German submarine U - 190 German submarine " U - 190 " was a Type IXC / 40 U - boat of the Nazi German " Kriegsmarine " built for service during World War II . Her keel was laid down on 7 October 1941 by AG Weser of Bremen . She was launched on 3 June 1942 and commissioned on 24 September 1942 with " Kapitänleutnant " Max Wintermeyer in command . She carried out a total of six war patrols during which she sank two ships . On 6 July 1944 Wintermeyer was relieved by " Oberleutnant zur See " Hans - Erwin Reith who commanded the boat for the rest of her career in the Kriegsmarine . After VE Day , she was surrendered to the Royal Canadian Navy , in which she served for two more years . Operational history . " U - 190 " conducted six war patrols , sinking two ships with a total of 7 , 605 tons . The first was the 7 , 015 - ton British cargo ship " Empire Lakeland " , sunk off Rockall on 8 March 1943 , one week into " U - 190 " ' s first operation . The next four patrols were unsuccessful . Attack on the " William H . Webb " . On June 13 , 1943 , " U - 190 " attacked a convoy off the east coast of the United States , east of New York . The Liberty Ship " William H . Webb " was in the most dangerous convoy position ( tail ship , outside starboard column ) , when " U - 190 " fired a torpedo at the vessel , but the Liberty Ship was equipped with a special anti - torpedo mine , which detonated the torpedo 200 feet away from the ship , causing minor damage . The captain of the " U - 190 " would report to U - boat HQ in Germany that he had fired a torpedo , and that the ship had detonated the torpedo and proceeded apparently unhurt . " U - 190 " ' s final war patrol began on 22 February 1945 . She left Norway equipped with six contact and eight T - 5 " GNAT " acoustic torpedoes . Her mission was to interdict Allied shipping off Sable Island and in the approaches to Halifax , Nova Scotia harbour . On 16 April she was keeping station off the Sambro light ship when her crew heard ASDIC ( Sonar ) pinging . Sinking of HMCS " Esquimalt " . The minesweeper HMCS " Esquimalt " was conducting a routine patrol of the harbour . She was employing none of the mandatory anti - submarine precautions : she was not zig - zagging ; she had not streamed her towed Foxer - type decoy , designed as a countermeasure against GNAT torpedoes ; she had turned off her radar . Nonetheless , the U - boat crew was sure that they had been detected , and when " Esquimalt " turned toward them , " U - 190 " turned to run and fired one GNAT from a stern tube . The torpedo struck " Esquimalt " ' s starboard side . She sank within four minutes , the last Canadian vessel to be lost due to enemy action in World War II . While eight of her crew went down with her , the remainder survived the immediate disaster . " Esquimalt " sank so rapidly , however , that no distress signals were sent , and no one knew of the sinking until some eight hours later when discovered the survivors . During the delay 44 crewmen had died of exposure , leaving only 26 . Surrender and the tour . " U - 190 " escaped the area and remained on patrol off the North American east coast until she received " Reichspräsident " Karl Dönitz ' s 8 May order to surrender . The boat met Canadian corvette s some 500 miles off Cape Race , Newfoundland on 11 May . Reith signed a document of unconditional surrender , and was taken prisoner with his crew . With the white ensign flying from her masthead , " U - 190 " sailed under the command of Lieutenant F . S . Burbidge into Bay Bulls , Newfoundland , on 14 May . The prisoners were taken to Halifax . " U - 190 " was formally commissioned into the Royal Canadian Navy on 19 May . Her first assignment , in the summer of 1945 , was a ceremonial tour of communities along the St . Lawrence River and Gulf of St . Lawrence , with stops in Montreal , Trois - Rivières , Quebec City , Gaspé , Pictou , and Sydney . On returning to Halifax she assumed duties as an anti - submarine training vessel , which she continued to fulfill for a year and a half . Operation Scuttled . " U - 190 " was paid off on 24 July 1947 , but had one last mission to complete . The official purpose of " Operation Scuttled " was to provide training for inexperienced post - war recruits in the art of combined operations . " U - 190 " , painted in lurid red and yellow stripes , was towed to the spot where she had sunk " Esquimalt " , and at precisely 11 : 00 hours on Trafalgar Day 1947 , the fireworks began . The " exercise " called for a deliberately escalating firepower demonstration , beginning with airborne rockets and culminating in a destroyer bombardment with 4 . 7 - inch guns and a hedgehog anti - submarine weapon providing the " coup de grace " . While numerous reporters and photographers watched , and HMCS " New Liskeard " , " Nootka " , and " Haida " stood by awaiting their turn , the Naval Air Arm began the attack with eight Seafires , eight Fairey Fireflies , two Avro Anson s , and two Fairey Swordfish . The first rocket attack struck home , and almost before the destroyers had a chance to train their guns , the U - boat was on the bottom of the ocean less than twenty minutes after the commencement of " Operation Scuttled . " Periscope and search . Before " U - 190 " was sunk , her periscope had been salvaged . In 1963 it was installed at the Crow ' s Nest Officers Club in St . John ' s , Newfoundland . Many years of exposure to the weather damaged it to the point of uselessness , but it was overhauled and repaired ; in a ceremony on 22 October 1998 it was " recommissioned " and is once again looking out at Water Street from the club . Original shipment of the periscope had been effected by Commodore Edward N . " Cookie " Clarke from HMC Dockyard , Halifax , where it had been in storage , to the Crow ' s Nest where Cookie had been a member during the war . " U - 190 " suffered no casualties from her crews during her career . A January 18 , 2006 article in the Edmonton Journal reported that a team of divers planned to search for " U - 190 " and another U - boat , " U - 520 " . Armament . FLAK weaponry . " U - 190 " was mounted with the rare Twin 3 . 7 cm Flakzwilling M43U on the LM42U mount . This was one of the best AA weapons used by the German " Kriegsmarine " during World War II . It was mainly used on the Type IX as it was rather heavy for the Type VII U - boats . References . 2 U Boats Offshore by Edwin P Hoyt , Page 264 - 265 External links .