German submarine U-130 (1941)
U-505, a typical Type IXC boat
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History | |
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Nazi Germany | |
Name | U-130 |
Ordered | 7 August 1939 |
Builder | |
Yard number | 993 |
Laid down | 20 August 1940 |
Launched | 14 March 1941 |
Commissioned | 11 June 1941 |
Fate | Sunk west of the Azores on 12 March 1943 by USS Champlin[1] |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type IXC submarine |
Displacement | |
Length |
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Beam |
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Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
Draught | 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Range |
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Test depth | 230 m (750 ft) |
Complement | 4 officers, 44 enlisted48 to 56 |
Armament |
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Service record | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 41 224 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: |
German submarine U-130 was a
Her service life began with training in the 4th U-boat Flotilla; she moved to the 2nd Flotilla for more training on 1 September 1941 and operations with the same organization on 1 December.
She sank 21 ships, a total of 127,608 GRT and three auxiliary warships totalling 34,407 GRT in six patrols. She also damaged one ship of 6,986 GRT. She was a member of three wolfpacks.
Design
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph).
Service history
First and second patrols
The boat's operational debut was her departure from
The submarine was unsuccessfully attacked by an aircraft on 12 January 1942 in the Cabot Strait, between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland on her second patrol. She then sank two ships on the 13th east of Nova Scotia. She was almost sunk by two Canadian destroyers on the 18th, but the winter weather played a part, hampering both sides. The U-boat moved south, to warmer waters.
Third, fourth and fifth patrols
U-130's third patrol was marked by using her deck gun in conjunction with her torpedoes in the western north Atlantic and the eastern Caribbean when she sank Grenanger on 11 April 1942 and Esso Boston a day later.
The boat's fourth sortie also brought success, this time near the Cape Verde islands. Among others, she sank Tankexpress, Elmwood and Danmark, all in July 1942.
She tried to impede the landings for Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa, when she sank three troop transports at anchor off Morocco on 12 November 1942. They were USS Tasker H. Bliss, Edward Rutledge and Hugh L. Scott. The boat then headed off into the Atlantic, north of the Azores.
Sixth patrol and loss
Her last patrol was not without success; she sank Trefusis, Fidra, Empire Tower and Ger-y-Bryn, all on 5 March 1943.
She was sunk on 12 March 1943 by depth charges from the American destroyer USS Champlin west of the Azores. 53 men died. There were no survivors.
Wolfpacks
U-130 took part in three wolfpacks, namely:
- Schlagetot (9 – 21 November 1942)
- Westwall (21 November – 16 December 1942)
- Unverzagt (12 March 1943)
Summary of raiding history
Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 1] | Fate[3] |
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10 December 1941 | Kirnwood | United Kingdom | 3,829 | Sunk |
10 December 1941 | Kurdistan | United Kingdom | 5,844 | Sunk |
10 December 1941 | Star of Luxor | Egypt | 5,298 | Sunk |
13 January 1942 | Friar Rock | Panama | 5,427 | Sunk |
13 January 1942 | Frisco | Norway | 1,582 | Sunk |
21 January 1942 | Alexander Høegh | Norway | 8,248 | Sunk |
25 January 1942 | Varanger | Norway | 9,305 | Sunk |
27 January 1942 | Francis E. Powell | United States | 7,096 | Sunk |
27 January 1942 | Halo | United States | 6,986 | Damaged |
11 April 1942 | Grenanger | Norway | 5,393 | Sunk |
11 April 1942 | Esso Boston | United States | 7,699 | Sunk |
25 July 1942 | Tankexpress | Norway | 10,095 | Sunk |
27 July 1942 | Elmwood | Norway | 7,167 | Sunk |
30 July 1942 | Danmark | United Kingdom | 8,391 | Sunk |
9 August 1942 | Malmanger | Norway | 7,078 | Sunk |
11 August 1942 | Mirlo | Norway | 7,455 | Sunk |
25 August 1942 | Viking Star | United Kingdom | 6,445 | Sunk |
26 August 1942 | Beechwood | United Kingdom | 4,897 | Sunk |
12 November 1942 | USS Edward Rutledge | United States Navy | 9,360 | Sunk |
12 November 1942 | USS Hugh L. Scott | United States Navy | 12,479 | Sunk |
12 November 1942 | USS Tasker H. Bliss | United States Navy | 12,568 | Sunk |
5 March 1943 | Empire Tower | United Kingdom | 4,378 | Sunk |
5 March 1943 | Fidra | United Kingdom | 1,574 | Sunk |
5 March 1943 | Ger-y-Bryn | United Kingdom | 5,108 | Sunk |
5 March 1943 | Trefusis | United Kingdom | 5,299 | Sunk |
References
Notes
- gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.
Citations
- ^ Kemp 1999, p. 107.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, p. 68.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-130". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
- Kemp, Paul (1999). U-Boats Destroyed – German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC boat U-130". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 130". Deutsche U-Boote 1935–1945 – u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 7 December 2014.