U 103 (Navy)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
U 103 (Kriegsmarine)
( previous / next - all submarines )
Bundesarchiv Bild 101II-MW-3930-23A, U-Boot U-103 in See.jpg
Gun crew on deck of U 103
Type : IX B
Field Post Number : M 04 095
Shipyard: AG Weser , Bremen
Construction contract: May 24, 1938
Build number: 966
Keel laying: September 6, 1939
Launch: April 12, 1940
Commissioning: 5th July 1940
Commanders:
  • July 5, 1940 - August 12, 1941
    Corvette Captain Viktor Schütze
  • August 13, 1941 - July 14, 1942
    Lieutenant Werner Winter
  • July 15, 1942 - March 13, 1944
    Kptlt. Gustav-Adolf Janssen
  • March 14, 1944 - January 22, 1945
    vacant (out of service)
  • January 23, 1945 - February 18, 1945
    Oberleutnant zur See Heinz Murl (boat out of service)
  • March 31, 1945 - April 15, 1945
    Oblt.zS Hans-Norbert Schunck (boat out of service)
Calls: 11 activities
Sinkings:

43 ships (237,595 GRT)

Whereabouts: destroyed in an air raid on April 15, 1945 in Kiel

U 103 was a German submarine from the Type IX B , which in World War II by the German navy was used.

history

The order for the boat was awarded to AG Weser in Bremen on May 24, 1938 . The keel was laid on September 6, 1939, the launch on April 12, 1940, the commissioning under Korvettenkapitän Viktor Schütze finally took place on July 5, 1940.

After its commissioning on July 5, 1940 to September 1940, the boat belonged to the 2nd U-Flotilla in Wilhelmshaven as a training boat . After training, U 103 belonged to the 2nd U-Flotilla in Wilhelmshaven and Lorient as a front boat from September 1940 to January 1944 . After the active period, the boat came from January 1944 to its decommissioning on March 13, 1944 as a school boat for the 24th U-Flotilla in Memel . After decommissioning, the boat was assigned to the 4th and 2nd U-Training Divisions from March 1944 to April 1945.

U 103 undertook eleven patrols during its service , on which it sank 43 ships with a total tonnage of 237,595 GRT and damaged three ships with a total tonnage of 28,158 GRT.

Use statistics

First venture

The boat was launched on September 29, 1940 at 05:00 from Kiel and expired on 19 October 1940 at 18:40 in Lorient one. On this 21-day and approximately 3,400 nm long journey into the North Atlantic , the North Canal and Rockall Bank , five ships with 20,279 GRT were sunk and one ship with 3,697 GRT was damaged.

  • October 9, 1940: sinking of the Greek steamer Zannes Gounaris ( Lage ) with 4,407 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded phosphate rocks and was on his way from Tampa to Garston . The ship belonged to convoy SC-6 with 38 ships. There was one dead.
  • October 9, 1940: Damage to the British steamer Graigwen ( Lage ) with 3,697 GRT. The steamer was damaged by a torpedo. The ship belonged to convoy SC-6 with 38 ships. The Graigwen was sunk by U 123 on October 10, 1941 .
  • October 9, 1940: sinking of the Greek steamer Delphin ( Lage ) with 3,816 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded corn and wheat and was on his way to Cork . The ship belonged to convoy SC-6 with 38 ships. There were no losses.
  • October 13, 1940: sinking of the Estonian steamer Nora ( Lage ) with 1,186 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had timber and lumber loaded and was on his way from Pugwash to Belfast . It was a total loss.
  • October 15, 1940: sinking of the British steamer Thristlegarth ( Lage ) with 4,747 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes and three rounds of artillery . He was ballasted and on his way from Scapa Flow to Father Point ( New Brunswick ). The ship belonged to convoy OB-228 with 47 ships. There were 30 dead and nine survivors.

Second venture

The boat left Lorient on November 9, 1940 at 1:30 p.m. and returned there on December 12, 1940 at 5:15 p.m. Seven ships with 38,465 GRT were sunk on this 33-day and 3,500-nm-long undertaking in the North Atlantic and west of the North Canal.

  • November 21, 1940: sinking of the British steamer Daydawn ( Lage ) with 4,768 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded 6,860 tons of coal and was on the way from Barry to Rio Santiago ( Argentina ). The ship belonged to convoy OB-244 with 46 ships. There were two dead and 20 survivors.
  • November 21, 1940: sinking of the Greek steamer Victoria ( Lage ) with 6,085 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He drove in ballast and was on his way from Avonmouth to Botwood ( Newfoundland ). The ship belonged to convoy OB-244 with 46 ships. There were no casualties, 27 survivors.
  • November 27, 1940: sinking of the British motor ship Glenmoor ( Lage ) with 4,393 GRT. The ship was sunk with a torpedo. He had loaded 7,410 tons of coal and was on the way from Cardiff to Alexandria . It was a straggler of convoy OB-248 with 44 ships. There were 31 dead and two survivors.
  • November 28, 1940: sinking of the Greek steamer Mount Athos ( Lage ) with 3,578 GRT. The steamer was sunk with a torpedo. He had loaded 5,250 tons of coal and was on the way from Barry to Freetown . There were 19 dead.
  • November 28, 1940: sinking of the British steamer St. Elwyn ( Lage ) with 4,940 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes. He was carrying coal and was on his way from Hull to Santos . The ship belonged to convoy OB-249 with 54 ships. There were 24 dead and 16 survivors.
  • December 8, 1940: sinking of the British steamer Calabria ( Lage ) with 9,475 GRT. The steamer was sunk by three torpedoes. He had general cargo including 4,000 tons of iron , 3,050 tons of tea , 1,871 tons of press cake and 230 Indian sailors on board and was on his way from Calcutta via Freetown to Belfast and Glasgow . 130 crew members died and the 230 Indian seafarers, 21 crew members were rescued.
  • December 9, 1940: sinking of the British steamer Empire Jaguar ( Lage ) with 5,186 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes. He was ballasted and on his way from Cardiff to Philadelphia . The ship was a straggler of convoy OB-252 with 44 ships. It was a total loss with 37 dead.

Third company

The boat left Lorient on January 21, 1941 at 12:00 p.m. and returned there on February 24, 1941 at 5:05 p.m. On this 24-day venture into the North Atlantic west of the North Channel and Ireland , three ships with 22,948 GRT were sunk and one ship with 10,516 GRT was damaged.

  • February 13, 1941: Damage to the British tanker Arthur F. Corwin ( Lage ) with 10,516 GRT. The tanker was damaged by two torpedoes. He was a straggler of convoy HX-106 with 41 ships. The tanker was sunk by U 99 on the same day .
  • February 17, 1941: Sinking of the British tanker Edwy R. Brown ( Lage ) with 10,455 GRT. The tanker was sunk by four torpedoes. He had loaded petroleum products and was on his way from Aruba to Liverpool via Halifax . The ship was a straggler of convoy HX-107 with 21 ships. It was a total loss with 50 dead.
  • February 18, 1941: sinking of the British motor ship Seaforth ( Lage ) with 5,459 GRT. The ship was sunk by two torpedoes. It had West African products and ten passengers on board and was en route from Monrovia to Liverpool. It was a total loss with 59 dead.
  • February 19, 1941: sinking of the Norwegian motor ship Benjamin Franklin ( Lage ) with 7,034 GRT. The ship was sunk by two torpedoes. It had loaded 1,200 tons of zinc , 1,000 tons of ground wood , 300 tons of lead and general cargo and was on its way from San Francisco and Bermuda to Liverpool. The ship was a straggler of convoy HX-107 with 21 ships. There were 29 dead and seven survivors.

Fourth venture

The boat left Lorient on April 1, 1941 at 7:00 p.m. and returned there on July 12, 1941 at 10:05 a.m. On this 102-day expedition in the mid-Atlantic , the Canary Islands and off Freetown , twelve ships with 58,553 GRT were sunk. U 103 was supplied from the German supply ship Egerland from May 14 to 15, 1941 .

  • May 1, 1941: sinking of the British steamer Samsö ( Lage ) with 1,494 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. It had loaded 1,316 tons of peanuts and was on its way from Bathurst to Freetown (Sierra Leone). There was one dead and 19 survivors.
  • May 3, 1941: sinking of the British steamer Wray Castle ( Lage ) with 4,253 GRT. The steamer was sunk with two torpedoes. He had loaded 6,800 tons of sugar and was on the way from Port Louis via Cape Town and Freetown (Sierra Leone) to Great Britain. There was one dead and 56 survivors.
  • May 6, 1941: sinking of the British motor ship Surat ( Lage ) with 5,529 GRT. The ship was sunk by two torpedoes. It had loaded 2,500 tons of pig iron , 5,700 tons of peas and rapeseed and was on its way from Karachi via Cape Town (South Africa) to Great Britain. There were four dead and 61 survivors.
  • May 6, 1941: sinking of the British motor ship Dunkwa ( Lage ) with 4,752 GRT. The ship was sunk with a torpedo. It had loaded 3,248 t of general cargo and 868 t of government goods and was on its way from Glasgow to Opobo ( Nigeria ). It belonged to convoy OB-310 with 48 ships. There were eight dead and 39 survivors.
  • May 9, 1941: sinking of the British steamer City of Winchester ( Lage ) with 7,120 GRT. The steamer was sunk with two torpedoes. He had loaded 6,500 t of general cargo and was on the way from London to Cape Town (South Africa) and Beira . The ship belonged to the disbanded convoy OB-313 with 38 ships. There were six dead and 92 survivors.
  • May 11, 1941: sinking of the British steamer City of Shanghai ( Lage ) with 5,828 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo and artillery. He had loaded 8,000 tons of government goods and was on the way from the Tyne to Cape Town (South Africa). The ship belonged to convoy OB-313 with 38 ships. There were six dead and 67 survivors.
  • May 22, 1941: sinking of the British tanker British Grenadier ( Lage ) with 6,857 GRT. The tanker was sunk by three torpedoes. He drove in ballast and was on the way from Freetown (Sierra Leone) to Aruba. There were no casualties, 49 survivors.
  • May 24, 1941: sinking of the Greek motor ship Marionga ( Lage ) with 4,236 GRT. The ship was sunk with a torpedo. He had loaded British government goods and was on his way from the Clyde to Takoradi . There were 26 dead and five survivors.
  • May 25, 1941: sinking of the Egyptian steamer Radames with 3,575 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded 1,100 t of iron ore, 2,915 t of peanuts and 996 t of peanut butter and was on the way from Vizagapatam to Barry Roads (Great Britain). There was one dead.
  • May 25, 1941: sinking of the Dutch steamer Wangi Wangi ( Lage ) with 7,789 GRT. The steamer was sunk with a torpedo. He had loaded 3,984 t of steel bars, 1,993 t of lead and 1,540 t of general cargo and was on the way Sydney via Durban and Freetown (Sierra Leone) to the Clyde . There was one dead and 83 survivors.
  • June 8, 1941: sinking of the British steamer Elmdene ( Lage ) with 4,853 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded 5,000 tons of coal, 1,000 tons of ammunition and 20 aircraft and was on the way from Tyne and Loch Ewe via Freetown (Sierra Leone) to Alexandria (Egypt). The ship belonged to the disbanded convoy OB-324 with 35 ships. There were no casualties, 36 survivors.
  • June 29, 1941: sinking of the Italian steamer Ernani ( Lage ) with 6,619 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had an unknown cargo on board and was en route from Las Palmas to Genoa . It was a total loss.

Fifth venture

The boat left Lorient on September 10, 1941 at 7:30 p.m. and returned there on November 9, 1941 at 10:45 a.m. On this 59 day long and approximately 9,400 nm long enterprise in the mid-Atlantic around the Cape Verde Islands , off Freetown and Gibraltar two ships with 10,594 GRT were sunk.

  • September 22, 1941: sinking of the British steamer Niceto de Larrinaga ( Lage ) with 5,591 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded 3,866 t of palm kernels, 2,000 t of manganese ore , 2,482 t of peanuts and 622 t of general cargo and was on the way from Lagos and Freetown (Sierra Leone) to London. The ship belonged to convoy SL-87 with eleven ships. There were two dead and 106 survivors.
  • September 22, 1941: sinking of the British motor ship Edward Blyden ( Lage ) with 5,003 GRT. The ship was sunk by a torpedo. He had 5,525 t of general cargo and twelve passengers on board and was on the way from Takoradi and Freetown (Sierra Leone) to Liverpool. The ship belonged to convoy SL-87 with eleven ships. There were no casualties, 63 survivors.

Sixth venture

The boat left Lorient on January 3, 1942 at 3:30 p.m. and returned there on March 1, 1942 at 11:00 a.m. On this 46-day and approximately 7,050 nm long journey in the west Atlantic and to the east coast of the United States, four ships with 26,539 GRT were sunk.

  • February 2, 1942: Sinking of the US tanker WL Steed ( Lage ) with 6,182 GRT. The tanker was sunk by three torpedoes and 83 rounds of artillery. He had loaded 65,936 barrels of crude oil and was en route from Cartagena to New York via Key West . There were 34 dead and four survivors.
  • February 4, 1942: sinking of the Panamanian steamer San Gil ( Lage ) with 3,627 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo and artillery. He had loaded 2,229 t of general cargo and was on the way from Santa Marta to New York. There were two dead and 40 survivors.
  • February 5, 1942: sinking of the American tanker India Arrow ( Lage ) with 8,327 GRT. The tanker was sunk by a torpedo and artillery. He had 88,369 barrels of diesel fuel loaded and was en route from Corpus Christi to Carteret . There were 26 dead and 12 survivors.
  • February 5, 1942: sinking of the US tanker China Arrow ( Lage ) with 8,403 GRT. The tanker was sunk with a torpedo and 49 rounds of artillery. He had 81,773 barrels of fuel oil loaded and was on his way from Beaumont to New York. There were no casualties, 37 survivors.

Seventh venture

The boat left Lorient on April 15, 1942 at 7:30 p.m. and returned there on June 22, 1942 at 7:10 a.m. On this 77-day and about 10,950 nm long trip into the West Atlantic, off Cape Hatteras , in the Florida Strait , the Greater Antilles , Cuba , Yucatán and the Eastern Caribbean , on the U 103 on May 2, 1942 from U 459 with 30 m³ of fuel was supplied, nine ships with 42,169 GRT were sunk.

  • May 5, 1942: sinking of the British steamer Stanbank with 5,966 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had 6,488 t of military equipment loaded and was on the way from New York to Cape Town (South Africa) and Alexandria (Egypt). There were nine dead and 39 survivors.
  • May 17, 1942: sinking of the US steamer Ruth Lykes ( Lage ) with 2,612 GRT. The steamer was sunk by artillery. He had loaded 39,136 sacks of coffee and was on his way from Barranquilla (Colombia) to Houston . There were six dead and 26 survivors.
  • May 19, 1942: sinking of the US steamer Ogontz ( Lage ) with 5,037 GRT. The steamer was sunk with a torpedo. He had loaded 7,660 tons of nitrates and was en route from Chile via Panama to Florida . There were 19 dead and 22 survivors. The steamer was armed with a 4- inch cannon, four .50 caliber machine guns and four .30 caliber machine guns.
  • May 21, 1942: sinking of the American steamer Clare ( Lage ) with 3,372 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded 3,000 tons of general cargo and was on the way from Baltimore to San Juan . There were no casualties, 40 survivors. The steamer was armed with a 4-inch cannon and two machine guns .30 caliber (= 7.62 mm).
  • May 21, 1942: sinking of the US steamer Elizabeth with 4,727 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded 3,500 tons of general cargo, army trucks and construction materials and was on the way from New York to San Juan (Puerto Rico). There were nine dead and 33 survivors. The steamer was armed with a 4-inch cannon and two .30 caliber machine guns.
  • May 23, 1942: sinking of the American tanker Samuel Q. Brown ( Lage ) with 6,625 GRT. The tanker was sunk by two torpedoes. He had 80,000 barrels of fuel oil loaded and was on his way from New Orleans to Honolulu via the Yucatan Canal . There were two dead and 53 survivors. The steamer was armed with a 4-inch cannon, four MK 20 mm and two .30 caliber MGs.
  • May 24, 1942: sinking of the Dutch motor ship Hector ( Lage ) with 1,828 GRT. The ship was sunk by a torpedo. It had 2,400 tons of general cargo, 1,000 tons of cement , machinery , food and 17 tons of dynamite loaded and was on its way from New York to Curaçao . There were two dead and 29 survivors.
  • May 26, 1942: sinking of the US steamer Alcoa Carrier ( Lage ) with 5,588 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo and artillery. He had loaded 6,500 tons of general cargo and was on the way from Mobile to Kingston . There were no casualties, 35 survivors.
  • May 28, 1942: Sinking of the US tanker New Jersey ( Lage ) with 6,414 GRT. The tanker was sunk with two torpedoes and 25 rounds of artillery. He was ballasted and on his way from Norfolk to Aruba. There were no casualties, 42 survivors. The tanker was armed with a 4-inch cannon and two .30 caliber machine guns.

Eighth venture

The boat left Lorient on October 21, 1942 at 5:15 p.m. and returned there on December 29, 1942 at 10:00 a.m. On this 69-day and about 9,800 nm over and 740 nm underwater expedition in the mid-Atlantic and west of Morocco and Gibraltar, two ships with 11,430 GRT were sunk and one ship with 13,945 GRT was damaged. It was supplied with 70 m³ of fuel by U 509 on November 6, 1942 , and 25 m³ of fuel oil by U 463 on December 22 and 23, 1942, respectively . U 103 belonged to the submarine groups with the cover names "Streitaxt" and "Schlagetot". In preparation for the invasion of North Africa under the code name Operation Torch , Allied shipping had multiplied in African waters. Although the reasons for this remained unclear to the German side, the submarine command put together a submarine group that was supposed to track down and fight allied convoys off Freetown according to the pack tactics developed by Karl Dönitz . U 103 was assigned to this group with the name "battle ax".

  • October 31, 1942: sinking of the British motor ship Tasmania ( Lage ) with 6,405 GRT. On October 28, the Tasmania had taken in survivors of the sinking of Hope Castle , which had been sunk by U 203 . The captain Hans Christian Roder tried to catch up with the convoy, which the British ship formerly sailing under the Danish flag had joined, when the Tasmania was damaged by a torpedo from U 659 . But the ship was initially able to continue on its own. The next day, the ship was sunk by Commander Janssen with two torpedoes. It had 8,500 t of food, tea , jute , 2,000 t of pig iron and 400 t of metal loaded and was on the way from Calcutta (India) via Freetown (Sierra Leone) to Glasgow. The ship belonged to convoy SL-125 with 40 ships. There were two dead. 44 survivors were picked up by the Mano and taken to Greenock . 41 other men, including 16 survivors of Hope Castle , were rescued by the Baron Elgin and brought to Madeira .
  • December 6, 1942: sinking of the British motor ship Henry Stanley ( Lage ) with 5,026 GRT. The ship was sunk with two torpedoes. He had 2,000 sacks of mail, 4,000 t of general cargo, explosives and eleven passengers on board and was on the way from Liverpool to Freetown (Sierra Leone) and Lagos . The ship was a straggler of convoy ON-149 with 50 ships. There were 63 dead and one survivor (the captain was captured by U 103 ).
  • December 13, 1942: Damage to the British steamer Hororata with 13,945 GRT. The steamer was damaged by a torpedo. The ship had an unknown cargo and was en route from Auckland to Liverpool. There were no casualties, 82 survivors. It entered Horta on December 18, 1942 , where it was repaired.

Ninth venture

The boat left Lorient on February 7, 1943 at 5:30 p.m. and returned there on March 26, 1943 at 10:30 p.m. No ships were sunk or damaged during this 47-day and 6,771 nm above and 842 nm underwater expedition in the Central Atlantic and north of the Azores. U 103 belonged to the group with the cover names “Robbe”, “Wohlgemut” and “Unverzagt”.

Tenth venture

The boat left Lorient on April 24, 1943 at 1:30 p.m. and returned there on May 26, 1943 at 2:30 p.m. No ships were sunk or damaged during this 32-day, 4,151 nm above and 457 nm underwater expedition into the North Atlantic. U 103 belonged to the group with the code names "Amsel 4" and "Rhein".

Eleventh venture

The boat left Lorient on July 25, 1943 at 12:00 p.m. and had to return to Lorient on July 26, 1943 due to a defect in diving cell 5. During the subsequent repairs, U 103 was given tower conversion IV. It left Lorient on September 18, 1943 at 6:30 p.m. and arrived in Bergen on January 1, 1944 .

Transfer trip

The boat was launched on January 3, 1944 at 5:00 am by mountains and on January 3, 1944 at 16:50 in Egersund one. It was on January 4, 1944 Egersund, and on the same day at 14:20 in Kristiansand one. It left Kristiansand on January 5, 1944 at 10:30 a.m. and arrived in Kiel on January 7, 1944 at 10:00 a.m.

Whereabouts

The boat was destroyed on April 15, 1945 in Kiel by a bomb during an Allied air raid, blown up on May 3, 1945 and demolished after the end of the war. The position was 54 ° 19 '  N , 10 ° 10'  O in naval grid square AO 7728th There was one dead.

The U 103 had already been decommissioned on March 13, 1944 in Stettin and was assigned to the 4th and 2nd U-Lehrdivision as a stationary training boat from March 1944 to February 1945, whereby the boat was used in February 1945 in Hamburg-Finkenwerder as an electricity supplier . Before the evacuation of Hamburg, U 103 was transferred from Hamburg to Kiel, where it was put into service again.

Remarks

  1. ↑ US caliber: 0.5 or 0.3 inch (12.7 or 7.62 mm)
  2. ^ Ian M. Malcolm: "Shipping Company Losses of the Second World War. Book II" , Moira Brown, Dundee 2020, ISBN 978-1-65661-255-7 , page 71

literature

  • Clay Blair : The Submarine War. Volume 1: The Hunters. 1939-1942. Heyne, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-453-12345-X .
  • Clay Blair: The Submarine War. Volume 2: The Hunted, 1942–1945. Heyne, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-453-16059-2 .
  • Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 1: The German submarine commanders. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 1996, ISBN 3-8132-0490-1 .
  • Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 2: U-boat construction in German shipyards. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0512-6 .
  • Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 3: German submarine successes from September 1939 to May 1945. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 2001, ISBN 3-8132-0513-4 .
  • Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 4: German submarine losses from September 1939 to May 1945. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 1999, ISBN 3-8132-0514-2 .
  • Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 5: The knight's cross bearers of the submarine weapon from September 1939 to May 1945. ES Mittler and Son, Hamburg et al. 2003, ISBN 3-8132-0515-0 .
  • Erich Gröner : Die Handelsflotten der Welt 1942 and supplement 1944. JF Lehmanns Verlag, Munich 1976, ISBN 3-469-00552-4 (reprint of the 1942–1943 edition).
  • Erich Gröner: Search list for ship names (= The merchant fleets of the world. Supplementary volume). JF Lehmanns Verlag Munich 1976, ISBN 3-469-00553-2 (reprint of the 1943 edition).
  • Paul Kemp: The German and Austrian submarine losses in both world wars. Urbes Verlag, Graefelfing before Munich 1998, ISBN 3-924896-43-7 .

See also

Web links