U 159

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U 159
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U-159 bombs.jpg
Air bomb attack on U 159
Type : IX C
Field Post Number : M-15 015
Shipyard: AG Weser , Bremen
Construction contract: December 23, 1939
Build number: 1009
Keel laying: November 11, 1940
Launch: July 1, 1941
Commissioning: October 4, 1941
Commanders:
Calls: 5 activities
Sinkings:

23 ships (119,684 GRT)

Whereabouts: Sunk in the Caribbean on July 28, 1943

U 159 was a German submarine of the type IX C that was usedby the German navy during World War II .

Technology and history

U 159 was a submersible for oceanic use. 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 2 × 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  knots could be achieved. At 10 knots, 12,000 nautical miles could be covered. The two times 500  PS SSM double electric machines GU 345/34 had 62 × 62 battery cells AFA type 44 MAL 740 W. A top speed of 7.3 knots could be achieved under water. A distance of 64 nautical miles could be covered at 4 knots. From four bow and two  stern torpedo tubes 22  torpedoes or up to 44 TMA or 66 TMB mines could be ejected. 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 weapons with 2,625 rounds, 1 × 2-cm anti-aircraft weapons 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 4  officers and 44 men. The cost of building was 6,448,000 Reichsmarks .

The order for the boat was awarded to the AG Weser in Bremen on December 23, 1939 . The keel was laid on November 11, 1940, the launch on July 1, 1941, and commissioning under Lieutenant Helmut Witte finally took place on October 4, 1941.

Like most German submarines of its time, the U 159 wore an emblem on the tower that the crew had chosen themselves : a stylized representation of the constellation of Aries .

Use statistics

U 159 belonged as a training boat of the 4th U-flotilla to 30 April 1942 by 4 October 1941 Szczecin and from 1 May 1942 until its sinking on 28 July 1943 as front boat 10. U-Flotilla in Lorient on .

It completed five operations in which 23 ships with 119,684 GRT were sunk and one ship with 265 GRT was damaged. U 159 was sunk on July 18, 1943 in the Caribbean by American air forces. There were no survivors.

First venture

The boat left Kiel on April 22, 1942 at 7:00 a.m. U 159 operated in the North Atlantic , laid weather buoys, and with this voyage moved to France .

On April 23, 1942, the boat entered Kristiansand at 7 p.m. and left again at 11 a.m. on April 24, 1942.

After twelve days at sea and a traveled distance of 2,312 nautical miles across and 122.1 nm under water ran U 159 on May 3, 1942 at 9:30 am at Lorient one. It could not sink or damage any ships on this venture.

Second venture

The boat left Lorient on May 14, 1942 at 8 p.m. U 159 operated in the western Atlantic and the Caribbean .

  • On May 21, 1942, the British steamer New Brunswick ( Lage ) with 6,529 GRT was sunk by torpedoes in the North Atlantic east-southeast of the Azores . He had loaded 5,859 t of general cargo including military goods as well as 20 aircraft and was on the way from Glasgow to Lagos . There were three dead and 59 survivors. The ship belonged to convoy OS-28 with 37 ships.
  • On May 21, 1942, the British tanker Montenol ( Lage ) with 2,646 GRT was so badly damaged by torpedoes in the North Atlantic 140 nm east-southeast of the island of Santa Maria that it had to be sunk with artillery by the British corvette HMS Woodruff when attempting to tow it . The ship was in ballast and was en route from Greenock to Freetown . There were three dead and 61 survivors. The ship belonged to convoy OS-28 with 37 ships.
  • On June 2, 1942, the US steamer Illinois ( Lage ) with 5,447 GRT was sunk by two torpedoes (one missed shot) in the mid-Atlantic . He had loaded 8,000 tons of manganese ore and was on the way from Cape Town to Baltimore . There were 32 dead and six survivors. The ship was armed with 1 × 4  inch cannon and 2 × .30 cal machine guns.
  • On June 5, 1942, the Brazilian sailing ship Paracury with 265 GRT was damaged by artillery in the Caribbean . The route and cargo of the ship as well as the losses are unknown.
  • On June 5, 1942, the Honduran sailing ship Sally ( Lage ) with 150 GRT was sunk in the Caribbean by five shots from the cannon. The route and cargo of the ship as well as the losses are unknown.
  • On June 7, 1942, the American steamer Edith ( Lage ) with 3,382 GRT was sunk by a torpedo in the Caribbean . He had loaded 1,700 tons of general cargo and was on the way from Tampa to Mayagüez . There were two dead and 29 survivors.
  • On June 11, 1942, the British steamer Fort Good Hope ( Lage ) with 7,130 GRT was sunk by two torpedoes in the Caribbean north-northwest of Colon . He had loaded 9,250 t of wheat , wood , lead and zinc and was on the way from Vancouver to Cristóbal in the Panama Canal Zone. There were two dead and 45 survivors.
  • On June 13, 1942, the American steamer Sixaola ( Lage ) with 4,693 GRT was sunk by three torpedoes in the Caribbean . He had 108 passengers and 900 tons of army equipment, including trucks and trailers, on board and was on the way from Cristóbal and Puerto Barrios to New Orleans . There were 29 dead and 70 crew members surviving. The 108 passengers were also saved. The ship was armed with 1 × 3  inch cannon and 2 × .50 cal machine guns.
  • On June 13, 1942, the American steamer Solon Turman ( Lage ) with 6,762 GRT was sunk by two torpedoes in the Caribbean . He had loaded 5,100 tons of marine goods, explosives and construction machinery and was on the way from Quonset Point via the Panama Canal to Bora Bora . There was one dead and 35 survivors. The ship was armed with 1 × 4 inches and 4 × .50 cal cannons.
  • On June 18, 1942, the Dutch steamer Flora ( Lage ) with 1,417 GRT was sunk by artillery in the Caribbean . He had loaded 1,470 t of general cargo and was on the way from New Orleans via Cristóbal to Curaçao . There was one dead and 35 survivors.
  • On June 19, 1942, the Yugoslav steamer Ante Matkovic ( Lage ) with 2,710 GRT was sunk by artillery in the Caribbean . He had loaded 3,100 tons of coal and was on the way from Norfolk via Cartagena to Curacao. There were six dead and 23 survivors.
  • On June 23, 1942, the American tanker EJ Sadler ( Lage ) with 9,639 GRT was stopped by artillery in the Caribbean and sunk by attaching an explosive charge. He had loaded 149,003 barrels of heating oil and was on his way from San Nicolaas ( Aruba ) to New York . There were no casualties, 36 survivors.

After 59 days at sea and a distance covered of 10,578 nm above and 188.9 nm under water, U 159 returned to Lorient on July 13, 1942 at 1:44 p.m. It had sunk eleven ships with 50,505 GRT and damaged one ship with 265 GRT.

Third company

The boat left Lorient on August 24, 1942 at 7:00 p.m. U 159 operated in the South Atlantic , off Cape Town, South Africa , St. Paul, in the Indian Ocean and off the Brazilian coast. The boat belonged to the polar bear submarine group .

  • On October 7, 1942, the British steamer Boringia with 5,821 GRT was sunk by two torpedoes in the South Atlantic 200 nm west-southwest of Cape Town . He had 3,000 tonnes of potash , 490 t rubber and 18 t groceries loaded and was on the way from Haifa and Cape Town via Hampton Roads to the UK. There were 32 dead and 28 survivors.
  • On October 8, 1942, the British steamer Clan Mactavish ( Lage ) with 7,631 GRT was sunk by two torpedoes in the South Atlantic 250 nm east of the Cape of Good Hope . He had 35 passengers, 28 Boringia survivors and 4,597 tons of copper , 1,180 tons of chemicals and 280 tons of general cargo on board and was on the way from Beira and Durban via Trinidad to New York. There were 54 dead and 39 crew survivors, the 35 passengers rescued and of the Boringia's 28 survivors , seven were killed and 21 rescued.
  • On October 9, 1942, the US steamer Coloradan ( Lage ) with 6,557 GRT was sunk by a torpedo in the South Atlantic . He had loaded 2,500 t of manganese ore, 29 t of general cargo and gold-bearing rock and was on the way from Banar Schahpur via Port of Spain to New York. There were six dead and 48 survivors. The ship was armed with 1 × 4 inches, 1 × 6 cal, 4 × 20 mm and 2 × .30 cal cannons.
  • On October 13, 1942, the British steamer Empire Nomad ( Lage ) with 7,167 GRT was sunk in the Indian Ocean 250 nm south of Cape Point by five torpedoes (two missed shots). He drove in ballast and was on his way from Beirut via Durban and Trinidad to New York. There were ten dead and 44 survivors.
  • On October 29, 1942, the British motor ship Ross with 4,978 GRT was sunk by three torpedoes in the Indian Ocean southeast of Cape Agulhas . It had loaded 2,000 tons of manganese ore and was en route from Port Elizabeth to Trinidad. There was one dead and 39 survivors.
  • On October 29, 1942, the British steamer Laplace ( Lage ) with 7,327 GRT was sunk by three torpedoes (one missed shot) in the Indian Ocean southeast of Cape Agulhas . He had 6,988 tons of coal and two passengers on board and was on the way from Port Said and Lourenco Marques to Buenos Aires . There were no casualties, 63 survivors.
  • On November 7, 1942, the US steamer La Salle ( Lage ) with 5,462 GRT was sunk by two torpedoes (one missed shot) in the South Atlantic . He had 6,116 t of trucks, steel , ammunition and explosives loaded and was on the way from Balboa via Cape Horn to Cape Town. It was a total loss with 60 dead. The ship was armed with 1 × 4 inches, 2 × 30 mm and 4 × 20 mm cannons.
  • On November 13, 1942, the American sailing ship Star of Scotland ( Lage ) with 2,598 GRT was sunk by artillery in the South Atlantic . It had 800 sand ballast loaded and was en route from Cape Town to Paranagua . There was one dead and 17 survivors.

On November 27, 1942, UD 3 took over 7 m³ and on December 9, 1942, U 461 took 90 m³ of fuel.

  • On December 14, 1942, the British steamer City of Bombay ( Lage ) with 7,140 GRT in the South Atlantic south of the St. Peter and Paul Islands was hit by six torpedoes (three missed shots) and 30 rounds from the 10.5 cm Cannon sunk. There were 6,500 tons of military equipment, weapons, ammunition and ten aircraft on board. There were ten dead and 130 survivors.
  • On December 15, 1942, the Egyptian steamer Star of Suez ( Lage ) with 4,999 GRT was sunk by a torpedo in the South Atlantic . It had loaded 6,000 tons of military equipment including 1,200 tons of explosives, 50 tons of paper as well as aircraft and vehicle spare parts and was on the way from New York via Trinidad and Table Bay to Suez . There were two dead and 42 survivors.
  • On December 16, 1942, the British steamer East Wales ( Lage ) with 4,358 GRT was sunk by a torpedo in the South Atlantic near St Paul's Rock. He had loaded 7,000 military equipment and coal and was on his way from New York via Trinidad to Alexandria and Durban. There were 17 dead and 28 survivors.

After 134 days at sea and a distance covered of 20,842 nm above and 698.1 nm under water, U 159 returned to Lorient on January 5, 1943 at 10:45 a.m. It had sunk eleven ships with 63,730 GRT on this enterprise.

Fourth venture

The boat left Lorient on March 3, 1943 at 4 p.m. U 159 operated in the Central Atlantic, the Azores , Canaries and off Freetown.

On March 3, 1943, the boat returned to Lorient due to damage. It ran out again on March 4, 1943 at 4 p.m.

  • On March 28, 1943, the British motor ship Silverbeech with 5,319 GRT was sunk by four torpedoes in the mid-Atlantic southeast of the Canary Islands . It had six passengers, 5,053 tons of military equipment including ammunition and explosives loaded and was on the way from Liverpool via Gibraltar to Freetown and Lagos. There were 62 dead (including the six passengers) and eight survivors.

After 53 days at sea and a distance covered of 8,267 nm above and 483.5 nm under water, U 159 returned to Lorient on April 24, 1943 at 11.20 a.m. A ship with 5,319 GRT had sunk on this venture.

Fifth venture

The boat left Lorient on June 12, 1943 at 8:50 p.m. U 159 operated in the West Atlantic, the Caribbean and the Windward Passage .

On July 28, 1943, the boat was sunk by US air forces.

The boat was at sea for 33 days. It had not sunk or damaged any ships on this venture.

Whereabouts

U 159 was on July 28, 1943 in the Caribbean south of Santo Domingo , at position 15 ° 57 ′  N , 68 ° 30 ′  W in marine grid reference EC 3999, by the Martin PBM Mariner P-1 of the US Navy Squadron VP-32 sunk. It was a total loss with 53 dead.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ 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 65

Web links

  • U 159 on u-bootarchiv.de, a detailed site about German submarines (in German)

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 .