German submarine U-186

History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-186
Ordered	15 August 1940
Builder	DeSchiMAG AG Weser, Bremen
Yard number	1026
Laid down	24 July 1941
Launched	11 March 1942
Commissioned	10 July 1942
Fate	Sunk by HMS Hesperus, 12 May 1943
General characteristics
Class and type	Type IXC/40 submarine
Displacement	1,144 t (1,126 long tons) surfaced; 1,257 t (1,237 long tons) submerged;
Length	76.76 m (251 ft 10 in) o/a; 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in) pressure hull;
Beam	6.86 m (22 ft 6 in) o/a; 4.44 m (14 ft 7 in) pressure hull;
Height	9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught	4.67 m (15 ft 4 in)
Installed power	4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels); 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric);
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 × diesel engines; 2 × electric motors;
Speed	18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) surfaced; 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph) submerged;
Range	13,850 nmi (25,650 km; 15,940 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced; 63 nmi (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged;
Test depth	230 m (750 ft)
Complement	4 officers, 44 enlisted
Armament	6 × torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern); 22 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedoes; 1 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK C/32 deck gun (180 rounds); 1 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 AA gun; 1 × twin 2 cm FlaK 30 AA guns;
Service record
Part of:	4th U-boat Flotilla; 10 July – 31 December 1942; 10th U-boat Flotilla; 1 January – 12 May 1943;
Identification codes:	M 05 693
Commanders:	K.Kapt. Siegfried Hesemann; 10 July 1942 – 12 May 1943;
Operations:	2 patrols:; 1st patrol:; 31 December 1942 – 5 March 1943; 2nd patrol:; 17 April – 12 May 1943;
Victories:	3 merchant ships sunk ; (18,782 GRT)

German submarine U-186 was a

Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine built for service during World War II

. Her keel was

DeSchiMAG AG Weser in Bremen as yard number 1026. She was launched on 11 March 1942 and commissioned on 10 July with Korvettenkapitän

Siegfried Hesemann in command.

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 January 1943 for operations. The submarine carried out two patrols and was a member of nine wolfpacks. She sank three ships totalling 18,782 gross register tons (GRT).

She was sunk by a British destroyer on 12 May 1943.

Design

supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of 4,400 metric horsepower (3,240 kW; 4,340 shp) for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 1,000 shaft horsepower (1,010 PS; 750 kW) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.92 m (6 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).^[3]

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).

2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of forty-eight.^[3]

Service history

First patrol

U-186's first patrol took her from Kiel, across the North Sea and into the Atlantic Ocean through the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. She sank Ocean Vagabond on 11 January 1943 south of Iceland. This ship had already been damaged by U-513 in September 1942. U-186 also sank Hastings and Eulima on 23 February 1943 (part of Convoy ON 166) about 310 nmi (570 km; 360 mi) south of Cape Race (Newfoundland). She arrived at Lorient in occupied France, on 5 March 1943.

Second patrol and loss

The boat departed Lorient on 17 April 1943. On 12 May she was sunk northwest of the Azores by depth charges dropped by the British destroyer HMS Hesperus. Fifty three men died. There were no survivors.

Wolfpacks

U-186 took part in nine wolfpacks, namely:

Habicht (10 – 19 January 1943)
Haudegen (19 January - 2 February 1943)
Nordsturm (2 – 9 February 1943)
Haudegen (9 – 15 February 1943)
Taifun (15 – 20 February 1943)
Amsel (22 April - 3 May 1943)
Amsel 4 (3 – 6 May 1943)
Rhein (7 – 10 May 1943)
Elbe 2 (10 – 12 May 1943)

Summary of raiding history

Date	Ship	Nationality	Tonnage (GRT)	Fate^[4]
11 January 1943	Ocean Vagabond	United Kingdom	7,174	Sunk
23 February 1943	Eulima	United Kingdom	6,207	Sunk
23 February 1943	Hastings	United States	5,401	Sunk

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Kemp 1999, pp. 115–6.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-186". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gröner 1991, p. 68.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-186". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.

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
.

Edwards, Bernard (1996). Dönitz and the Wolfpacks - The U-boats at War. Cassell Military Classics. pp. 160, 207, 211.
ISBN 0-304-35203-9
.

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/40 boat U-186". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
Hofmann, Markus. "U 186". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 30 January 2015.

41°54′N 31°49′W / 41.900°N 31.817°W / 41.900; -31.817

[FOOTNOTEKemp1999115–6-1] Kemp 1999, pp. 115–6.

[uboatnet-2] Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-186". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 22 July 2012.

[FOOTNOTEGröner199168-3] Gröner 1991, p. 68.

[4] Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-186". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.

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