U 157 (Navy)

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U 157 (Kriegsmarine)
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Type : IX C
Field Post Number : M-13 974
Shipyard: AG Weser , Bremen
Construction contract: September 25, 1939
Build number: 999
Keel laying: October 21, 1940
Launch: June 5, 1941
Commissioning: September 15, 1941
Commanders:

September 15, 1941 - June 13, 1942:
Kkpt. Wolf hen

Calls: 2 activities
Sinkings:

1 ship (6,403 GRT)

Whereabouts: Sunk in the Caribbean on June 13, 1942

U 157 was a German submarine from the Type IX C , which in World War II by the German navy was used.

Technology and history

U 157 was designed for oceanic use. Boats of this class of submarines 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 PS MAN nine-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines M 9 V 40/46 with supercharging, a top speed over water of 18.3 kn could be achieved. At a speed of 10 kn, 12,000 nautical miles could be covered. The two 500 PS SSM double E-machines GU 345/34 had 62 × 62 AFA type 44 MAL 740 W battery cells. A top speed of 7.3 knots was achieved under water. A distance of 64 nautical miles could be covered at a speed of 4 kn. 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. The quick dive time was 35 seconds. It had a 10.5-cm Utof L / 45 gun with 180 rounds and 1 × 3.7-cm anti-aircraft gun with 2,625 rounds, 1 × 2-cm anti-aircraft gun with 4,250 rounds. From 1943/44, the 10.5 cm cannon was removed from this type of boat and 4 × 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 , Bremen on September 25, 1939 . The keel was laid on October 21, 1940, the launch on June 5, 1941, the commissioning under Corvette Captain Wolf Henne finally took place on September 15, 1941.

Use statistics

U 157 was part of 15 September 1941 to 31 May 1942 as the training boat of the 4th U-Flotilla in Szczecin and from 1 June 1942 until its sinking on 13 June 1942 as the front of the boat 2nd U-boat Flotilla in Lorient on .

Commander Henne completed two patrols , where he was a ship with 6403 GRT could sink. U 157 was sunk on June 13, 1942 in the western Atlantic by US naval forces. There were no survivors.

First venture

The boat ran at 11:00 am by on April 30, 1942 Kiel from. U 157 operated on the transfer trip to France in the North Atlantic .

On May 1, 1942 at 6.30 p.m. the boat entered Kristiansand to receive orders and left again on May 2, 1942 at 4.45 a.m.

After ten days and a distance of 1,740 nm over and 36 nm under water, U 157 arrived in Lorient on May 10, 1942 at 9.30 a.m. No ships were sunk or damaged on this venture.

Second venture

The boat left Lorient on May 18, 1942. U 157 operated in the North Atlantic, in the West Atlantic , in the Windward Passage , the Bahama Canal , off Cuba , the Florida Keys and off Havana .

On June 11, 1942, the American tanker Hagan ( Lage ) with 6,401 GRT was sunk by torpedo in the mid-Atlantic . He had loaded 927,000 gallons of molasses and was on his way from Antilla to Havana. There were six dead and 38 survivors.

On June 13, 1942, U 157 was sunk in the Caribbean by US naval forces. A ship with 6,403 GRT was sunk on this 36-day undertaking.

Whereabouts

The boat was sunk on June 13, 1942 in the Caribbean northeast of Havana by depth charges from the US coast guard cutter USS Thetis at position 24 ° 13 ′  N , 82 ° 3 ′  W in naval grid square DM 1993. It was a total loss with 52 dead.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Jürgen Rohwer , Gerhard Hümmelchen : Chronik des Maritime War, June 1942 , accessed on November 21, 2008

Web links

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 .