U 153 (Navy)

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U 153 (Kriegsmarine)
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Type : IX C
Field Post Number : M-45 783
Shipyard: AG Weser , Bremen
Construction contract: September 25, 1939
Build number: 995
Keel laying: September 12, 1940
Launch: April 5, 1941
Commissioning: July 19, 1941
Commanders:

July 19, 1941 - July 13, 1942
Kkpt. Wilfried Reichmann

Calls: 2 activities
Sinkings:

3 ships (16,134 GRT)

Whereabouts: Sunk in the Caribbean on July 13, 1942

U 153 was a German submarine from the Type IX C , which in World War II by the German navy was used.

Technology and history

U 153 was designed for oceanic use. Boats of this submarine class were therefore also called "ocean boats". It was a two-hull type submarine and had a displacement of 1,120 t above and 1,232 t under water. It had a length of 76.76 m , a width of 6.76 m and a draft of 4.70 m. With the two 2,200 hp supercharged MAN nine-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines M 9 V 40/46, a top speed over water of 18.3 knots could be achieved. At 10 knots, 12,000  nautical miles could be covered. The two SSM double E-machines GU 345/34 each had an output of 500  hp and had 62 × 62 AFA type 44 MAL 740 W battery cells. A top speed of 7.3 knots could be achieved under water. A distance of 64 nautical miles could be covered at 4 knots. 22 torpedoes or up to 44 TMA or 66 TMB mines could be ejected from four bow and two stern torpedo tubes . The diving depth was 100–200 m. The quick dive time was 35 seconds. It had a 10.5-cm L / 45 Utof - cannon with 180 shot and a 3.7-cm anti-aircraft gun with 2625 net income and a 2-cm anti-aircraft gun with 4250 income. From 1943/44, the 10.5 cm cannon were removed from this type of boat and four 2 cm twin anti-aircraft guns with 8,500 rounds were installed. The crew could consist of four officers and 44 men. The cost of building was 6,448,000  Reichsmarks .

The order for the boat was awarded to AG Weser in Bremen on September 25, 1939 . The keel was laid on September 12, 1940, the launch on April 5, 1941, the commissioning under Corvette Captain Wilfried Reichmann finally took place on July 19, 1941.

U 153 completed two operations during its service, on which three ships with a total tonnage of 16,134 GRT were sunk.

Use statistics

After its commissioning on July 19, 1941 to May 31, 1942, the boat belonged to the 4th U-Flotilla in Stettin as a training boat . After training, U 153 belonged to the 2nd U-Flotilla in Lorient as a front boat from June 1, 1942 until it was sunk on July 13, 1942 .

First venture

The boat left Kiel on May 18, 1942 at 8:00 p.m. and entered Lorient on May 30, 1942 at 9:01 a.m. No ships were sunk or damaged on this ten-day, 2,391 nm above and 88 nm underwater expedition into the North Atlantic to transfer the boat to France .

Second venture

The boat left Lorient on June 6, 1942 and was sunk on July 13, 1942. On this 39-day venture into the western Atlantic , in the Caribbean off the Panama Canal and off Colon , three ships with a total of 16,134 GRT were sunk.

  • On June 26, 1942 was US surveyed with 6,065 GRT steamer Potlatch ( location ) sunk. The ship was loaded with 7,500 tons of military equipment , including trucks and tanks, and was on its way from New York City via Trinidad to Suez . There were eight dead and 47 survivors.
  • On June 29, 1942, the American steamer Ruth ( Lage ), measured at 4,833 GRT, was sunk. The ship had loaded 5,000 t of manganese ore and was on its way from Rio de Janeiro via Port of Spain to Baltimore. There were 35 dead and four survivors.

Whereabouts

The boat was sunk on July 13, 1942 in the Caribbean off Colon by depth charges from the US destroyer USS Lansdowne at position 9 ° 46 ′  N , 81 ° 29 ′  W in naval grid reference EL 2186. It was a total loss with 52 dead.

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 .

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