U-47 Photograph Album
Section V (3rd November 1940, Lorient - start of 9th patrol)
V01. Start of 9th patrol, 3rd November 1940, Lorient
The U-47 crewmembers wait patiently on deck while Prien talks with the naval, military and Luftwaffe personnel on the U-boat moored between U-47 and the quayside. The day is a cold, blustery and wet one; it is a taster of the inclement weather which the crew would face during their impending patrol in the Atlantic.
Prien wore a black scarf, soft black cap and grey leathers on this day. His cleanly shaven cheeks and short haircut indicate that this photo, and the ones which follow, were taken at the start of the patrol. (Admiral, Landser 784)
View Photograph: V01. Start of 9th patrol, 3rd November 1940, Lorient
V02. Start of 9th patrol, 3rd November 1940, Lorient
Prien walks the plank. The same weathering is present on the saddle tanks as in V06. In addition to her regular crew, U 47 also had on board a Kriegsberichterstatter (KBE or propaganda journalist), Wolfgang Frank, for the duration of this patrol. It was Frank who took many of the photos during this patrol. (Admiral)
View Photograph: V02. Start of 9th patrol, 3rd November 1940, Lorient
V03. Start of 9th patrol, 3rd November 1940, Lorient
Prien climbs on board U-47's conning tower, his right hand gripping a bar built onto the starboard air trunk. The grill which allowed air into the trunk is evident above this bar.
The tower floor is not visible in the majority of U-47 photos. This shot is an exception, showing the pattern of small square-shaped holes in the after part of the tower floor. This pattern of holes differed slightly at the circular Wintergarten area of the tower from that which was present upon the later VIIB U-86, and VIICs.
The square–shaped holes on U-86 and VIICs were arranged in seven groups around the 20mm Flak gun, with the columns of each group pointing towards the gun mount. On the rear deck of U-47, the square holes were arranged in four groups around the 20mm Flak gun, with each column perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the tower. On U-86 and VIICs each group of holes reached almost to the edge of the circular Wintergarten floor. However, at the rear of U-47's tower each group of holes stopped three or four inches from the edge of the circular Wintergarten floor. (Admiral, Landser 891)
View Photograph: V03. Start of 9th patrol, 3rd November 1940, Lorient
V04. Start of 9th patrol, 3rd November 1940, Lorient
Prien stands next to the commander's flagstaff, which was in place on the starboard tower bulwark. The elaborate decoration present upon the commander's flagstaff is the Pillkoppen pennant. Associated with the fishing village of Pillkoppen, it is first seen in the photos of U-47 in R24 on the 6th July 1940. The white strip of material, which often fluttered in the wind from the top of the flagstaff, is the commissioning pennant.
Since Prien is freshly shaven, this photo was taken at the start of the patrol. (Int 7)
View Photograph: V04. Start of 9th patrol, 3rd November 1940, Lorient
V05. Start of 9th patrol, 3rd November 1940, Lorient
In this photo the commander's flagstaff no longer has the attachment near the bottom which could be used to tie down the commissioning pennant, and prevent it flapping in the wind. K03 and O04 provide decent views of the flagstaff when this attachment had been in place. It is possible that the removal of this attachment took place when the Pillkoppen pennant was fitted to the top of the flagstaff. Equally likely is that a completely new commander's flagstaff was substituted when the Pillkoppen pennant was first employed. The sailor in the middle has his gloved hands in the housing for the direction finding aerial, which is retracted at this time.
Every communication device which transmits electromagnetic waves can be detected, and its position determined. To detect and fix the position of the Allied ships which used their radio sets, U-boats were fitted with a loop type aerial especially designed for direction finding purposes. By using a handle, the operator could rotate this loop on its axis. The direction of the electromagnetic source - the radio azimuth – could then be determined.
By comparing the bull insignia in this image to the bull in T03, U02 and Z04, a number of minor differences become apparent. (Battle, Stern)
View Photograph: V05. Start of 9th patrol, 3rd November 1940, Lorient
V06. Start of 9th patrol, 3rd November 1940, Lorient
The addition of the air trunks meant that a narrower area of the deck was now available for the crew when walking along the deck past the tower. The concerns of the Kriegsmarine's equivalent of a Health & Safety Officer resulted in the addition of two wires per side between the forward and aft deck railings. As the forward deck railings were at a lower level that those on the aft deck, three additional bars, arranged in a triangular shape, were added to the rear of the forward deck railings. By comparing this image to J05 and K02, it can be seen that the wooden seats which had been present on either of the aft deck railings have been removed.
On the hull sides, above the main drainage area, can be seen three of the rectangular-shaped access hatches. On the starboard saddle tank are three manhole inspection covers. When these covers were removed, there was only just enough space for a man to crawl down and inspect the tanks. (Admiral, Landser 784, Schiffer)
View Photograph: V06. Start of 9th patrol, 3rd November 1940, Lorient
V07. Start of 9th patrol, 3rd November 1940, Lorient
This photo was taken moments after V05 and V06, with von Varendorff casually sitting on the port bulwark. The figure on the wintergarten holding a camera is very likely to be Wolfgang Frank. The view of the lower half of U-47s tower is slightly obscured due to the camouflage netting that has been suspended from the jumping wire of the U-boat inboard of U-47. (Ebay)
View Photograph: V07. Start of 9th patrol, 3rd November 1940, Lorient
V08. Start of 9th patrol, 3rd November 1940, Lorient
Prien's black scarf and black cap, and the characteristics of the starboard bull, help to ascertain that this photo was taken at the start of the 9th patrol. Sitting on the port bulwark is Oberleutnant zur See Amelung von Varendorff, who would be serving his final patrol aboard U-47.
As this would be his last patrol with Prien, von Varendorff would not go down with U-47 in March 1941. Instead he was fated to die on the third patrol of U-213 on 31st July 1942, when the U-boat was sunk by depth charges from HMS Erne, HMS Sandwich and HMS Rochester during an operation against convoy OS-35. (Admiral)
View Photograph: V08. Start of 9th patrol, 3rd November 1940, Lorient
