German submarine U - 98 ( 1940 ) German submarine " U - 98 " was a Type VIIC U - boat of the Nazi German " Kriegsmarine " during World War II , operating from March 1941 until she was sunk in November 1942 . She was launched on 31 August 1940 and commissioned on 12 October , with a crew of 46 under the command of " Kapitänleutnant " Robert Gysae , operating from St . Nazaire in France . In March 1942 command was transferred to " Korvettenkapitän " Wilhelm Schultz . Her final commander was " Oberleutnant zur See " Kurt Eichmann , who took over in October 1942 . She was a member of six wolfpack s . Operational history . 1st patrol . " U - 98 " sailed from Kiel under the command of Robert Gysae on 12 March 1941 , and out into the Atlantic south of Iceland . On 27 March she sank the British 6 , 695 ton " Koranton " , a straggler from Convoy SC 25 , with a single torpedo south southwest of Reykjavík . The ship sank quickly ; she was loaded with 8 , 769 tons of pig iron . On 4 April " U - 98 " joined a wolfpack in an attack on Convoy SC 26 . She sank the Norwegian 2 , 467 ton " Helle " , and the British 5 , 122 ton " Wellcombe " . On 9 April she sank the Dutch 1 , 304 ton " Prins Willem II " , from Convoy HX 117 . The U - boat then arrived at Lorient on the French Atlantic coast on 14 April . 2nd patrol . Sailing from Lorient on 1 May 1941 , " U - 98 " headed once more out into the Atlantic , this time to the waters south of Cape Farewell , Greenland . There at 04 : 00 hours on 13 May , she spotted the British 10 , 549 ton armed merchant cruiser ( AMC ) , escorting Convoy SC 30 in fog . " U - 98 " s first attack , with two torpedo es missed , as did her second at 06 : 20 . A third attack an hour later was more successful , hitting the AMC amidships and in the bow , although not preventing the ship from opening fire on the submarine , which forced the boat to dive . At 08 : 00 and 08 : 50 , two more torpedoes hit the " Salopian " in the engine room , but she remained afloat . Finally at 10 : 43 , a single torpedo hit the stricken vessel amidships . She broke in two , and sank within two minutes . In all , nine torpedoes had been used . The next day " Salopian " s commander , Captain Sir John Meynell Alleyne and 277 officers and ratings were picked up by the destroyer . One officer and two ratings were lost . On 20 May 1941 " U - 98 " sank the British 5 , 356 ton " Rothermere " , part of convoy HX - 126 , which had scattered . The next day she sank the British 7 , 402 ton " Marconi " , part of another dispersed convoy , OB - 322 . " U - 98 " arrived at her new homeport at St . Nazaire on 29 May 1941 . 3rd patrol . Sailing from St . Nazaire on 23 June 1941 , " U - 98 " attacked Convoy OB 341 northwest of the Azores on 9 July and sank the British 5 , 945 ton " Designer " , she also destroyed the British 4 , 897 ton " Inverness " . She returned to St . Nazaire on 23 July . 4th patrol . Departing from St . Nazaire on 31 August 1941 , " U - 98 " patrolled the waters west of the British Isles , and on 16 September fired four single torpedoes at Convoy SC 42 north - west of St . Kilda , sinking the British 4 , 392 ton " Jedmoor " . She returned to St . Nazaire on 26 September . 5th patrol . " U - 98 " left St . Nazaire on 29 October 1941 , and returned on 29 November , after a patrol in the Atlantic , north of the Azores , lasting 32 days , but with no results . 6th patrol . " U - 98 " sailed on 18 January 1942 , for her last patrol under the command of Robert Gysae , and headed across the Atlantic to the east coast of Canada . There , on 15 February 1942 , she torpedoed the British 5 , 298 ton " Biela " , originally from Convoy ON 62 , sinking her about 400 miles southeast of Cape Race ( on the eastern tip of Newfoundland island ) . There were no survivors , even though the ship ' s crew had taken to the boats . The U - boat returned to St . Nazaire on 27 February . 7th patrol . On 31 March 1942 , now commanded by " Krvtkpt . " Wilhelm Schultz , " U - 98 " sailed from St . Nazaire . However , at 00 : 47 on 2 April , still in the Bay of Biscay the U - boat was attacked by a Whitley bomber of 502 Squadron RAF Coastal Command with six depth charge s . " U - 98 " crash - dived and escaped with minor damage . She then sailed for the coast of Florida , but had no success , returning to port on 6 June 1942 . 8th patrol . " U - 98 " next patrol began on 17 July 1942 , it took her back to the Florida coast to lay mines , one of which damaged the American 185 ton minesweeper on 10 August 1942 . She returned home on 16 September . 9th and final patrol . " U - 98 " s ninth and final patrol was under the command of " Oblt . " Kurt Eichmann . The U - boat departed St . Nazaire on 22 October 1942 , and after a voyage out to the mid - Atlantic without result was sunk on 15 November west of the Strait of Gibraltar at , by depth charges from the British destroyer , all 46 hands were lost . Previously recorded fate . " U - 98 " was originally thought to have been sunk on 19 November 1942 southwest of Cape St . Vincent ( southwest Spain ) , by a Lockheed Hudson of 608 Squadron . " U - 413 " was the victim - she was severely damaged .