U 163 (Navy)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
U 163 (Kriegsmarine)
( previous / next - all submarines )
Type : IX C
Field Post Number : M-28 716
Shipyard: Seebeck shipyard , Geestemünde
Construction contract: September 25, 1938
Build number: 702
Keel laying: May 8, 1940
Launch: May 1, 1941
Commissioning: October 21, 1941
Commanders:

October 21, 1941 - March 13, 1943:
Kkpt. Karl-Eduard Engelmann

Calls: 3 patrols
Sinkings:
  • 3 ships (15,011 GRT)
  • 1 gunboat (2,000 t)
Whereabouts: Sunk in the Bay of Biscay on March 13, 1943

U 163 was a German submarine from the Type IX C , which in World War II by the German navy was used.

Technology and history

U 163 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 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 weapon with 2,625 rounds, 1 × 2-cm Fla- MK 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 the Seebeck shipyard in Geestemünde on September 25, 1939 . The keel was laid on May 8, 1940, the launch on May 1, 1941, the commissioning under Corvette Captain Karl-Eduard Engelmann finally took place on October 21, 1941.

U 163 was part of 21 October 1941 to 31 July 1942 as training boat of the 4th U-Flotilla in Szczecin and from 1 August 1942 until its sinking on March 13, 1943 as the 10th front boat U-Flotilla in Lorient on .

It completed three patrols , on which there are three ships with 15,011 BRT could sink and a gunboat with 2,000 t. U 163 was sunk on March 13, 1943 in the Bay of Biscay by Canadian naval forces. There were no survivors.

Use statistics

First patrol

The boat ran at 7.20 pm from the July 21, 1942 Kiel from. U 163 operated in the Central Atlantic , in the Caribbean , off Trinidad .

On July 22, 1942, U 163 arrived in Kristiansand at 10:25 p.m. to provide fuel. It left there again on July 23, 1942 at 7:00 a.m.

On September 4, 1942, U 163 was supplied with drinking water and provisions by U 462 on its march back in the Central Atlantic .

After 58 days at sea and a distance covered of 9,670 nm above and 257 nm under water, U 163 entered Lorient on September 16, 1942 at 9.30 a.m. It had not sunk or damaged any ships on this venture.

Second patrol

The boat left Lorient on October 17, 1942 at 5:30 p.m. U 163 operated in the Central Atlantic, the West Atlantic , the Caribbean, off Trinidad.

  • On November 5, 1942, the British motor ship La Cordillera ( Lage ) with 5,185 GRT was sunk by two torpedoes in the mid-Atlantic 85 nautical miles east of Barbados . It drove in ballast and was on its way from Suez via Cape Town and Trinidad to New York . There were three dead and 38 survivors.
  • On November 21, 1942, the British steamer Empire Starling ( Lage ) with 6,060 GRT was sunk by four torpedoes (one miss) in the mid-Atlantic 180 nm northeast of Barbados . It had loaded 5,500 tons of frozen and tinned meat, mail and general cargo and was on its way from La Plata , Rio de Janeiro and Trinidad to Great Britain. There were no casualties, 55 survivors.
  • On November 22, 1942, the Brazilian steamer Apaloide ( Lage ) with 3,766 GRT was sunk by two torpedoes (one missed shot) in the mid-Atlantic . He had loaded 3,500 tons of coffee , castor seeds and general cargo and was on the way from Pernambuco to Trinidad. There were five dead and 51 survivors.

On December 27, 1942, U 163 was on its march back in the Central Atlantic, supplied with 42 m³ of fuel by U 463 .

After 81 days at sea and a distance of 12,083 nm above and 326 nm under water, U 163 returned to Lorient on January 6, 1943 at 12.45 p.m. It had sunk three ships with 15,011 GRT and a gunboat with 2,000 t on this enterprise.

Third patrol

The boat left Lorient on March 10, 1943 at 4.30 p.m. and initially operated in the Bay of Biscay .

Whereabouts

U 163 was on March 13, 1943 about 315 nautical miles (580 km) northwest of Cape Ortegal in naval grid square BE 9159 in position 45 ° 5 '  N , 15 ° 0'  W by depth charges the Canadian corvette HMCS Prescott (K161) sunk. There were no survivors (57 dead).