U 196
|
U 196 ( previous / next - all submarines ) |
|
|---|---|
| Type : | Type IX D2 |
| Field Post Number : | 49 455 |
| Shipyard: | AG Weser , Bremen |
| Construction contract: | November 4th 1940 |
| Build number: | 1042 |
| Keel laying: | June 10, 1941 |
| Launch: | April 14, 1942 |
| Commissioning: | September 11, 1942 |
| Commanders: |
|
| Flotilla: |
|
| Calls: | 3 patrols |
| Sinkings: |
3 merchant ships (17,739 GRT) |
| Whereabouts: | Missing since November 30, 1944, probably lost in the Sunda Strait in a diving accident. |
U 196 was a submarine of the type IX D2 , a so-called "Fern-U-Boot", which was used during the Second World War in the submarine war by the navy in the South Atlantic and in the Indian Ocean . U 196 completed the longest submarine operation of the war, during which it remained at sea for 225 days.
Technical specifications
The AG Weser had been commissioned to build submarines for the Reichsmarine (later the Kriegsmarine ) since 1934 . After the outbreak of the war , the shipyard specialized in the construction of large Type IX boats, with an annual output of 36 boats - an amount that was far from being reached. In 1942 AG Weser delivered ten type IX D2 submarines. These boats were also called ocean boats or East Asian boats and displaced 1,616 t over water and 1,804 t when submerged. A type IX D2 boat was 87.58 m long, 7.5 m wide and had a draft of 5.35 m. The total of 5,400 hp strong diesel engines reached a top speed of 19 knots , which 35.7 km / h equivalent. When underwater, the total of 1,100 hp of the two electric motors propelled the boat to a top speed of 6.9 knots - that's 12.8 km / h. IX D2 boats were armed with 24 torpedoes that could be ejected from 4 bow and 2 stern torpedo tubes . In addition, these boats were armed with artillery. The U 196 was the only boat in its class that had two 10.5 cm Utof cannons.
history
U 196 ran out to three companies during its period of use. Commander Kentrat sank two ships on his patrols with this boat, damaged one and reported having torpedoed another.
In the Indian Ocean
In the summer of 1943, U 196 was ordered to go into the Indian Ocean with six other long-distance submarines. One of them, U 195 , broke off its journey and another, U 197 , was sunk. The most successful boat of this group was U 181 , whose commander Wolfgang Lüth was awarded the Knight's Cross with the swords and diamonds to the oak leaves after this trip . At a rendezvous between U 196 and U 181 , Commander Kentrat - although he had only sunk two ships at the time - offered him the delivery of torpedoes and food, which Lüth refused. The German submarines were supported in this operation by the tanker Charlotte Schliemann , which served as a supply and provisional base. As part of this mission, U 196 completed the longest submarine operation of the Second World War.
First patrol
U 196, under corvette captain Eitel-Friedrich Kentrat, left Kiel on March 13, 1943. After the march across the Baltic Sea and fuel replenishment in Marviken, the boat operated in the South Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, off Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth, the Mozambique Strait, off the Seychelles, Comoros and Madagascar. It was supplied with 235 m³ of fuel and provisions on June 22nd, 1943 by the German supplier CHARLOTTE SCHLIEMANN. U 196 was able to sink 2 ships with 12,285 GRT on this enterprise. After 224 days (the longest operation of a submarine in World War II) and covered about 30,700 nm above and 1,965 nm under water, U 196 entered Bordeaux on October 23, 1943.
- May 11, 1943: sinking of the British freighter SS Nailsea Meadow (4,962 GRT). She transported tanks and accessories for the 8th Army under General Montgomery in Egypt.
- August 3, 1943: Sinking of the British freighter CITY OF ORAN (7,323 GRT) by a torpedo.
Second patrol
U 196, under Corvette Captain Eitel-Friedrich Kentrat, left La Pallice on March 11, 1944. After the GHG failed during the deep dive attempt, we went back to La Pallice. After the repair and the renewed departure, the boat operated in the South Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, the Laccadives and Malaya. In addition, 1,404 bottles of mercury, 9,158 bars of aluminum, 46 bundles of round steel, 11 bundles of square steel and 105 crates of raw-optic glass were loaded. U 196 belonged to the MONSUN submarine group. The boat was supplied with 60 m³ of fuel and provisions by U 488 on April 9, 1944. It was able to sink 1 ship with 5,454 GRT on this enterprise. After 152 days, U 196 entered Penang on August 10, 1944.
- July 9, 1944: Sinking of the British freighter SHAHZADA (5,454 GRT).
Third patrol
U 196, under Oberleutnant zur See Werner Striegler, left Batavia on November 30, 1944. The boat has been missing since that day. There have been no reports since sailing. The boat was supposed to supply the U 510 and U 843 for the march back to Germany and then go to Kobe to change the batteries.
loss
U 196 left Batavia on November 30, 1944 . The Java Sea was intended as the operational area . From this point on, U 196 did not submit any more reports and has therefore been considered missing since then. The cause of the loss is assumed to be a diving accident that occurred during test diving with a snorkel built with on-board equipment.
literature
- Clay Blair : The Submarine War. Volume 2: The Hunted, 1942–1945. Heyne, Munich 1998, ISBN 3-453-16059-2 .
- Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 1: The German submarine commanders. ES Mittler and Son, Hamburg a. a. 1996, ISBN 3-8132-0490-1 .
- Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The submarine war 1939-1945. Volume 3: German submarine successes from September 1939 to May 1945. ES Mittler and Son, Hamburg a. a. 2001, ISBN 3-8132-0513-4 .
- 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 .
- Paul Kemp: The German and Austrian submarine losses in both world wars. Urbes-Verlag, Graefelfing before Munich 1998, ISBN 3-924896-43-7 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Bodo Herzog: German U-Boats 1906-1966 . Karl Müller Verlag, Erlangen 1996, page 199
- ↑ Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The U-Boat War 1939-1945. Volume 3: German submarine successes from September 1939 to May 1945. 2001, p. 141.
- ↑ Clay Blair: The Submarine War. Volume 2: The Hunted, 1942–1945. 1998, p. 371.
- ↑ U 196 on ubootarchiv.de
- ^ A b Paul Kemp: The German and Austrian submarine losses in both world wars. 1998, p. 304.
- ↑ Rainer Busch, Hans-Joachim Röll: The U-Boat War 1939-1945. Volume 4: German submarine losses from September 1939 to May 1945. 1999, p. 304.