U 156 (Navy)
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U 156 (Kriegsmarine) ( previous / next - all submarines ) |
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 Tower emblem of the boat |
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| Type : | IX C |
| Field Post Number : | M-01 308 |
| Shipyard: | AG Weser , Bremen |
| Construction contract: | September 25, 1939 |
| Build number: | 998 |
| Keel laying: | October 11, 1940 |
| Launch: | May 21, 1941 |
| Commissioning: | September 4, 1941 |
| Commanders: |
September 4, 1941 - March 8, 1943 |
| Calls: | 5 activities |
| Sinkings: |
20 ships (97,504 GRT, 1,797 dead) |
| Whereabouts: | sunk in the western Atlantic on March 8, 1943 (53 dead, no survivors) |
U 156 was a German submarine from the Type IX C , which in World War II by the German navy was used. It became known through the sinking of the Laconia on September 12, 1942 , of which 2741 people on board were 1809 Italian prisoners of war from North Africa. U 156 under commander Werner Hartenstein called on an open frequency to rescue the shipwrecked submarines and ships, but the submarine formation with the rescued was attacked by a US bomber. The commander of the submarines, Karl Dönitz , then issued the " Laconia command " (Triton Null), with which the German submarines were prohibited from providing any assistance to survivors of sunk enemy ships. When the Laconia sank and the rescue fleet was bombed, 1,658 people died. U 156 also sank 19 other ships, killing 139 people. A total of 97,504 GRT were sunk. U 156 was sunk in the western Atlantic on March 8, 1943, whereby all 53 crew members died.
Technical specifications
The boats of submarine class IX C were double-hulled boats for oceanic use and were therefore also called "ocean boats ". Such a boat had a displacement of 1120 t above and 1232 t under water. The boat was 76.76 m long, 6.76 m wide and had a draft of 4.70 m. Two 2200 HP strong MAN nine-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines M 9 V 40/46 - with supercharging - enabled a top speed of 18.3 kn over water. At a speed of 10 kn, the boat had a range of 12,000 nautical miles . The two 500 PS SSM double electric machines GU 345/34 had 62 × 62 AFA type 44 MAL 740 W battery cells . This allowed a maximum of 7.3 knots to be reached under water. At a speed of 4 kn, the range was 64 nautical miles. 22 torpedoes or up to 44 TMA or 66 TMB mines could be ejected from 4 bow and 2 stern torpedo tubes . The diving depth was 100-200 m and the rapid diving time was 35 seconds. The boat had a 10.5 cm Utof -L / 45 gun with 180 rounds, a 3.7 cm anti-aircraft gun with 2625 rounds and a 2-cm anti-aircraft gun with 4250 rounds. From 1943/44 the 10.5 cm cannons were removed from this type of boat. The anti-aircraft armament was replaced by four 2 cm twin anti-aircraft guns with 8,500 rounds. The crew for this type of boat were four officers and 44 men. Most of the time, however, there were more men on board (see whereabouts). The cost of building was 6,448,000 Reichsmarks .
history
The construction contract for U 156 was awarded to AG Weser in Bremen on September 25, 1939 . The keel was laid on October 11, 1940 and the launch on May 21, 1941. On September 4, 1941 it was put into service under Lieutenant Werner Hartenstein . This boat had two emblems on the tower, on the one hand the coat of arms of its sponsored town Plauen and on the other hand the flotilla symbol of the 2nd U-Flotilla. The latter consisted of a victory rune that framed a submarine.
Use statistics
U 156 belonged to the 4th U-Flotilla in Stettin as a training boat until December 31, 1941 . After that it was assigned to the 2nd U-Flotilla in Lorient as a front boat until it was sunk .
First venture
The boat ran around 22:58 am of December 24, 1941 Kiel from. U 156 operated during the transfer journey to France in the North Atlantic and there brought out two weather buoys.
After 17 days, U 156 had covered a distance of 2,871 nautical miles over and 158 nautical miles under water and arrived in Lorient on January 10, 1942 at 12:10 p.m. It could not sink or damage any ships on this venture.
Second venture
The boat left Lorient on January 19, 1942 at 5.45 p.m. U 156 operated in the North Atlantic, the West Atlantic , the Caribbean as well as off Aruba and Martinique .
During the attack on Aruba on February 16, 1942, the British tanker Pedernales with 4,317 GRT was sunk by a torpedo in the port of Sint Nicolaas (Aruba) . There were eight dead and twelve survivors. The ship was later lifted. ( Location )
On February 16, 1942, the British tanker Oranjestad with 2,396 GRT was sunk by a torpedo in the port of Sint Nicolaas (Aruba) . There were 15 dead and ten survivors. ( Location )
On February 16, 1942, the 6,442 GRT American tanker Arkansas was damaged in the port of Sint Nicolaas (Aruba). There were four dead and 36 survivors. ( Location )
On February 16, 1942, the Aruba oil refinery was shelled. One of the crew members was killed in a gun blow .
On February 20, 1942, the US steamer Delplata with 5,127 GRT was sunk by five torpedoes (four missed shots) in the Caribbean . He had loaded 6,100 tons of general cargo and was on the way from Rio de Janeiro to Saint Thomas . There were no casualties, 52 survivors. ( Location )
On February 25, 1942 , the British tanker La Carriere with 5,685 GRT was sunk by five torpedoes (two missed shots) in the Caribbean, 70 nautical miles west of Guánica . He was traveling in ballast from New York to Trinidad . There were 15 dead and 26 survivors. ( Location )
On February 27, 1942, the British steamer Macgregor with 2,498 GRT, 92 rounds from the 10.5 cm and 112 rounds from the 3.7 cm cannon , was in the mid-Atlantic 25 nautical miles northwest of Cape Vijos ( Puerto Rico ) , sunk. He had loaded 2,621 tons of coal and was on the way from the Tyne to Tampa . There was one dead and 30 survivors. The ship belonged to the disbanded convoy ON.60 with 45 ships. ( Location )
On February 28, 1942, the American tanker Oregon with 7,017 GRT was fired by artillery, 58 rounds from the 10.5 cm, 304 rounds from the 3.7 cm and 101 rounds from the 2 cm. Cannon, sunk. He had 78,000 barrels of fuel oil loaded and was en route from Aruba to Melville . There were seven dead and 30 survivors. ( Location )
After 57 days, U 156 had covered a distance of 9,720 nautical miles over and 331 nautical miles under water and returned to Lorient on March 17, 1942 at 10:05 a.m. It had sunk five ships with 22,723 GRT and damaged two ships with 10,769 GRT.
Third company
The boat left Lorient on April 22, 1942 at 8:06 p.m. U 156 operated in the Central Atlantic, in the West Atlantic, in the Caribbean and off the Panama Canal .
On May 13, 1942, the Dutch motor ship Koenjit with 4,551 GRT was sunk by three torpedoes (two missed shots) in the mid-Atlantic . It had 8,629 t of general cargo and the US motor cutter Letitia Porter loaded with 15 GRT and was on the way from Halifax via Table Bay to Alexandria . There was one dead and 37 survivors. ( Location )
On May 13, 1942, the British steamer City of Melbourne, measured at 6,630 GRT , was sunk in the mid-Atlantic west of Barbados by a torpedo and 24 rounds from the 10.5 cm cannon. He had loaded 4,000 tons of general cargo and was on the way from Beira (Mozambique) and Cape Town to New York. There was one dead and 86 survivors. ( Location )
On May 15, 1942, the Norwegian motor ship Siljestad with 4,301 GRT was sunk in the mid-Atlantic by three torpedoes (two missed shots). He had loaded general cargo and military equipment and was on his way from New York via Table Bay to Alexandria. There were two dead and 31 survivors. ( Location )
On May 15, 1942, the Yugoslavian steamer Kupa with 4,382 GRT was sunk by a torpedo in the mid-Atlantic . He had loaded trucks , airplane parts and fuel and was on his way from New York via Table Bay to Alexandria. There were two dead and 39 survivors. ( Location )
On May 17, 1942, the British steamer Barrdale with 5,072 GRT was sunk by a torpedo in the mid-Atlantic east of Martinique . He had loaded 9,824 tons of war cargo and was on the way from New York via Cape Town to Basra and Abadan . There was one dead and 52 survivors. ( Location )
On May 18, 1942, the American steamer Quaker City with 4,962 GRT was sunk by a torpedo in the mid-Atlantic . He had loaded 4,500 tons of manganese ore and was on the way from Cape Town to Norfolk (Virginia) . There were ten dead and 30 survivors. ( Location )
On May 18, 1942, the British tanker San Eliseo, measured at 8,042 GRT, was damaged by five torpedoes (one missed shot) in the mid-Atlantic . He drove in ballast and was on his way from Liverpool to Trinidad and Aruba. There were no losses. ( Location )
On May 21, 1942, the Dominican steamer Presidente Trujillo, measured at 1,668 GRT, was sunk by a torpedo in the Caribbean . He had loaded rice , brewery kettles and animal feed and was on his way from Fort-de-France to San Juan (Puerto Rico) . There were 24 dead and 13 survivors. ( Location )
On May 25, 1942, the American destroyer USS Blakely was damaged by two torpedoes with 1,154 ts in the Caribbean . He was on patrol off the island of Martinique. There were six dead and 116 survivors. ( Location )
On May 29, 1942, the British steamer Norman Prince, measured at 1,913 GRT, was sunk by two torpedoes in the Caribbean 60 nautical miles west of St. Lucia (British West Indies) . He drove in ballast and was on the way from Liverpool via St. Lucia to Barranquilla . There were 16 dead and 33 survivors. ( Location )
On June 1, 1942, the 5,970 GRT Brazilian steamer Alegrete was sunk by a torpedo and 20 rounds from the 10.5 cm cannon in the Caribbean . He had loaded general cargo and was on his way from Pará to New Orleans . There were no casualties, 64 survivors. ( Location )
On June 3, 1942, the British sailing ship Lilian with 80 GRT was sunk by 32 rounds from the 3.7 cm and 270 rounds from the 2 cm cannon in the mid-Atlantic . It had rum and two passengers on board and was on its way from Jamaica to Trinidad. There were three dead and 22 survivors. ( Location )
On June 24, 1942, the British steamer Willimantic with 4,558 GRT was sunk by 73 rounds from the 10.5 cm and 102 rounds from the 3.7 cm cannon in the mid-Atlantic south-east of Bermuda . This ship was in ballast and was en route from Durban and Cape Town to Charleston and Baltimore . There were six dead and 30 survivors. ( Location )
After 76 days at sea, U 156 had covered a distance of 9,865 nautical miles over and 592 nautical miles under water and returned to Lorient on July 7, 1942 at 8:06 a.m. It had sunk eleven ships with 44,086 GRT and damaged two ships with 8,042 GRT and 1,154 ts respectively.
Fourth venture
The boat left Lorient on August 20, 1942 at 7.16 p.m. U 156 operated in the North Atlantic, the Central Atlantic , the South Atlantic , off Freetown and northeast of the island of Ascension . The BdU combined the boat with U 172 , U 504 , U 68 and the supply submarine U 459 ( type XIV ) to form the polar bear group.
On August 27, 1942, the British steamer Clan Macwriter with 5,941 GRT was sunk by two torpedoes in the North Atlantic 200 nautical miles northwest of Madeira Island . He had loaded 2,000 t of manganese ore, 3,500 t of linseed , 2,200 t of pig iron and general cargo and was on the way from Bombay via Durban, Freetown and Bathurst to Hull . There were eleven dead and 75 survivors. The ship belonged to the convoy SL 119 with 30 ships. ( Location )
On September 12, 1942, the British troop transport Laconia with 19,680 GRT was sunk in the South Atlantic 360 nautical miles northeast of the island of Ascension . The ship was sunk in naval square FF 7721 with two torpedoes . ( Location ) It lay down on the starboard side and began to sink, bow first. Before the torpedoing, the commander of U 156 did not know that there were also Italian prisoners of war on board in 1809. After the torpedoing, however, he realized that allies were in distress and initiated a rescue operation that was unprecedented in naval warfare. The BdU then ordered further submarines to be sent to the sinking site to support U 156 in the rescue work. This rescue operation became one of the most momentous incidents in naval warfare and went down in history as the Laconia incident . U 156 was overflown, bombed and damaged by an American aircraft on September 16, 1942 at 12:32 p.m. during the rescue work. The BdU learned of this incident by radio and drafted the Triton Null sea command . The commander of U 156 , worried about his boat, had the rescue work canceled, the castaways disembarked from his boat in the lifeboats and went west for further repair work. The Laconia probably had 623 crew members, including 103 Polish prison guards, 268 military vacationers (including 80 women and children), 1809 Italian prisoners of war and 2,000 tons of general cargo including skins and sisal on board and was on its way from Suez to Great Britain. The number of passengers on board and the number of dead is given differently in the literature.
On September 19, 1942, the British steamer Quebec City with 4,745 GRT was sunk by a torpedo, 58 rounds from the 3.7 cm and seven rounds from the 10.5 cm cannon in the South Atlantic northwest of the island of Ascension . He had loaded 6,000 tons of general cargo and cotton and was on his way from Alexandria, via Cape Town and Freetown, to Great Britain. There were five dead and 41 survivors. ( Location )
After 88 days at sea, U 156 had covered a distance of 11,514.4 nautical miles over and 373 nautical miles under water and returned to Lorient on November 16, 1942 at 7.50 a.m. It had sunk three ships with 30,281 GRT on this enterprise.
Fifth venture
The boat left Lorient on January 16, 1943 at 5 p.m. U 156 operated in the Central Atlantic, the Cape Verde Islands of the Guiana coast, the western Atlantic, east of the Antilles and east of Barbados . On March 8, 1943, it was sunk in the last named area. No ships were sunk or damaged on this 51-day expedition.
Sinking
U 156 was March 8, 1943 in the West Atlantic east of Barbados of a flying boat of the type Consolidated PBY (Lt. E. Dryden) of the squadron VP-53, the US Navy at the position 12 ° 38 ' N , 54 ° 39' W in Marine grid reference EE 9157 sunk. All 53 people on board died.
See also
literature
- Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 1: The German submarine commanders. Preface by Prof. Dr. Jürgen Rohwer, Member of the Presidium of the International Commission on Military History. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg / Berlin / Bonn 1996, ISBN 3-8132-0490-1 , p. 90.
- Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 2: Submarine construction in German shipyards. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg / Berlin / Bonn 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0512-6 , pp. 54, 211.
- Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 3: The German submarine successes from September 1939 to May 1945. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg / Berlin / Bonn 2008, ISBN 978-3-8132-0513-8 , pp. 120 f.
- Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 4: The German submarine losses from September 1939 to May 1945. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg / Berlin / Bonn 2008, ISBN 978-3-8132-0514-5 , p. 80.
- Erich Gröner , Dieter Jung, Martin Maas: The German warships 1815-1945. Volume 3: Submarines, auxiliary cruisers, mine ships, net layers. Bernhard & Graefe Verlag, Munich 1985, ISBN 3-7637-4802-4 .
- Clay Blair : The Submarine War - The Hunters 1939–1942 . Heyne Verlag, 1998, ISBN 3-453-12345-X , pp. 588-590, 593, 679-681.
- Clay Blair: The Submarine War - The Hunted 1942–1945 . Heyne Verlag, 1999. pp. 93-99, 102, 276, 283, 312, 624, 815, 817. ISBN 3-453-16059-2 .
- Bodo Herzog: German U-Boats 1906–1966. Pawlak Verlagsgesellschaft, Herrsching 1990, ISBN 3-88199-687-7 .
- Georg Högel: Emblems, coats of arms, Maling's German submarines 1939–1945. 4th edition. Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft, Hamburg 2001, ISBN 3-7822-0826-9 .
Web links
- German submarines 1935–1945, U 156
- U-156 Uboat.net
- U 156 on u-bootarchiv.de, a detailed site about German submarines (German)
Map with all coordinates: