U-47 Photograph Album
Section E (17th October 1939, Wilhelmshaven - end of Scapa Flow mission)
E01. 17th October 1939, Dock I, Wilhelmshaven (end of Scapa Flow mission)
U-47 returns from her 2nd war patrol, arriving at Wilhelmshaven’s harbour lock I. Sailors lined up on deck are receiving the praise of those on the edge of the jetty. There would be plenty more plaudits in the days to follow.
Notable in this shot the breakwaters outboard of the 88mm deck gun, the raised bollards towards the bow and the weathering near the base of the conning tower. The wooden deck, treated with a black wood preservative, looks dark in this photo. (Miller, Edwin)
View Photograph: E01. 17th October 1939, Dock I, Wilhelmshaven (end of Scapa Flow mission)
E02. 17th October 1939, Dock I, Wilhelmshaven (end of Scapa Flow mission)
This photograph was taken at roughly the same time as the previous (E01), but from the opposite side of the harbour lock. The wavy line on the starboard hull is not the division between the two greys; it marks the difference between wet and dry hull sides. (Int 10)
View Photograph: E02. 17th October 1939, Dock I, Wilhelmshaven (end of Scapa Flow mission)
E03. 17th October 1939, Dock I, Wilhelmshaven (end of Scapa Flow mission)
This photograph was taken moments after E02 and E01, farther up the harbour lock from where E01 was shot. The Ponton Bridge behind and the pole to the left are also visible in E02. Many sailors are parading along the harbour lock in honour of the triumphant U-boat. (Phantom, Int 2)
View Photograph: E03. 17th October 1939, Dock I, Wilhelmshaven (end of Scapa Flow mission)
E04. 17th October 1939, Dock I, Wilhelmshaven (end of Scapa Flow mission)
Here the U-boat can be seen arriving at the harbour lock, where a reception committee awaited them. This included Admirals Erich Raeder and Alfred Saalwächter, and Konteradmiral Karl Dönitz. There were some differences between the port and starboard sides of U-47's conning tower. Firstly, there were four tower rungs at the rear of the port tower wall as opposed to two on the starboard tower wall.
17th October 1939, Dock I, Wilhelmshaven (end of Scapa Flow mission)
Another difference is that the group of ventilation holes on the port side (between the top two rungs) is far smaller than on the starboard side. Both these differences can be seen by comparing this photo with L04. Lastly, a double-length wooden seat can be made out on the starboard tower railings, covering the distance between three vertical stanchions. In E06 it is obvious than a similar seat was not present on the port tower railings; the single-length seat on the port side was present between two vertical stanchions. (Battle)
View Photograph: E04. 17th October 1939, Dock I, Wilhelmshaven (end of Scapa Flow mission)
E05. 17th October 1939, Dock I, Wilhelmshaven (end of Scapa Flow mission)
Taken shortly after E04, this photo provides a very clear view of the free-flooding drainage holes forward of the saddle tanks. Generally speaking, small groups of boats belonging to the same batch shared similar patterns of holes, though there were even, on occasions, minor differences between boats belonging to the same batch. Greater variations tended to occur between boats that had been built in different shipyards.
There was a definite and noticeable difference in the number of holes in front of the saddle tanks (at the right hand side of the main group in this photo) on VIIBs as opposed to VIICs. The greater number located at this area of all 24 VIIBs allow us to distinguish this sub-class from VIICs. There appears to be a patch of grey below the forward deck railings in E05 that is not present in E01 and E04. This is probably a shadow cast by a lamp-post. A similar lamp-post can be seen on the opposite side of the lock. (Trojca Hardback, After)
View Photograph: E05. 17th October 1939, Dock I, Wilhelmshaven (end of Scapa Flow mission)
E06. 17th October 1939, Dock I, Wilhelmshaven (end of Scapa Flow mission)
Posing behind the 20mm mount on the aft deck are Admirals Erich Raeder and Alfred Saalwächter, and other high-ranking Kriegsmarine officers.
An extremely rare glimpse can be seen of the inside of U 47’s tower. On the left hand side is an extended seat which Prien is standing on in R09. Farther forward, and higher up, is one of the two magnetic compasses. Some form of step is present on the right hand side. The parts at the bottom of the attack periscope housing, which can also be seen in J03, are also visible. The differences between the starboard and port sides in relation to the wooden seats and the ventilation holes are obvious. (Ebay)
View Photograph: E06. 17th October 1939, Dock I, Wilhelmshaven (end of Scapa Flow mission)
E07. 17th October 1939, Dock I, Wilhelmshaven (end of Scapa Flow mission)
Konteradmiral Karl Dönitz talks to Günther Prien beside the 88mm deck gun. This day, 17th October, was the day he took charge as BdU (Befehlshaber der Unterseeboote or Commander-in-Chief for U-boats), having previously been FdU (Führer der Unterseeboote or Flag Officer for U-boats). Prien was told that he would receive the Knight's Cross from Hitler himself. The entire crew was flown to Kiel later that day, then flown to Berlin on the following day, the 18th. After several speeches, Hitler awarded the Knight's Cross (Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes) to Günther Prien in recognition of U 47's audacious penetration of Scapa Flow. The Ritterkreuz bestowed upon Prien was the very first of 144 such medals awarded to men belonging to the Ubootwaffe. (Weg, Trojca Hardback, Snyder)
View Photograph: E07. 17th October 1939, Dock I, Wilhelmshaven (end of Scapa Flow mission)
E08. 17th October 1939, Dock I, Wilhelmshaven (end of Scapa Flow mission)
Every member of the crew was awarded the Iron Cross Second Class on the deck of U 47 on the 17th October. Günther Prien, Engelbert Endrass and the Chief Engineer Johann-Friedrich Wessels, having all received the Iron Cross Second Class on the 25th September 1939, received the Iron Cross First Class. (Edwin)
View Photograph: E08. 17th October 1939, Dock I, Wilhelmshaven (end of Scapa Flow mission)
E09. 17th October 1939, Dock I, Wilhelmshaven (end of Scapa Flow mission)
Ubootwaffe Commander-in-Chief Konteradmiral Karl Dönitz congratulates the crew on the aft deck of U-47. The boat's skipper Günther Prien can be seen standing to the left of his Chief. (Weg)
View Photograph: E09. 17th October 1939, Dock I, Wilhelmshaven (end of Scapa Flow mission)
E10. 17th October 1939, Dock I, Wilhelmshaven (end of Scapa Flow mission)
Of the 40-strong crew who served on U-47 during the Scapa Flow mission, 8 were among the 45 men who perished when the boat was sunk in March 1941. (Int 4)
View Photograph: E10. 17th October 1939, Dock I, Wilhelmshaven (end of Scapa Flow mission)
