U 116 (Navy)

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U 116 (Kriegsmarine)
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Type : XB
Field Post Number : M 43 288
Shipyard: Germania shipyard , Kiel
Construction contract: January 31, 1939
Build number: 615
Keel laying: July 1, 1939
Launch: May 3, 1941
Commissioning: July 26, 1941
Commanders:
  • July 26, 1941 - September 10, 1942
    Corvette Captain Werner von Schmidt
  • September 11, 1942 - October 11, 1942
    Lieutenant Wilhelm Grimme
Flotilla:
  • 2nd U-Flotilla training boat
    July 1941 - January 1942
  • 1st U-Flotilla training boat
    February - April 1942
  • 1st U-Flotilla Front Boat
    April - October 1942
Calls: 4 patrols
Sinkings:

1 ship (4,248 GRT)

Whereabouts: Sunk in the Bay of Biscay on October 11, 1942

U 116 was a German submarine of the type XB , a class of submarine miners , which was used by the German navy during World War II .

history

The order for the boat was placed on January 31, 1939 at the Germania shipyard in Kiel . The keel was laid on July 1, 1939, the launch on May 3, 1941, the commissioning under Corvette Captain Werner von Schmidt finally took place on July 26, 1941. Like most German submarines of its time, the U 116 also had a special emblem that represented the boat and its crew. It was a coat of arms that showed a black bird's claw on a golden background: the coat of arms of Villach , the sponsored city of the boat.

After its commissioning on July 26, 1941 to January 31, 1942 as a training boat for the 2nd U-Flotilla in Wilhelmshaven and from February 1, 1942 to April 1942 as a training boat for the 1st U-Flotilla in Kiel . After training, U 116 belonged to the 1st U-Flotilla in Brest as a front boat from April 1942 until its sinking on October 11, 1942 .

Use statistics

During its service, U 116 completed four operations in which a ship with a tonnage of 4,248 GRT was sunk and a ship with a 7,093 GRT was damaged.

First venture

The boat left Kiel on March 2, 1942 at 12 noon and entered Heligoland on March 3, 1942 , where the diesel had to be repaired. It left Heligoland on March 12, 1942 and arrived in Brunsbüttel on the same day . It left Brunsbüttel on March 14, 1942 at 3 p.m. and arrived in Kiel on March 15, 1942 at 1.30 a.m. The boat went to the Kiel shipyard for repairs. It left Kiel on April 4, 1942 at 12.30 p.m. and entered Heligoland on April 5, 1942 at 4 p.m. It left Heligoland again on April 6, 1942 at 8:00 a.m. and returned there at 5:00 p.m. on the same day, as an oil trail was found. It left Heligoland again on April 7, 1942 at 8.00 a.m. and returned there at 12.00 p.m. on the same day because machine problems occurred. It was on April 11, 1942 at 16:00 of Helgoland and on 14 April 1942 at 20:00 in Kristiansand one. The boat left Kristiansand on April 15, 1942 at 4.30 a.m. and moored in Bergen at 11 p.m. on the same day . There the boat went into the dock and was then made ready for sea. It was finally on April 25, 1942 at 20:00 from Bergen, and ran on May 5, 1942 at 9:50 in Lorient one. No ships were sunk or damaged on this ten-day expedition into the North Atlantic , on which the boat was transferred to France .

Second venture

The boat left Lorient on May 16, 1942 at 8:05 p.m. and returned there on June 9, 1942 at 7:20 a.m. No ships were sunk or damaged on this 23-day and approximately 3,970 nm above and 182 nm underwater venture into the North Atlantic and the Newfoundland Bank. Six submarines were supplied.

  • May 26, 1942: Supply of U 406 with 36 m³ of fuel and two weeks of provisions.
  • May 26, 1942: Supply of U 94 with 34 m³ of fuel and two weeks of provisions.
  • May 26, 1942: Supply of U 590 with 34 m³ of fuel and two weeks of provisions.
  • May 27, 1942: U 96 is supplied with 45 m³ of fuel. On May 28, 1942 supplied with four weeks of provisions.
  • May 27, 1942: U 124 is supplied with 30 m³ of fuel. On May 29, 1942 supplied with two weeks of provisions.
  • May 27, 1942: U 569 is supplied with 36 m³ of fuel. On May 29, 1942 supplied with two weeks of provisions.

Third company

The boat left Lorient on June 27, 1942 at 8:30 p.m. and returned there on August 23, 1942 at 3:00 p.m. On this 67-day and approx. 7,000 nm over and 250 nm underwater undertaking in the Central Atlantic , west of Freetown , a ship with 4,284 GRT was sunk and a ship with 7,093 GRT was damaged, and five submarines were supplied.

  • July 12, 1942: Damage to the British steamer Cortona with 7,093 GRT. The steamer was damaged by a torpedo . The ship belonged to the disbanded convoy OS-33 with 41 ships. The steamer was sunk by U 201 on the same day .
  • July 12, 1942: sinking of the British steamer Shaftesbury ( Lage ) with 4,284 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two torpedoes. He had loaded 5,700 tons of coal and was on his way from Newport and Belfast to Buenos Aires . The ship belonged to the disbanded convoy OS-33 with 41 ships. There were no casualties, 44 survivors. The captain was captured by U 116 .
  • July 25, 1942: U 582 is supplied with 45 m³ of fuel and one week of provisions.
  • July 28, 1942: Supply of U 130 with 22 m³ of fuel and one week of provisions.
  • July 28, 1942: Supply of U 507 with 28 m³ of fuel and three weeks of provisions.
  • August 2, 1942: U 572 is supplied with 50 m³ of fuel and three weeks of provisions.
  • August 4, 1942: U 752 is supplied with 50 m³ of fuel and three weeks of provisions.

Fourth venture

The boat left Lorient on September 22, 1942, and was sunk on October 11, 1942. On this 19-day venture into the North Atlantic, southeast of Newfoundland , five submarines were supplied.

  • September 28, 1942: U 181 is supplied with spare parts.
  • October 2, 1942: U 258 is supplied with 40 m³ of fuel and three weeks of provisions.
  • October 2, 1942: U 618 is supplied with 65 m³ of fuel and three weeks of provisions.
  • October 2, 1942: U 356 is supplied with 74 m³ of fuel. Provided with provisions on October 3, 1942.
  • October 3, 1942: U 221 is supplied with 60 m³ of fuel. On October 4, 1942, two weeks of provisions were supplied.

Whereabouts

The boat has been missing in the North Atlantic since October 6, 1942. It is very likely that it was sunk on October 11, 1942 in the Bay of Biscay by an RAF aircraft at position 45 ° 9 ′  N , 4 ° 54 ′  W in marine grid reference BF 8350. On that day, an RAF aircraft reported the attack on a submarine. Since only U 116 could stand in this area, it must be assumed that the submarine was sunk in this attack. The boats U 404 and U 460 , which were also in area BF at this time, reported no aircraft attacks. It was a total loss with 56 dead.

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 .
  • Robert M. Browning Jr .: US Merchant Vessel War casualties of World War II. Naval Institute Press, Annapolis MD 1996, ISBN 1-55750-087-8 .
  • 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

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Georg Högel: Emblems, coats of arms, Malings German submarines 1939-1945. 5th edition. Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Hamburg 2009, ISBN 978-3-7822-1002-7 , page 58