U 137
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U 137 ( previous / next - all submarines ) |
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| Type : | II D |
| Field Post Number : | M 02 030 |
| Shipyard: | German works , Kiel |
| Construction contract: | September 25, 1939 |
| Build number: | 266 |
| Keel laying: | November 16, 1939 |
| Launch: | May 18, 1940 |
| Commissioning: | June 15, 1940 |
| Commanders: |
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| Calls: | 5 patrols |
| Sinkings: |
6 ships with 24,136 GRT |
| Whereabouts: | sunk in Wilhelmshaven on May 5, 1945 |
U 137 was a German submarine from type II D , which in World War II by the German Navy was used.
history
The order for the boat was awarded to the shipyard Deutsche Werke , Kiel , on September 25, 1939 . The keel was laid on November 16, 1939, the launch on May 18, 1940. The commissioning under Oberleutnant zur See Herbert Wohlfarth finally took place on June 15, 1940.
After its commissioning on June 15, 1940 until August 31, 1940, the boat belonged to the 1st U-Flotilla in Kiel as a training boat . After training, U 137 belonged to the 1st U-Flotilla in Kiel as a front boat from September 1, 1940 to December 19, 1940. After serving at the front, the boat came from December 20, 1940 to May 5, 1945 as a school boat for the 22nd U-Flotilla in Gotenhafen and Wilhelmshaven . (It was reactivated as a front boat for the war against the Soviet Union from June 1941 to August 1941).
U 137 undertook five patrols during its service, during which it sank six ships with 24,136 GRT and damaged two ships with 15,469 GRT.
Use statistics
First patrol
The boat left Kiel on September 14, 1940 at 8:00 a.m. and entered Kristiansand on September 16, 1940 . It ran on the same day at 10:30 am back there, and expired on September 17, 1940 at 15:20 in Stavanger one. It was launched on September 20, 1940 at 15:20 Stavanger, and expired on September 29, 1940 at 20:00 in Lorient one. On this 16-day venture into the North Atlantic , the North Channel and Rockall Bank , two ships with 10,795 GRT were sunk and one ship with 4,917 GRT was damaged.
- September 26, 1940: sinking of the British steamer Manchester Brigade with 6,042 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo . He had loaded 1,147 tons of military and general cargo and was on his way from Manchester to Montreal . The ship belonged to convoy OB-218 with 25 ships. There were 56 dead and four survivors. ( Location )
- September 26, 1940: sinking of the British tanker Stratford with 4,753 GRT. The tanker was sunk by a torpedo. He was in ballast and was en route from Liverpool to Aruba . The ship belonged to convoy OB-218 with 25 ships. There were two dead and 32 survivors. ( Location )
- September 26, 1940: The Norwegian steamer Asgerd with 1,308 GRT was not sunk by U 137 . It was sunk on September 27, 1940 at 10.15 a.m. northwest of Malin Head by a Focke-Wulf Fw 200 of Kampfgeschwader 40 .
- September 26, 1940: Damage to the British steamer Ashantian with 4,917 GRT. The steamer was damaged by a torpedo. He had general cargo and was on his way from Liverpool (Great Britain) to Freetown . The ship belonged to convoy OB-218 with 25 ships. There were four dead. The steamer was sunk by U 415 on April 21, 1943 . ( Location )
Second patrol
The boat left Lorient on October 9, 1940 at 10 a.m. and returned there on October 17, 1940 at 6:04 p.m. During this nine-day and approx. 1,800 nm above and 15 nm underwater expedition in the North Atlantic and the North Canal, a ship with 10,552 GRT was damaged.
- October 14, 1940: Damage to the British auxiliary cruiser HMS Cheshire with 10,552 GRT. The auxiliary cruiser was damaged by a torpedo. The ship was out of action for six months. It was damaged again by U 214 on August 18, 1942 . ( Location )
Third patrol
The boat left Lorient on November 3, 1940 at 5:28 pm and entered Bergen on November 22, 1940 at 1:25 pm. On this 19-day and approx. 2,900 nm above and 256 nm underwater expedition in the North Atlantic and west of the North Canal, four ships with 13,341 GRT were sunk.
- November 13, 1940: The sinking of the British steamer Cape St. Andrew with 5,094 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He drove in ballast and was on the way from Middlesbrough via Oban to Bombay . The ship was a straggler of convoy OB-240 with 57 ships. There were 15 dead and 53 survivors. ( Location )
- November 16, 1940: sinking of the British steamer Planter with 5,887 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded Egyptian products and was on his way from Suez via Freetown (Sierra Leone) to Manchester (Great Britain). The ship belonged to convoy SLS-53 with 53 ships. There were 13 dead and 60 survivors. ( Location )
- November 17, 1940: sinking of the Belgian motor ship Saint Germain with 1,044 GRT. The ship was sunk by a torpedo. He had loaded 1,440 t of peanuts and was on the way from Leixoes (Portugal) to Port Talbot . There were no casualties, 18 survivors. ( Location )
- November 17, 1940: sinking of the Swedish steamer Veronica with 1,316 GRT. The steamer was sunk by a torpedo. He had 1,800 tons of iron ore loaded and was on the way to Barrow . There were 17 dead and three survivors. ( Location )
Transfer trip
The boat left Bergen on November 24, 1940 at 3:30 p.m. and entered Kiel on November 27, 1940 at 3:05 p.m. No ships were sunk or damaged on this three-day trip to transfer the boat from Norway to Germany, where it was used as a school boat.
Fourth patrol
The boat left Kiel on June 17, 1941 and entered Bergen on June 19, 1941 at 11:45 p.m. It left Bergen on June 21, 1941 at 12:30 a.m. and returned there on July 4, 1941 at 2:45 p.m. No ships were sunk or damaged during this 18-day and approximately 2,700 nm above and 128 nm underwater expedition into the North Sea , as well as patrols in front of mountains.
Fifth patrol
The boat left Bergen on July 24, 1941 at 1 p.m. and entered Kopervik at 8:35 p.m. on the same day. It left there again on July 25, 1941 at 2:15 a.m., and entered Helsingør on July 26, 1941 . U 137 departed from there on August 28, 1941 at 6:13 a.m. and entered Kiel on August 29, 1941 at 2 p.m. The boat was in readiness for Operation Barbarossa . No ships were sunk or damaged.
Whereabouts
The boat was self- sunk by its crew on May 5, 1945 in Wilhelmshaven in the west chamber of the IV entrance (Raederschleuse) according to the rainbow order that had existed for a long time, but was canceled by Grand Admiral Dönitz on the evening of May 4, 1945 .
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 .
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