

Dippl, Johann

Matrosenhaupgefreiter

Eckhardt, Franz

Kapitänleutnant (ing) 

Flechtner, Willi

Maschinenobergefreiter

Gerstmann, Reinhold

Matrosenobergefreiter

Grosse, Erich

Obermaschinist

Günther, Rudolf

Maschinenobergefreiter

Hahndorff, Jobst

Kapitänleutnant

Hansen, Günter

Funkmaat

Heinrichs, Karl-Heinz

Maschinenhaupgefreiter

Hiza, Anton

Matrosenobergefreiter

Jörger, Herbert

Funkobergefreiter

Kiesewetter, Willi-Paul

Maschinenobergefreiter

Kinne, Berhard

Oberbootsmannmaat

Kirmis, Heinz

Maschinenmaat

Klambauer, Hans

Matrosenobergefreiter

Krey, Hans

Matrosenobergefreiter

Krohm, Wilhelm

Mechanikersmaat

von Loe Freiherr, Hubert

Oberleutnant zur See

Marquart, Karl

Maschinenobergefreiter

Meurer, Christian

Maschinenobergefreiter

Plass, Sven

Kapitänleutnant

Plöger, Wilhelm

Maschinenmaat

Pohl, Heinz

Mechanikersmaat

Ramcke, Richard

Maschinenobergefreiter

Reinhardt, Karl-Heinz

Maschinenmaat

Reuss, Friedrich

Artz

Richter, Walter

Bootsmannmaat

Rohr, Walter

Matrosenobergefreiter

Rössler, Ewald

Funkgefreiter

Rückert, Martin

Maschinenmaat

Sauerbier, Heinz

Leutnant zur See

Schäfer, Hans

Oberfunkmeister

Schmidt, Adolf

Mechanikersobergefreiter

Schmidt, Richard

Matrosenobergefreiter

Schmitt, Gerhard

Maschinenmaat

Schomerus, Riclef

Leutnant

Luftwaffe

Schoppmann, Harro

Funkobergefreiter

Schreier, Josef

Maschinenobergefreiter

Schrörs, Josef

Obermaschinist

Schulz, Werner

Obersteuermann

Schwarzer, Horst

Matrosenobergefreiter

Schwickert, Kurt

Maschinenobergefreiter

Sinner, Lothar

Mechanikersobergefreiter

Stephan, Ludwig

Matrosengefreiter

Stevermann, Heinrich

Matrosenhaupgefreiter

Stiefvater, Karl

Stabsobersteuermann

Studzinski, Bruno

Maschinenobergefreiter

Thomsen, Peter

Matrosenobergefreiter

Transier, Willi

Maschinenobergefreiter

Türk, Franz

Matrosengefreiter

Vetterle, Karl

Obersteuermannsmaat

Weiser, Karl

Maschinenobergefreiter

Weiss, Kurt

Matrosenobergefreiter

Weiss, Walter

Obermaschinist

Wengel, Reinhold

Matrosengefreiter

Wenzel, Karl

Bootsmannmaat

Wilkendorf, Ernst

Matrosenobergefreiter

Wiss, Josef

Maschinenmaat

Wodrich, Joachim

Maschinenobergefreiter

Wolfram, Ralf-Reimer

Korvettenkapitän

Commanding Officer

Wörner, Friedrich

Maschinenobergefreiter

Wrocklage, Hermann

Maschinenmaat

There were several other German and Japanese passengers on board, whose names I have been unable to
learn.

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