U 161 (Navy)

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U 161 (Kriegsmarine)
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U-161 bombs.jpg
Air raid on U 161 on September 13, 1943
Type : IX C
Field Post Number : M-40 802
Shipyard: Seebeck shipyard , Geestemünde
Construction contract: September 25, 1939
Build number: 700
Keel laying: March 26, 1940
Launch: March 1, 1941
Commissioning: July 8, 1941
Commanders:
Calls: 6 activities
Sinkings:

15 ships (65,293 GRT )

Whereabouts: sunk in the mid-Atlantic on September 27, 1943

U 161 was a German submarine from the Type IX C , which in World War II by the German navy was used.

Technology and history

U 161 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 two 2,200 PS MAN nine-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines M 9 V 40/46 with supercharging, a top speed of 18.3 knots could be achieved over water  . At 10 knots, 12,000 nautical miles could be covered. The two 500  hp paid SSM -double E-Machines GU 345/34 their energy obtained from 62 × 62 Battery cells AFA Type 44 MAL 740 W. underwater was a maximum speed of 7.3 knots be achieved. A distance of 64 nautical miles could be covered at a speed of 4 kn. 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 to 200 m. The quick dive time was 35 seconds. The submarine was armed with a 10.5 cm Utof L / 45 gun with 180 rounds, a 3.7 cm FlaK with 2,625 rounds and a 2 cm anti-aircraft gun with 4,250 rounds. After the 10.5 cm cannon had been removed, four 2 cm twin anti-aircraft guns with 8,500 rounds were installed in 1943/44. 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 the Seebeck shipyard in Geestemünde on September 25, 1939 . The keel was laid on March 26, 1940, the launch on March 1, 1941, the commissioning under Lieutenant Hans-Ludwig Witt finally took place on July 8, 1941.

U 161 belonged from July 8 to December 31, 1941 as a training boat of the 4th U-Flotilla in Stettin and from February 1, 1942 to its sinking on September 27, 1943 as a front boat of the 2nd U-Flotilla in Lorient .

It completed six patrols on which it 15 ships with 65,293 BRT sunk and could damage the six ships with 41,122 tons. U 161 was sunk by American air forces on September 27, 1943 off Brazil . There were no survivors.

Use statistics

First venture

The boat left Kiel on January 3, 1942 at 12:00. U 161 operated during the transfer journey to France in the North Atlantic .

After 13 days and a distance of 2,189 nautical miles over and 196.2 nautical miles under water, U 161 arrived in Lorient on January 15, 1942 at 17:50. No ships were sunk or damaged on this venture.

Second venture

The boat left Lorient on January 24, 1942 at 12:05 p.m. U 161 operated in the western Atlantic , the Caribbean , off Trinidad and Santa Lucia .

  • On February 19, 1942, the boat fired two torpedoes into the roadstead of Port of Spain , two steamers were sunk, which were later raised and repaired. The US steamer Mokihana with 7,460 GRT was hit by a torpedo. The ship was in the process of unloading its general cargo . The second ship was the British tanker British Consul with 6,940 GRT. The ship had fuel oil loaded; it was also hit by a torpedo and went up in flames.
  • On February 22, 1942, the British tanker Circe Shell ( Lage ) with 8,207 GRT was sunk by five torpedoes (two missed shots) in the Caribbean 20 nautical miles west-northwest of Port of Spain . The ship was in ballast and was en route from Glasgow to Trinidad. One man died, 57 men were saved. The ship belonged to the disbanded convoy ON-60 with 45 ships.
  • On February 23, 1942, the American steamer Lihue with 7,001 GRT was sunk by three torpedoes (one missed shot) and artillery in the Caribbean . The ship had loaded 5,000 tons of general cargo and was on its way from New York to Trinidad. There were no losses. The Lihue was a merchant ship armed with a 3- inch cannon, four .50-cal and two .30-cal machine guns.
  • On March 7, 1942, the Canadian tanker Uniwaleco ( Lage ) with 9,755 GRT was sunk by three torpedoes in the Caribbean 20 miles west of the St. Vincent Passage . The ship had loaded 8,800 tons of diesel oil and was on its way from Curacao via Trinidad to Freetown . There were 13 deaths and 38 survivors to mourn.
  • On March 10, 1942, U 161 sank two ships that were anchored there in the port of Castries on Santa Lucia. The British steamer Umtata with 8,141 GRT was sunk by two torpedoes (one missed shot) . The ship had 33 passengers as well as chrome ore , asbestos and meat on board and was on its way from Durban to New York. There were four dead and 173 survivors. The ship was later lifted and repaired; it was sunk by U 571 again on July 7, 1942 . The second ship was the Canadian steamer Lady Nelson with 7,970 GRT. The ship had 110 passengers and dock workers as well as general cargo and food on board. There were 25 dead and 210 survivors. This ship was also later lifted and repaired.
  • On March 14, 1942, the Canadian steamer Sarnidoc with 1,940 GRT was sunk by a torpedo in the Caribbean 200 miles west of Guadeloupe . The ship was in ballast and was en route from Georgetown to Saint Thomas . It was a total loss with 19 dead.
  • On March 15, 1942, the US lighthouse tender USS Acacia (W 200) with 1,130 t was sunk by artillery fire in the Caribbean south of Haiti . 68 rounds were fired from the 10.5 cm, 92 rounds from the 3.7 cm and 70 rounds from the 2 cm cannon. The USS Acacia belonged to the US Coast Guard and was en route from Curacao to Antigua . There were no casualties, 31 survivors.

After 66 days at sea and covered 9,985.5 nm above and 560 nm under water, U 161 returned to Lorient on April 2, 1942 at 10:30 a.m. It had sunk five ships with 41,884 GRT and a lighthouse tender with 1,130 t as well as damaged four ships with 30,511 GRT.

Third company

The boat left Lorient on April 28, 1942 at 20:25. U 161 operated in the western Atlantic, the Caribbean, off the Brazilian coast near Port Limon and off Costa Rica .

  • On June 16, 1942, the Dominican sailing ship Nueva Altagracia ( Lage ) with 30 GRT was stopped in the Caribbean and sunk by explosive cartridges. The ship had vegetables loaded and was on its way to Aruba. There were no losses.
  • On July 3, 1942, the Panamanian steamer San Pablo with 3,305 GRT was sunk at the pier by a torpedo hit in the Costa Rican port of Puerto Limón . He had loaded an unknown cargo and was en route from New Orleans to Puerto Limón. There were seven dead. The wreck was lifted in January 1943 and towed to Florida, where it was sunk as a target ship.
  • On July 16, 1942, the US steamer Fairport ( Lage ) with 6,165 GRT was sunk by four torpedoes in the North Atlantic . The ship had 66 passengers and 8,000 tons of war material including tanks on board and was on its way from New York to Suez . There were no casualties, 123 survivors.

On the march back, U 161 was supplied with 40 m³ of fuel by U 461 on July 22, 1942 .

After 101 days at sea, U 161 had covered 14,823 nm above and 699.9 nm under water and returned to Lorient on August 7, 1942 at 16:37. It had sunk three ships with 9,500 GRT on this enterprise.

Fourth venture

The boat left Lorient on September 19, 1942 at 6:00 p.m. U 161 operated in the Central Atlantic, off the African west coast, the Congo estuary , the Gold Coast , South America , Pernambuco, Africa, the Gulf of Guinea and the Cape Verde Islands .

  • On October 23, 1942, the British anti-aircraft cruiser HMS Phoebe with 5,450 ts was damaged by two torpedo hits in front of the port of Pointe-Noire . The ship's crew had 57 dead and 59 wounded. The ship was badly damaged and was not operational again until August 1943.
  • On November 8, 1942, the US steamer West Humhaw ( Lage ) with 5,527 GRT was sunk by two torpedoes in the East Atlantic . The ship had loaded 2,515 t of general cargo, 2,000 t of lubricating oil and, as deck cargo, cable drums and trucks, and was on its way from New York via Trinidad and Freetown to Takoradi and Lagos . There were no casualties, 59 survivors. The West Humhaw was armed with a 4-inch cannon, four .50-cal and two .30-cal machine guns.
  • On November 8, 1942, the British steamer Benalder with 5,161 GRT was damaged by a torpedo in the East Atlantic . He had loaded military equipment and was on his way from Freetown to Takoradi. There were seven dead and 51 survivors.
  • On November 29, 1942, the Dutch steamer Tjileboet ( Lage ) with 5,760 GRT was sunk by two torpedoes in the mid-Atlantic . The ship was loaded with food and ammunition and was en route from Swansea via Belfast Lough and Bahia, Cape Town to the Middle East . It was a total loss with 62 dead.

On December 9, 1942, U 161 was supplied with 100 m³ of fuel by U 461 .

  • On December 12, 1943, the British motor ship Ripley ( Lage ) was sunk by three torpedoes in the South Atlantic, southwest of the Sankt-Peter-und-Sankt-Pauls-Felsen . The ship, under the command of S. B. Davis, had loaded 9,000 tons of palm oil , mahogany wood and rubber and was on its way from Forcados via Duala , Takoradi and Trinidad to Great Britain. There were no casualties, 41 survivors.

After 112 days at sea, U 161 had covered 18,850 nm above and 685 nm under water and returned to Lorient on January 9, 1943 at 5:00 p.m. It had sunk three ships with 16,284 GRT on this enterprise.

Fifth venture

The boat left Lorient on March 13, 1943 at 5:00 p.m. U 161 operated in the mid-Atlantic, west of the Azores , the east coast of the USA, off Canada and Halifax .

  • On May 19, 1943, the Canadian sailing ship Angelus ( Lage ) with 255 GRT was sunk by artillery fire in the western Atlantic . It had 575 kegs loaded with molasses and was en route from Barbados to Halifax. There were eight dead and two survivors.

After 86 days at sea, U 161 had covered 10,123.1 nm above and 1,485.1 nm under water and entered Lorient on June 7, 1943 at 5:00 p.m. A ship of 255 GRT had sunk on this venture.

Sixth venture

Flak hit on the returning flying boat after the unsuccessful attack

The boat left Lorient on August 8, 1943 for its last expedition. Commander Achilles operated with U 161 in the Central Atlantic, north of the Azores, in the South Atlantic , off the Brazilian coast and off Bahia .

On August 20, 1943, U 161 met the Japanese submarine I-8 (code name "Flieder") west of the Azores and handed over three officers, a pilot and a radio monitoring device (FuMB) to the submarine . The Japanese submarine had the crew for the German submarine U 1224 surrendered to Japan on board and was on its way to Bordeaux . Another radio monitoring device of the type "Wanze" was handed over to Commander Werner Hartmann on U 198 . U 161 took fuel from this boat at the meeting on September 6th in the South Atlantic , as U 198 was on its way back to the German naval bases in northern France.

  • On September 13, 1943, U 161 by a Mariner - flying boat attacked the squadron Aratu Brazil. It was located at a distance of 38 miles (68 km) at an altitude of 4500 feet (1500 m) by the flying boat's radar. The flying boat flew two attacks with a total of eight depth charges. No damage could be observed on the submarine. However, the flying boat was seriously damaged by the flak during the attack at a height of 50 m. Two crew members were seriously injured. The pilot was surprised by the strength of the anti-aircraft gun of this new type of submarine. The U 161 had a 20 mm quad mount and two 37 mm cannons in the winter garden. By aligning the stern of the submarine with the attacking aircraft, all three flak had the maximum field of fire and were able to attack the flying boat with their six tubes at the same time. The effect of the 37 mm projectile was later noted as more devastating than that of the 20 mm projectile.
  • On September 20, 1943, the British steamer St. Usk ( Lage ) with 5,472 GRT was sunk by torpedo in the South Atlantic . He had 6,883 tons of rice , canned meat and cotton on board and was on the way from the Rio Grande and Rio de Janeiro via Freetown to Hull . There were no casualties, 47 survivors.
  • On September 26, 1943, the Brazilian steamer Itapagé ( Lage ) with 4,998 GRT was sunk by torpedo in the South Atlantic . He had 600 tons of general cargo on board and was on the way from Rio de Janeiro to Pernambuco. There were 20 dead and 77 survivors.

The Itapagé was the last ship sunk by U 161 . A total of three Allied merchant ships were sunk during the offensive in August as part of the long-range missions of German submarines, while four German submarines were lost. U 161 was sunk on September 27, 1943 off the Brazilian coast by a US flying boat.

Whereabouts

A US Navy flying boat of the type Martin PBM Mariner, 1942

U 161 was on September 27, 1943 off the Brazilian coast near Bahia at position 12 ° 30 ′  S , 35 ° 35 ′  W in marine grid reference FJ 9459 by the Martin PBM Mariner P-2 of the US Navy Squadron VP-74 sunk. It was a total loss with 53 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 .
  • Carlos Calvo Gamboa: Costa Rica en la Segunda Guerra Mundial 1939-1945 , San José, Costa Rica (Editorial Universidad Estatal a Distancia) 1985.

Web links

swell

  1. ^ Bernard Ireland: Battle of the Atlantik , Naval Institute Press, Annapolis (USA) 2003, ISBN 1 59114 032 3 , page 152
  2. ↑ UNITED STATES ATLANTIC FLEET, HEADQUARTERS OF THE COMMANDER FOURTH FLEET, C / o FLEET POST OFFICE, NEW YORK, NY, CONFIDENTIAL, 27 OCT 1943
  3. ↑ Clay Blair : Der U-Boot-Krieg, Volume 2 Die Gejagt 1942-1945 , Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, Munich 1998, ISBN 3 453 16059 2 , page 486