U 143
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U 143 ( previous / next - all submarines ) |
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 Coat of arms of Reichenberg, tower emblem of the boat |
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| Type : | II D |
| Field Post Number : | M 24 039 |
| Shipyard: | German works , Kiel |
| Construction contract: | September 25, 1939 |
| Build number: | 272 |
| Keel laying: | January 3, 1940 |
| Launch: | August 10, 1940 |
| Commissioning: | September 18, 1940 |
| Commanders: |
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| Calls: | 4 activities |
| Sinkings: |
1 ship (1,418 GRT) |
| Whereabouts: | when on December 22, 1945 Operation Deadlight sunk |
U 143 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 Deutsche Werke shipyard in Kiel on September 25, 1939 . The keel was laid on January 3, 1940, the launch on August 10, 1940. The commissioning under Oberleutnant zur See Ernst Mengersen finally took place on September 18, 1940.
After its commissioning on September 18, 1940 until November 2, 1940, the boat belonged to the 1st U-Flotilla in Kiel as a training boat . Thereafter, the boat was from November 3, 1940 to December 31, 1940 training boat in the 24th U-Flotilla in Memel and from January 1, 1941 to April 1941 school boat in the 22nd U-Flotilla in Gotenhafen . The boat was from April 1941 to September 12, 1941 front boat in the 3rd U-Flotilla in Kiel, before it was again used as a school boat in the 22nd U-Flotilla in Gotenhafen from September 13, 1941 to May 8, 1945 February 1945, Wilhelmshaven was deployed. Like many German submarines, U 143 had a sponsored city: Reichenberg, today's Liberec . The boat carried the coat of arms of the city on the tower. Until 1941 the crew wore a stylized cockchafer on their boats and caps. Hence the nickname "cockchafer boat" was derived.
Use statistics
Commander Harald Gelhaus undertook four enemy voyages with U 143 during his service, during which he was able to sink a ship with 1,418 GRT .
First venture
The boat left Kiel on April 19, 1941 at 1:30 p.m. and on May 13, 1941 at 8:00 a.m. for periscope repairs in Bergen (Norway) . It left there again at 9:00 p.m. on the same day. It arrived in Brunsbüttel on May 17, 1941 at 5:20 p.m. and left again at 5:40 p.m. It arrived in Kiel on May 18, 1941. No ships were sunk or damaged on this 29-day expedition in the North Atlantic around the Faroe Islands , Shetland Islands , Orkney Islands and the Hebrides .
Second venture
The boat left Kiel on June 9, 1941 at 3:00 a.m. and entered Bergen on June 29, 1941 at 9:45 a.m. No ships were sunk or damaged on this 16-day trip to the North Atlantic around the Faroe Islands, the Shetland Islands, the Orkney Islands, the Hebrides and the North Channel .
Third company
The boat left Bergen on July 6, 1941 at 3:00 p.m. and returned there on July 14, 1941 at 6:15 p.m. It left Bergen on July 17, 1941 at 10:00 a.m. and arrived in Kiel on July 21, 1941 at 5:10 a.m. No ships were sunk or damaged on this 12-day trip to the North Atlantic around the Faroe Islands, the Shetland Islands, the Orkney Islands, the Hebrides and the North Channel.
Fourth venture
The boat left Kiel on August 17, 1941 at 3:00 a.m. and entered Bergen on September 5 at 12:30 p.m. It was on September 7, 1941 at 0:00 there again, and on the same day at 18:45 in Egersund one. The boat left on September 8, 1941 at 6:00 Egersund and expired on September 10, 1941 at 5:00 pm in Kristiansand one. It left there on September 11, 1941 at 8:00 a.m. and entered Kiel on September 12, 1941 at 0:15 a.m. A ship with 1,418 GRT was sunk during this 27-day undertaking in the North Atlantic around the Faroe Islands, the Shetland Islands, the Orkney Islands, the Hebrides and west of the North Channel.
- August 23, 1941: sinking of the Norwegian steamer Inger ( Lage ) with 1,418 GRT. The steamer was sunk by two G7e torpedoes . He had loaded 1,500 tons of coke and coal and was on the way from Newport (Gwent) to Reykjavík . There were nine dead and 14 survivors.
Whereabouts
The boat was sunk on December 22, 1945 at 03:15 by the British destroyer HMS Onslow in the course of Operation Deadlight due to a broken towing connection before it had reached the dump area. The position was 55 ° 58 ′ N , 9 ° 35 ′ W in naval grid square AM 5246.
Individual evidence
- ^ 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 62
literature
- Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 2: U-boat construction in German shipyards. ES Mittler and Son, Hamburg a. a. 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0512-6 .
- Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 4: German submarine losses from September 1939 to May 1945. ES Mittler and Son, Hamburg a. a. 1999, ISBN 3-8132-0514-2 .
Map with all coordinates: