Ships hit by U-boats


Ship Types

Liberty class merchant ships


The Liberty class ship Nathaniel Hawthorne. She was hit by U-508 on 7 Nov 1942.

Information on the Liberty class:

The basic hull model for the vessels was based on the SS Dorington Court, a British steamer built in the 30's with raked stem, cruiser stern, single screw and balanced rudder. The main propulsion unit was a three cylinder, triple expansion, reciprocating steam engine whose design dated back to 1896.

Because Britain had no domestic oil at the time, it was to be powered by coal-fired scotch or Fire-tube boilers. It was 441 feet long, with a beam of 57 feet and displaced about 7,500 tons. It could carry 9,150 tons of cargo in its five holds. The cruising range would be 8,000 miles at 11 knots.

The United States Maritime Commission made a number of alterations to the Ocean class design. Some were made to conform to American manufacturing and shipbuilding standards, others to accommodate the scarcity of certain materials, and then some to meet the need to build as rapidly and as cheaply as possible. This resulted in the designation EC2-S-C1, originally referred to as 'emergency ships'.

One of the more common nicknames was Ugly Duckling inspired by their utilitarian appearance, but in 1941, after President Franklin D Roosevelt told the country that these ships would bring liberty to Europe, they became known as Liberty Ship.

Below are the merchant vessels of the Liberty class:
You can click on any of the header below to sort by that header.

Loss dateName of shipTonsNat.U-boatCommander
20 May 1942George Calvert7,191 U-753Alfred Manhardt von Mannstein
28 Jun 1942Sam Houston7,176 U-203Rolf Mützelburg
29 Jun 1942 Thomas McKean7,191 U-505Axel-Olaf Loewe
3 Jul 1942Alexander Macomb7,191 U-215Fritz Hoeckner
4 Jul 1942 William Hooper7,177 U-334Hilmar Siemon
4 Jul 1942 Christopher Newport7,191 U-457Karl Brandenburg
5 Jul 1942 Daniel Morgan7,177 U-88Heino Bohmann
6 Jul 1942John Witherspoon7,191 U-255Reinhart Reche
21 Jul 1942William Cullen Bryant (d.)7,176 U-84Horst Uphoff
18 Aug 1942John Hancock7,176 U-553Karl Thurmann
30 Aug 1942 Star of Oregon7,176 U-162Jürgen Wattenberg
13 Sep 1942 Oliver Ellsworth7,191 U-408Reinhard von Hymmen
24 Sep 1942John Winthrop7,176 U-619Kurt Makowski
8 Oct 1942 John Carter Rose7,191 U-201Günther Rosenberg
26 Oct 1942 Anne Hutchinson (t.)7,176 U-504Hans-Georg Friedrich Poske
1 Nov 1942George Thatcher7,176 U-126Ernst Bauer
4 Nov 1942 William Clark7,176 U-354Karl-Heinz Herbschleb
7 Nov 1942 Nathaniel Hawthorne7,176 U-508Georg Staats
20 Nov 1942Pierce Butler7,191 U-177Robert Gysae
27 Nov 1942Jeremiah Wadsworth7,176 U-178Hans Ibbeken
1 Jan 1943Arthur Middleton7,176 U-73Horst Deckert
23 Jan 1943 Benjamin Smith7,177 U-175Heinrich Bruns
27 Jan 1943 Julia Ward Howe7,176 U-442Hans-Joachim Hesse
27 Jan 1943 Charles C. Pinckney7,177 U-514Hans-Jürgen Auffermann
2 Feb 1943 Jeremiah Van Rensselaer7,177 U-456Max-Martin Teichert
8 Feb 1943 Roger B. Taney7,191 U-160Georg Lassen
24 Feb 1943 Nathanael Greene (d.)7,176 U-565Wilhelm Franken
24 Feb 1943Jonathan Sturges7,176 U-707Günter Gretschel
28 Feb 1943 Daniel Carroll (d.)7,176 U-371Waldemar Mehl
28 Feb 1943 Wade Hampton7,176 U-405Rolf-Heinrich Hopman
1 Mar 1943 Fitz-John Porter7,176 U-518Friedrich-Wilhelm Wissmann
2 Mar 1943Meriwether Lewis7,176 U-634Eberhard Dahlhaus
3 Mar 1943Harvey W. Scott7,176 U-160Georg Lassen
8 Mar 1943 James B. Stephens7,176 U-160Georg Lassen
9 Mar 1943 George G. Meade (d.)7,176 U-510Karl Neitzel
9 Mar 1943Tabitha Brown (d.)7,176 U-510Karl Neitzel
9 Mar 1943 Mark Hanna (d.)7,176 U-510Karl Neitzel
9 Mar 1943 James K. Polk (t.)7,177 U-510Karl Neitzel
9 Mar 1943Joseph Rodman Drake (d.)7,181 U-510Karl Neitzel
9 Mar 1943 James Smith (d.)7,181 U-510Karl Neitzel
9 Mar 1943 Thomas Ruffin (t.)7,191 U-510Karl Neitzel
10 Mar 1943 Richard D. Spaight7,177 U-182Asmus Nicolai Clausen
10 Mar 1943 James Sprunt7,177 U-185August Maus
10 Mar 1943 Richard Bland (t.)7,191 U-255Reinhart Reche
10 Mar 1943Lawton B. Evans (d.)7,197 U-221Hans-Hartwig Trojer
11 Mar 1943 William C. Gorgas7,197 U-757Friedrich Deetz
12 Mar 1943Thomas Hooker7,176 U-653Gerhard Feiler
16 Mar 1943 Benjamin Harrison7,191 U-172Carl Emmermann
17 Mar 1943James Oglethorpe7,176 U-758Helmut Manseck
17 Mar 1943William Eustis7,196 U-435Siegfried Strelow
17 Mar 1943 Molly Pitcher (d.)7,200 U-167Kurt Sturm
18 Mar 1943 Walter Q. Gresham7,191 U-221Hans-Hartwig Trojer
18 Mar 1943 Molly Pitcher7,200 U-521Klaus Heinrich Bargsten
29 Mar 1943 William Pierce Frye7,176 U-610Walter Freiherr von Freyberg-Eisenberg-Allmendingen
6 Apr 1943John Sevier7,176 U-185August Maus
11 Apr 1943Matt W. Ransom (d.)7,177 U-117Hans-Werner Neumann
11 Apr 1943Edward B. Dudley7,177 U-615Ralph Kapitzky
11 Apr 1943 James W. Denver7,200 U-195Heinz Buchholz
19 Apr 1943Robert Gray7,176 U-108Ralf-Reimar Wolfram
7 May 1943Samuel Jordan Kirkwood7,191 U-195Heinz Buchholz
28 May 1943Cardinal Gibbons (d.)7,191 U-154Oskar-Heinz Kusch
30 May 1943 Flora MacDonald (t.)7,177 U-126Siegfried Kietz
6 Jun 1943William King7,176 U-198Werner Hartmann
27 Jun 1943Sebastian Cermeno7,194 U-511Fritz Schneewind
3 Jul 1943 Elihu B. Washburne7,176 U-513Friedrich Guggenberger
7 Jul 1943James Robertson7,176 U-185August Maus
7 Jul 1943Thomas Sinnickson7,176 U-185August Maus
9 Jul 1943Samuel Heintzelman7,176 U-511Fritz Schneewind
10 Jul 1943 Alice F. Palmer7,176 U-177Robert Gysae
10 Jul 1943Matthew Maury (d.)7,176 U-371Waldemar Mehl
14 Jul 1943Robert Bacon7,197 U-178Wilhelm Dommes
16 Jul 1943Richard Caswell7,177 U-513Friedrich Guggenberger
28 Jul 1943 John A. Poor (d.)7,176 U-119Horst-Tessen von Kameke
30 Jul 1943William Ellery (d.)7,181 U-197Robert Bartels
23 Aug 1943Pierre Soulé (d.)7,191 U-380Josef Röther
26 Aug 1943Richard Henderson7,194 U-410Horst-Arno Fenski
26 Aug 1943John Bell7,242 U-410Horst-Arno Fenski
28 Aug 1943 Albert Gallatin (d.)7,176 U-107Volker Simmermacher
20 Sep 1943Theodore Dwight Weld7,176 U-238Horst Hepp
20 Sep 1943Frederick Douglass (d.)7,176 U-238Horst Hepp
20 Sep 1943Frederick Douglass7,176 U-645Otto Ferro
21 Sep 1943Cornelia P. Spencer7,176 U-188Siegfried Lüdden
21 Sep 1943William W. Gerhard7,176 U-593Gerd Kelbling
23 Sep 1943 James Gordon Bennett (d.)7,176 U-952Oskar Curio
26 Sep 1943 Christian Michelsen7,176 U-410Horst-Arno Fenski
15 Oct 1943 James Russell Lowell (t.)7,176 U-371Waldemar Mehl
24 Nov 1943 Melville E. Stone7,176 U-516Hans-Rutger Tillessen
16 Dec 1943John S. Copley (d.)7,176 U-73Horst Deckert
27 Dec 1943 José Navarro7,244 U-178Wilhelm Spahr
16 Jan 1944 Sumner I. Kimball7,176 U-960Günther Heinrich
25 Jan 1944Penelope Barker7,177 U-278Joachim Franze
26 Jan 1944Walter Camp7,176 U-532Ottoheinrich Junker
26 Jan 1944 Andrew G. Curtin7,200 U-716Hans Dunkelberg
26 Jan 1944Samouri7,219 U-188Siegfried Lüdden
3 Feb 1944 Chung Cheng7,176 U-188Siegfried Lüdden
22 Feb 1944George Cleeve (t.)7,176 U-969Max Dobbert
22 Feb 1944Peter Skene Ogden (t.)7,176 U-969Max Dobbert
10 Mar 1944William B. Woods7,176 U-952Oskar Curio
19 Mar 1944 John A. Poor7,176 U-510Alfred Eick
16 Apr 1944Thomas G. Masaryk (t.)7,176 U-407Hubertus Korndörfer
16 Apr 1944 Meyer London7,210 U-407Hubertus Korndörfer
30 Apr 1944 William S. Thayer7,176 U-307Friedrich-Georg Herrle
29 Jun 1944 H.G. Blasdel (t.)7,176 U-984Heinz Sieder
29 Jun 1944James A. Farrell (t.)7,176 U-984Heinz Sieder
29 Jun 1944 John A. Treutlen (t.)7,198 U-984Heinz Sieder
29 Jun 1944 Edward M. House (d.)7,240 U-984Heinz Sieder
24 Jul 1944 William Gaston7,177 U-861Jürgen Oesten
24 Jul 1944Samneva (t.)7,219 U-309Hans-Gert Mahrholz
8 Aug 1944Ezra Weston7,176 U-667Karl-Heinz Lange
23 Aug 1944Louis Kossuth (d.)7,176 U-989Hardo Rodler von Roithberg
28 Aug 1944 John Barry7,176 U-859Johann Jebsen
12 Sep 1944 George Ade (d.)7,176 U-518Hans-Werner Offermann
29 Sep 1944Edward H. Crockett7,176 U-310Wolfgang Ley
29 Sep 1944Samsuva7,219 U-310Wolfgang Ley
23 Nov 1944William D. Burnham (t.)7,176 U-978Günther Pulst
10 Dec 1944Dan Beard7,176 U-1202Rolf Thomsen
21 Dec 1944 Samtucky (d.)7,219 U-806Klaus Hornbostel
24 Dec 1944Robert J. Walker7,180 U-862Heinrich Timm
29 Dec 1944 Black Hawk (t.)7,191 U-322Gerhard Wysk
29 Dec 1944Arthur Sewall (t.)7,176 U-322Gerhard Wysk
30 Dec 1944 Tbilisi (t.)7,176 U-956Hans-Dieter Mohs
3 Jan 1945 Henry Miller (t.)7,207 U-870Ernst Hechler
9 Jan 1945Jonas Lie7,198 U-1055Rudolf Meyer
14 Jan 1945 Martin Van Buren (t.)7,176 U-1232Kurt Dobratz
21 Jan 1945George Hawley (t.)7,176 U-1199Rolf Nollmann
27 Jan 1945 Ruben Dario (d.)7,198 U-825Gerhard Stoelker
5 Feb 1945 Henry B. Plant7,240 U-245Friedrich Schumann-Hindenberg
6 Feb 1945 Peter Silvester7,176 U-862Heinrich Timm
14 Feb 1945Horace Gray (t.)7,200 U-968Otto Westphalen
17 Feb 1945Thomas Scott7,176 U-968Otto Westphalen
17 Feb 1945 Michael J. Stone (d.)7,176 U-300Fritz Hein
20 Mar 1945 Horace Bushnell (t.)7,176 U-995Hans-Georg Hess
20 Mar 1945Thomas Donaldson7,210 U-968Otto Westphalen
21 Mar 1945 James Eagan Layne (t.)7,176 U-399Heinz Buhse
21 Mar 1945John R. Park7,194 U-1195Ernst Cordes
7 Apr 1945 James W. Nesmith (t.)7,176 U-1024Hans-Joachim Gutteck
12 Apr 1945Will Rogers (d.)7,200 U-1024Hans-Joachim Gutteck
18 Apr 1945 Cyrus H. McCormick7,181 U-1107Fritz Parduhn


Legend:
(t.) means the ship was declared a total loss.
(d.) means the ship was damaged in the action.

138 instances of Liberty class ships hit by U-boats.

If you miss a certain ship from this listing please let us know, we probably just mislabeled her class.

Ship types hit by U-boats

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