German submarine U-176
U-505, a typical Type IXC boat | |
History | |
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Nazi Germany | |
Name | U-176 |
Ordered | 23 December 1939 |
Builder | |
Yard number | 1016 |
Laid down | 6 February 1941 |
Launched | 12 September 1941 |
Commissioned | 15 December 1941 |
Homeport | Lorient, France |
Fate | Sunk, 15 May 1943 |
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[1][2] | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 47 665 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: |
11 merchant ships sunk (53,307 GRT) |
German submarine U-176 was a
.Built at the
U-176 served with the
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
On 21 July 1942 U-176 sailed from Kiel, around the British Isles, and into the north Atlantic Ocean. She made her first kill on 4 August, sinking the unescorted 7,798 GRT British merchantman Richmond Castle with two torpedoes.[4]
On 7 August she joined five other U-boats in reinforcing the eight boats of
U-176 sank the 7,457 GRT British cargo ship Empire Breeze with two torpedoes on 25 August. The ship had been part of convoy ON 122;[6] the U-boat ended the patrol after 74 days at sea at Lorient in France on 2 October 1942.[7] The day after her return her captain was awarded the Iron Cross 1st Class.[8]
Second patrol
U-176 departed Lorient on 9 November 1942 and headed into the south Atlantic. On 27 November she sank the 5,922 GRT Dutch merchant ship Polydorus after a 50-hour pursuit, the longest recorded by any U-boat in the Second World War.[9]
Off Cape São Roque, Brazil, on 13 December 1942 the crew of U-176 boarded the 1,629 GRT Swedish cargo ship Scania, and sank her with scuttling charges after the crew had abandoned ship.[10] On 16 December she sank the unescorted 5,881 GRT British cargo ship Observer with two torpedoes.[11]
Prior to the sinking of Scania, a young seaman, Gottfrid Sundberg, surreptitiously photographed U-176 from Scania.[12][13][14]
U-176 arrived back at Lorient on 18 February 1943 after a patrol lasting 102 days.[15]
Third patrol
U-176 sailed for her third and final patrol on 6 April 1943 from Lorient, sailing across the Atlantic and into the Caribbean Sea. On 1 May, her commander was notified of his promotion to Korvettenkapitän.[8]
On 13 May 1943, U-176 attacked Convoy NC 18 only five miles off the northern coast of Cuba, sinking the 2,249 GRT American tanker Nickeliner, which was loaded with 3,400 tons of
Sinking
On 15 May, the Cuban merchant ship Camagüey, and the Honduran Hanks, both loaded with sugar, sailed from
On 7 January 1944 K.Kapt.. Reiner Dierksen was
CS-13 was commanded by the Cuban Navy's
The CS-13 patrol boat, commanded by Second Lieutenant Mario Ramirez Delgado, turned toward the gas, made good contact through the sonar and launched two perfect attacks with deep charges which annihilated the U-176. This was the only successful attack against a submarine carried out by a surface unit smaller than a PCE [Patrol Craft Escort] of 180 feet. Thus, the sinking is properly considered with great pride by the small but efficient Cuban Navy.
Also present was
Wolfpacks
U-176 took part in two wolfpacks, namely:
- Steinbrinck (5 – 11 August 1942)
- Lohs (11 August – 1 September 1942)
Summary of raiding history
Date | Ship | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[22] |
---|---|---|---|---|
4 August 1942 | Richmond Castle | United Kingdom | 7,798 | Sunk |
8 August 1942 | Kelso | United Kingdom | 3,956 | Sunk |
8 August 1942 | Mount Kassion | Greece | 7,914 | Sunk |
8 August 1942 | Trehata | United Kingdom | 4,817 | Sunk |
9 August 1942 | Radchurch | United Kingdom | 3,701 | Sunk |
25 August 1942 | Empire Breeze | United Kingdom | 7,457 | Sunk |
27 November 1942 | Polydorus | Netherlands | 5,922 | Sunk |
13 December 1942 | Scania | Sweden | 1,629 | Sunk |
16 December 1942 | Observer | United Kingdom | 5,881 | Sunk |
13 May 1943 | Mambí | Cuba | 1,983 | Sunk |
13 May 1943 | Nickeliner | United States | 2,249 | Sunk |
References
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC boat U-176". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-176". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, p. 68.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Richmond Castle (Motor merchant)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
- ^ a b c Helgason, Guðmundur. "Convoy SC-94". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Empire Breeze (Steam merchant)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-176 from 21 Jul 1942 to 2 Oct 1942". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
- ^ a b c "Korvettenkapitän Reiner Dierksen". German U-boat Commanders of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 December 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Polydorus (Steam merchant)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Scania (Motor merchant)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Observer (Steam merchant)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
- ISBN 952-91-1248-3
- ^ Lindstrom, B., Nar m/s Scania sanktes av U-176, Rospiggen 2009, Bromma 2008, p. 67-86. ISSN 0349-0157
- ^ Lindstrom, B., Nar m/s Scania sanktes av U-176, fotografen bakom bilderna av u-baten trader fram, Rospiggen 2010, Bromma 2009, p. 104-113. ISSN 0349-0157
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-176 from 9 November 1942 to 18 February 1943". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Nickeliner (Steam tanker)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Mambí (Steam tanker)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
- ^ "Hitler's Sharks". uboat176.webs.com. Archived from the original on 31 August 2011. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
- ^ "Hundimiento del U-176" (in Spanish). www.circulonaval.com. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
- ISBN 0-671-49872-X.
- ^ "The Sinking of German Submarine U-176". www.circulonaval.com. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-176". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
Bibliography
- Bishop, Chris (2006). Kriegsmarine U-Boats, 1939–45. Amber Books. ISBN 1-86227-352-9.
- 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.
External links
- Alvarez, Maximino Gomez. "Hitler's Sharks". www.freewebs.com.
- Byrne, Mario J. "Marina Cubana hundio U-Boat Aleman en la II Guerra Mundial" [The Cuban Navy sinks a German U-boat during World War II] (in Spanish). www.cubaenelmundo.com.
- Cervera, Gustavo Placer. "The Sinking of German Submarine U-176". www.circulonaval.com.
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC boat U-176". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 176". Deutsche U-Boote 1935–1945 – u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 30 January 2015.