German submarine U - 61 ( 1939 ) German submarine " U - 61 " was a Type IIC U - boat of the Nazi German " Kriegsmarine " that served in the Second World War . She was built by Deutsche Werke AG , Kiel . Ordered on 21 June 1937 , she was laid down on 1 October as ' Werk ' 260 . She was launched on 15 June 1939 and commissioned on 12 August under the command of " Oberleutnant " Jürgen Oesten . " U - 61 " was initially assigned to the 5th U - boat Flotilla during her training period , until 1 January 1940 , when she was re - assigned to the 1st flotilla for a front - line combat role . " U - 61 " carried out eleven war patrols , sinking five ships for a total of 19 , 668 GRT and damaging one of 4 , 434 tons . She then joined the 21st flotilla as a ' school ' or training boat in November 1940 where she remained for the rest of the war . She was scuttled at Wilhelmshaven in May 1945 . Service career . 1st , 2nd , 3rd and 4th patrols . The U - boat began her first patrol in the North Sea , keeping to the Norwegian side . She departed Kiel on 24 October 1939 and returned there on 14 November . It was uneventful . Her second effort started in Kiel on 28 November 1939 but finished in Wilhelmshaven on 3 December . Patrol number three was the reverse of number two - starting from Wilhelmshaven and finishing in Kiel . Her fourth patrol continued the start / finish changing ; starting in Kiel on 15 January 1940 and was terminated in Wilhelmshaven on the 30th . In between she sank the " Sydfold " about east of John O Groats on the 22nd . 5th , 6th , 7th and 8th patrols . " U - 61 " s fifth sortie was marked by the sinking of the " Sangstad " east of Kirkwall ( in the Orkney Islands ) , on 18 February 1940 . She had left Wilhelmshaven on 12 February and along with five other U - boats , took part in Operation " Nordmark " , a reconnaissance mission for the German capital ship s " Scharnhorst " , " Gneisenau " and " Admiral Hipper " ( for what proved to be an unsuccessful sortie ) . It took place in the vicinity of the Orkney and Shetland Islands between 18 and 20 February . Her sixth patrol was uneventful , but her seventh foray included a brief stop in the Norwegian port of Bergen , before moving through the ' gap ' between the Faroe and Shetland Islands to the waters almost between mainland Scotland and the Western Isles . The return journey was the reverse of the outbound . At 27 days , it was also her longest patrol . She docked in Kiel on 7 May . " U - 61 " s eighth patrol involved moving slightly further south off the western Northern Irish coast . She returned to Bergen on 1 July 1940 . 9th patrol . For her ninth patrol she departed Bergen on 6 July 1940 and sank the " Alwaki " on the 10th . The ship was hit about northeast of Cape Wrath ( the northwest - most point on the Scottish mainland ) , by two torpedoes that failed to detonate . But they did create holes large enough to allow the water in . The vessel sank about eleven hours after being hit . The Admiralty investigation into the sinking wrongly concluded that the ship had been sabotaged . The boat also sank the " Scottish Minstrel " northwest of the Bloody Foreland ( on the Irish mainland ) , on the 16th . < br > " U - 61 " returned to Kiel , arriving on the 25th . 10th and 11th patrols . The boat ' s tenth patrol involved negotiating the Faroes / Shetland ' gap ' once again before docking at Lorient in occupied France on 15 September 1940 . Her eleventh and final war patrol was in the other direction . She arrived at the port where she had commenced her war career , Kiel , on 10 October 1940 .