ORP Burza, USCG Campbell sink U606

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greendragon
Posts: 179
Joined: Sat Sep 14, 2019 6:16 am

ORP Burza, USCG Campbell sink U606

Unread post by greendragon »

Some important naval actions have never been recorded on film or photography, some were and pops up today.
I have just found on You Tube a short documentary "Patrol boat sinks Nazi u-boat in North Atlantic..." Worth to watch it.
As subject says, recorded from the deck of USCG cutter Cambell, comment might not be fully true as for the matter of initial damage actually caused to the u-boat by DCs dropped by the Polish Navy destroyer ORP Burza in very well executed attack.
The U606 surfaced after Burza had left the scene to join convoy again, unable to submerge and was sighted by Cambell, rammed which resulted with extensive damages to the cutter which was taking water and was wallowing "heavily".
Burza was sent back to assist the damaged USCG ship and found also U-boat, still floating with German yelling for help.
Burza took over from Campbell 115 nonessential crew members , 5 German and 50 survivors from merchantmen and picked out from the sea (Polish launched a ship boat to take them) 7 other German seamen.
At 0620 the U-boat disappeared from the radar screen - went to bottom.
The documentary shows pretty good picture of the Polish DD, unmistakable for her three stacks of the French built ship (Bourasque class) architecture.
Also zoomed can be seen many of the external modifications for LR escort like pom-pom in place of Y 130mm gun mount and a hadgehog replacing A gun.
Who would know that action would be recorded and might be watched tens of years after the war?
More can be read - including copy of LtCdr Pitulko report - in the uboatarchive, under U606 sinking part.

ORP Burza was not as famous like the British built big DDs Blyskawica and Grom, Piorun (ex HMS Nerrisa), Garland and three Hunts under Polish flag.
Actually tok part in plenty of actions some of them well known.
Built in France with plenty of quality roblems which the French yard intended to push through Polish quality control officers and NCOs - forgetting they ALL were very well qualified profesionals from big navies of WW1 in which they served before independent Poland was restored in 1918 - Germany, Austro-Hungary and Russia. The showedno mercy to the French yard pinpointing all the bad made works.
In one case a HM arbitrary officer RADM engineer Mark Rundle had to be employed when boilers were damaged after trials by pressure and the yard did not want to replace them with the new ones.
The same happened to the second French built DD , ORP Wicher.
The bad experience from the French yards gave a positive results - order for two destroyers, then famous Blyskawica and Grom went to the British yard.
Both were build on time, smoothly, technically perfect construction which performed very well in WW2.
Burza casued a lot of technical problems and spent some 20 months alltogether in the British yards.
In early months of war she took part in patrols, local convoy duties, Norwegian Campaign, Dunkirk evacuation (damaged by a/c bomb),assisted and took 270 survivors from bombed liner Empress of Britain, more convoys, sunk HMS Arsenal (trawler) in colision (assesed as Polish foult), returned to Irish Sea Escort Forces.
Almost became forever remembered in history when the Admiralty wanted to employ her in the famous St Nazaire raid because of the ship better similarity to German ships. Polish navy refused and a chance of being famous was lost .
Finally after 7 months refit to LR escort duties, work up, under new command of LtCdr Pitulko returned to Atlantic duty in Autumn 1942 and became a valuable member of B3, B6, EG8 escort groups.
Many more convoys to include some Arctic one (RA marked) and finally in March 1944 the ship being tired, worn and torn was laid up.
Returned to Poland on tow, served as training ship, also the museum ship before being scrapped in 1977. Some 45 years of service.

I was looking for some information about RADM Rundle and whoops...have found photo he was sipping tea on a grass with the Royal Family.
Blessed internet !!!

Regards,

GD
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jbryce1437
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Location: Roker, Sunderland

Re: ORP Burza, USCG Campbell sink U606

Unread post by jbryce1437 »

Many thanks for the heads up about the video GD. I have put a link in your post and hope that others enjoy viewing the encounter.
Jim
HMS Raleigh 1963 , HMS Collingwood 1963 & 67 , HMS Ark Royal 1964-7, HMS Undaunted 1968-71, HMS Victory (Fleet Maintenance Group) 1971-72, HMS Exmouth 1972-74
JEM, EM, OEM, LOEM, POOEL
Then 28 years in the Fire Brigade
Retired since 2002
greendragon
Posts: 179
Joined: Sat Sep 14, 2019 6:16 am

Re: ORP Burza, USCG Campbell sink U606

Unread post by greendragon »

Thanks very much jbryce for the link.

Regards,

GD
greendragon
Posts: 179
Joined: Sat Sep 14, 2019 6:16 am

Re: ORP Burza, USCG Campbell sink U606

Unread post by greendragon »

I have found an interesting document called Post Mortem on Enemy Submarines made by division of US Naval Intelligence.
On top of the cover it says ...U606 Sunk by Polish Destroyer ORP Burza and USCG Campbell 2022-1943.

Chapter VIII. sinking of U606 says as follows:
"...The escort vessel which caused U606 to make her last and fatal dive was probably the Polish destroyer Burza. In order to destroy her fierce attack U606 submerged to great depth...."
Though the Americans usually mention just only Campbell as the ship which sunk U606 but actually the official document rather lean to the uboat being successfully attacked by ORP Burza, forced to surface and attacked by USCG ship though still no final blow was made.


gd
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