U-47 Photograph Album
A Pictorial History of U-47
Welcome to the u47.org Photograph Album, a special feature for u47.org members providing a highly detailed illustrated chronological history of this famous boat from its factory launch in 1937 through to setting off on its final patrol during the spring of 1941, presented in a "photo album" click-through format.
In order to guarantee the highest level of chronological accuracy, every one of the 120+ images contained in the album has been painstakingly analysed and matched against the existing refit and modification records for the boat during its period of service. The collection of U-47 photographs was collated from a variety of sources, and each photograph has been assigned with a code. The letter at the beginning of the code specifies a period of time in which the photograph was taken. The letters correspond with the following dates or time periods:
- Pre-war Period (A)
- 5th September 1939, Atlantic Ocean (during 1st patrol) (B)
- 8th October 1939, Kiel (start of Scapa Flow mission) (C)
- 17th October 1939, Wilhelmshaven (end of Scapa Flow mission) (E)
- Post-Scapa sailing, October 1939, Kiel harbour (H)
- 23rd October 1939, sailing around Kiel harbour (I)
- October 1939, Tirpitzmole, Kiel (J)
- 24th October 1939, before sailing to Germaniawerft, Kiel (K)
- 24th October 1939, Germaniawerft, Kiel (L)
- October 1939, Germaniawerft, Kiel (M)
- Germaniawerft document (N)
- Unknown date in October 1939, Kiel (O)
- November 1939, Kiel (P)
- 16th November 1939, Kiel (start of 3rd patrol) (Q)
- 6th July 1940, Kiel (end of 6th patrol) (R)
- Autumn 1940, Lorient (T)
- Autumn 1940, Lorient (U)
- 3rd November 1940, Lorient (start of 9th patrol) (V)
- 8th November 1940, Atlantic Ocean (during 9th patrol) (W)
- November 1940, Atlantic Ocean (during 9th patrol) (X)
- 6th December 1940, Lorient (end of 9th patrol) (Y)
- 20th February 1941, Lorient (start of 10th patrol) (Z)
The task of analysing the time period in which each photograph was taken was a laborious, and often problematic, process. Although the greatest effort has been made to identify the dates or periods in which the photographs were taken, the dates consigned to some of the photos cannot be guaranteed.
Beneath each caption, in brackets, is an abbreviation corresponding to the book or internet site where the photograph can be found. The full book titles and internet addresses which correspond to these abbreviations are listed at the end.
To view the album, just click here. The page will open in a new pop-up window.
