U 136 (Navy)

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U 136 (Kriegsmarine)
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Type : VII C
Field Post Number : M 00 518
Shipyard: Vegesacker shipyard , Bremen
Construction contract: August 7, 1939
Build number: 015
Keel laying: October 2, 1940
Launch: July 5, 1941
Commissioning: August 30, 1941
Commanders:

August 30, 1941 - July 11, 1942
Lieutenant Heinrich Zimmermann

Calls: 3 activities
Sinkings:
  • 5 ships (23,649 GRT)
  • 2 warships (1,850 t)
Whereabouts: sunk in the Atlantic on July 11, 1942

U 136 was a German submarine from the Type VII C , which in World War II by the German navy was used.

history

The order for the boat was awarded to the Vegesacker shipyard in Bremen on August 7, 1939 . The keel was laid on October 2, 1940, the launch on July 5, 1941. The commissioning under Lieutenant Heinrich Zimmermann finally took place on August 30, 1941.

After its commissioning on August 30, 1941 until December 31, 1941, the boat was part of the 6th U-Flotilla in Danzig as a training boat . After training, U 136 belonged to the 6th U-Flotilla in St. Nazaire as a front boat from January 1, 1942 until it was sunk on July 11, 1942 .

Use statistics

Commander Zimmermann led U 136 on three operations on which he was able to sink seven ships with 25,499 GRT and damage two ships with 13,996 GRT.

First venture

The boat was launched on January 22, 1942 at 6:00 am from Kiel, and ran on 23 January 1942 at 19:05 to Kristiansand one. It left from there on January 24, 1942 at 9:05 a.m., and came back on the same day at 11:00 a.m. due to blowing snow. It left Kristiansand at 3:00 a.m. on January 26, 1942, and entered Stavanger at 2:03 p.m. on the same day . It left Stavanger on January 27, 1942 at 8:00 a.m. and entered Kopevik on the same day at 11:20 a.m. , from there it left again on January 28, 1942 at 9:00 a.m. January 1942 in Bergen . U 136 finally left Bergen on January 30, 1942, and entered St. Nazaire on March 1, 1942 at 12:20 p.m. During this 39-day and approx. 5,400 nm above and 210 nm underwater expedition in the North Atlantic , west of the Hebrides and the Faroe Islands , as well as the Rockall Bank , four ships with 12,792 GRT were sunk. U 136 belonged to the submarine group with the code name "Schlei".

  • February 11, 1942: sinking of the Norwegian motor ship Heina ( Lage ) with 4,028 GRT. The ship was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded 6,695 t of general cargo and was on the way from New York via Halifax to Liverpool . The ship belonged to convoy SC-67. There were no casualties, 30 survivors.
  • February 11, 1942: Sinking of the Canadian corvette HMCS Spikenard ( Lage ) with 925 GRT. The corvette was sunk by a torpedo. She belonged to convoy SC-67. There were 77 dead and eight survivors.
  • February 17, 1942: sinking of the British motor ship Empire Comet ( Lage ) with 6,914 GRT. The ship was sunk by two torpedoes. It had 8,672 t of general cargo loaded including manganese ore , linseed and peanuts and was on its way from Bombay via Table Bay and Halifax (Nova Scotia) to Liverpool . The ship belonged to convoy HX-174 with 27 ships. It was a total loss with 46 dead.

Second venture

The boat left St. Nazaire on March 24, 1942 at 6:05 p.m., and returned there on May 20, 1942 at 10:15 a.m. On this 57-day, 7,687 nm above and 523 nm underwater expedition in the west Atlantic and the US east coast , three ships with 12,707 GRT were sunk and two ships with 13,996 GRT were damaged.

  • April 19, 1942: Damage to the American tanker Axtell J. Byles with 8,955 GRT. The tanker was damaged by a torpedo. He had loaded 57,000 barrels of crude oil and 27,000 barrels of heating oil and was on the way from Port Arthur to New York (USA). There were no casualties, 39 survivors.
  • April 25, 1942: sinking of the British motor ship Empire Drum ( Lage ) with 7,244 GRT. The ship was sunk by three torpedoes. He had loaded cargo and was on the way from New York (USA) via Cape Town to Alexandria . There were no casualties, 41 survivors.
  • April 28, 1942: sinking of the Dutch steamer Arundo ( Lage ) with 5,163 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had nitrates and military equipment loaded and was on his way from New York City to Table Bay and Durban , South Africa. There were six dead and 37 survivors.
  • May 1, 1942: Damage to the US steamer Alcoa Leader with 5,041 GRT. The steamer was probably damaged by a torpedo. The damage has not been confirmed, the torpedo could also have been an end-range detonator.
  • May 8, 1942: sinking of the Canadian sailing ship Mildred Pauline with 300 GRT. The sailor was sunk by artillery . He had molasses loaded and was on his way from Barbados to St. John's . It was a total loss.

Third company

The boat left Lorient on June 29, 1942 and was sunk on July 11, 1942. No ships were sunk or damaged on this 13-day undertaking in the mid-Atlantic, west of Madeira Island . U 136 belonged to the group with the code name "Hai".

Whereabouts

The boat was sunk on July 11, 1942 in the Atlantic west of Madeira Island by depth charges from the British frigate HMS Spey , the sloop HMS Pelican and the French destroyer Léopard . The position was 33 ° 30 '  N , 22 ° 52'  W in marine grid square DH 1452. It was a total loss with 45 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 .

See also