German submarine U-163 (1941)
 U-505, a typical Type IXC boat
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-163 |
| Ordered | 25 September 1939 |
| Builder | DeSchiMAG, Bremen |
| Yard number | 702 |
| Laid down | 8 May 1940 |
| Launched | 1 May 1941 |
| Commissioned | 21 October 1941 |
| Fate | Sunk on 12 / 13 March 1943 by a Canadian warship[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 enlisted |
| Armament |
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| Service record | |
| Part of: |
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| Identification codes: | M 28 716 |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: |
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| Victories: |
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German submarine U-163 was a
The U-boat's service began with training as part of the 4th U-boat Flotilla. She then moved to the 10th flotilla on 1 August 1942 for operations. She sank three ships, totalling 15,011 GRT and one warship was declared a total loss (2,000 tons).
She was sunk by a Canadian corvette in March 1943.
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 patrol
The submarine's first patrol took her from Kiel on 21 July 1942, across the North Sea and through the 'gap' between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. She arrived at Lorient, in occupied France, on 16 January. She would be based at this Atlantic port for the rest of her career. She had crossed the Atlantic Ocean and sailed to the southern Cuban coast.
Second patrol
Her second foray took her to the area north of South America. Here she sank La Cordillera on 5 November 1942 85 nmi (157 km; 98 mi) east of Barbados. She also damaged an American gunboat, USS Erie on 12 November and sank Empire Starling northeast of Barbados on the 21st. Her final victim on this patrol was Apóide which went down a day later. She returned to Lorient on 6 January 1943.
Third patrol and Loss
The U-boat departed Lorient for the last time on 10 March 1943. On 13 March 1943, she was sunk by depth charges from HMCS Prescott northwest of Cape Finisterre, Spain. 57 men (all hands) died.
Summary of raiding history
| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 1] | Fate[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 November 1942 | La Cordillera |  United Kingdom
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5,185 | Sunk |
| 12 November 1942 | USS Erie (PG-50) |  United States Navy
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2,000 | Total loss |
| 21 November 1942 | Empire Starling | United Kingdom
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6,060 | Sunk |
| 22 November 1942 | Apalóide |  Brazil
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3,766 | 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-163". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
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 IX boat U-163". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 163". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 – u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 7 December 2014.
