20 October (Saturday) By 1000 hours, we are at the U-Boat Archiv and our Members are given a complete tour of this facility. HORST BREDOW (20-1983), the director was with us, even though he had just received a new hip and was on crutches. Naturally, photos and videotapes are no problem. His assistant, Horst Schwenk, handled a lot of the work of the tour.

As always, we enjoyed lunch and shopping in Bremerhaven - and there was U-2540 to visit. This is the only Type XXI U-boat left in the world, and our group went through her to their hearts content as well as the other boats nearby, including a schnell-boot. There is a park and the seawall along the Weser River where ships from around the world can be seen moving up and downstream as well as tied to the seawall.

Captain HANS-FERDINAND MASSMANN (4522-LIFE-1995) joined us in the hotel. He was Skipper of U-409 and of course, he signed his autograph many times and naturally, had his photo taken with many Members. Then we were joined by HANS-GEORG HESS (125-LIFE-1985) and his son TILMAN (5817-LIFE-1999) for our Farewell Dinner. As always, this is the saddest part of any of our ‘Patrols’ as it means that we are at the end and with the dawn, we will scatter to our homes. But new and lasting friendships have been formed, and memories of a lifetime have been captured in our minds as well as on film and videotape.

What did they think of our ‘Patrol’?

Here are a few comments.

HEINZ HOCH (222-1986), a U-boat veteran in Membership for one and a half decades, wrote:
“The trip was very well prepared. My favorite memory is the comfortable bus & the camaraderie.”

From KARL and Marianne KETTLER (4927-1006) we read:
“We had a fantastic time and still talk about the great time we had. The best part of the trip was the people we met - they made it a perfect event!”

DAVID RADOSH (5608-1998) wrote:
“I had a fantastic time. My favorite memories are the U-boat Archiv and meeting the veterans. The trip was well coordinated.”

His wife Donna was a little upset with DAVID before the tour because she thought there would be nothing for the wives to do. Here is what she wrote to us after the tour:
“I had a good time, and my best memories of the tour are the people! It was a great mix of friendly, intelligent & entertaining people. We must keep the bunker Valantin in all the tours.”

DAVID BICKFORD (5495-1998) brought his son, also a Member of SHARKHUNTERS (6190-2000) and he wrote:
“I had a fantastic time. SHARKHUNTERS parents should share a patrol with their adult children. My 43 year old son found it a fascinating historical experience as I did in 1998. The grave of Grossadmiral Dönitz and the Type XXI assembly bunker were unique and the quality of the dinners unforgettable. We loved the memorials, the archives and the museums. As before, an excellent job of organization and site selection.”

Patrol 2001 in Northern Germany

October 13 and 14
October 15 and 16
October 17, 18, and 19
October 20