U 187
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U 187 ( previous / next - all submarines ) |
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|---|---|
| Type : | IX C / 40 |
| Field Post Number : | 09 265 |
| Shipyard: | Deschimag AG Weser, Bremen |
| Construction contract: | August 15, 1940 |
| Build number: | 1027 |
| Keel laying: | August 6, 1941 |
| Launch: | March 16, 1942 |
| Commissioning: | July 23, 1942 |
| Commanders: |
Ralph Münnich |
| Flotilla: |
|
| Calls: | 1 company |
| Sinkings: |
no |
| Whereabouts: | Sunk at the exit of Baffin Bay on February 4th after being severely damaged by several depth charges |
U 187 was a German submarine from the Type IX C / 40 , which in the Second World War by the Navy in the North Atlantic was used.
Construction and technical data
On behalf of the Reichsmarine , the Bremen shipyard of Deschimag Weser AG had been building submarines since 1934, which was initially done under secrecy and was a circumvention of the provisions of the Versailles Treaty . After the outbreak of the war, the shipyard switched its production to submarine construction and mainly manufactured the large boats of the submarine class IX C. U 187 was part of the fifteenth construction contract that was placed with this shipyard and comprised a total of eight boats. An IX C / 40 boat displaced 1,144 t over water and 1,257 t submerged. It was 76.76 m long, 6.86 m wide and had a draft of 4.67 m. When sailing above water, the two 2,200 hp diesel engines guaranteed a top speed of 18.3 knots , that is 33.9 km / h . When underwater, two electric motors with a total of 1,000 hp reached a top speed of 7.3 kn, which corresponds to 13.5 km / h. At an average speed of 4 knots underwater, an IX C-boat had a range of 63 nm. When driving over water at an average speed of 10 kn, the range was 13,850 nm. IX C / 40 boats were armed with 22 torpedoes that could be ejected from four bow and two stern torpedo tubes . In addition, the boats were armed with artillery . Like most German submarines of its time, U 187 also had a boat-specific symbol: a white horse ascending. This boat emblem went back to Commander Münnich, who had met his wife for the first time in the hotel "Weißes Rößl" . Ms. Münnich made small embroidered versions of the boat emblem that were worn by the crew on hats and boats .
Commitment and history
From July 23, 1942 to December 31, 1942, U 187 belonged to the 4th U-Flotilla and was stationed in Stettin . During this time, Commander Münnich undertook training trips in the Baltic Sea to retract the boat and train the crew. On January 1, 1943, the boat was assigned to the 10th submarine flotilla , which was stationed in Lorient (western France). On January 12, 1943, Commander Münnich set out with U 187 for his first venture with this boat from Kiel. The intended area of operation was the North Atlantic, in particular the sea areas west of Ireland and east of Newfoundland .
Attack on SC 118
At the beginning of February, U 187 was about 200 nm south of Greenland and took part in the search for the convoy SC 118 , whose 44 ships had gathered in front of the New York harbor and set off together for Europe on January 24. Off the southern tip of Newfoundland, SC 118 more ships had joined, bringing the total to 63. The convoy was escorted by a strong formation of nine warships, including four destroyers and four corvettes. The submarine command had positioned the submarine group Pfeil in the expected course of SC 118, which was supposed to attack the convoy in accordance with the pack tactics developed by Karl Dönitz . U 187 was assigned to this submarine group and formed a search strip south of Greenland with other boats of the group when the guard noticed a flare from the submarine tower. At the time when SC 118 passed the position of Gruppe Pfeil's search strip , a seaman on board the Norwegian freighter Anaik had accidentally fired a signal pistol . Münnich maneuvered his boat closer to SC 118 until he could identify the ships and then set off the prescribed signal to lead other boats from the Arrow group to the convoy in accordance with the basic idea of pack tactics. This signal was picked up by the rescue ship of the convoy protection and another ship, which one Einpeilung the position of U 187 by Huff-Duff allowed -Peilung.
Sinking
_underway,_circa_in_1942_(FL_2019).jpg)
U 187 was attacked with depth charges by the two British destroyers HMS Vimy and HMS Beverley . While Commander Münnich was trying to escape the chase under water, the U 187 suffered a severe water ingress as a result of several hits and the boat became increasingly unable to maneuver. Finally, Münnich decided to let the boat emerge, evacuate the crew and sink it themselves. When the crew came on deck and jumped into the water, U 187 was shot at by artillery fire from board the Vimy and the Beverley , killing nine crew members of U 187 , including Commander Münnich himself. A short time later, the German submarine sank over the bow. Of its 54-strong crew, 45 survived and were picked up by the two British destroyers.
Notes and individual references
- ↑ There was also a Deschimag shipyard in Wesermünde .
- ↑ Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The U-Boat War 1939-1945. Volume 2: U-boat construction in German shipyards. 1997, pp. 210-211.
- ↑ U 181 to U 188 .
- ↑ Bodo Herzog: German U-Boats 1906–1966. 1996, p. 199.
- ^ 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 70
- ↑ The abbreviation SC stands for slow convoy and denotes convoys that consisted of many ships and were therefore comparatively slow.
literature
- Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 2: U-boat construction in German shipyards. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 1997, ISBN 3-8132-0512-6 .
- Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 3: German submarine successes from September 1939 to May 1945. ES Mittler und Sohn, Hamburg et al. 2001, ISBN 3-8132-0513-4 .
- Bodo Herzog: German U-Boats 1906–1966. Karl Müller, Erlangen 1996, ISBN 3-86070-036-7 .
Web links
Interrogation protocols of various crew members in American captivity
Map with all coordinates: