German submarine U-187

History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-187
Ordered	15 August 1940
Builder	DeSchiMAG AG Weser, Bremen
Yard number	1027
Laid down	6 August 1941
Launched	16 March 1942
Commissioned	23 July 1942
Fate	Sunk by HMS Vimy and Beverley, 4 February 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; 23 July – 31 December 1942; 10th U-boat Flotilla; 1 January – 4 February 1943;
Identification codes:	M 09 265
Commanders:	Kptlt. Ralph Münnich; 23 July 1942 – 4 February 1943;
Operations:	1 patrol:; 12 January – 4 February 1943;
Victories:	None

German submarine U-187 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 1027. She was launched on 16 March 1942 and commissioned on 23 July with Kapitänleutnant

Ralph Münnich 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.

She was sunk by two British destroyers on 4 February 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

Patrol and loss

U-187's patrol took her from Kiel on 12 January 1943, across the North Sea and into the Atlantic Ocean through the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands.

She was surprised on the surface, 7 nautical miles (13 km; 8.1 mi) ahead of Convoy SC 118. She was sunk in mid-Atlantic by depth charges dropped by the British destroyers HMS Vimy and HMS Beverley at position 50°12′N 36°35′W / 50.200°N 36.583°W / 50.200; -36.583 on 4 February 1943. Nine men died; there were 45 survivors.

Wolfpacks

U-187 took part in two wolfpacks, namely:

Landsknecht (19 – 28 January 1943)
Pfeil (1 – 4 February 1943)

References

^ ^a ^b Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-187". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
^ ^a ^b Kemp 1999, pp. 100–1.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gröner 1991, p. 68.

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
.

Edwards, Bernard (1996). Dönitz and the Wolf Packs - The U-boats at War. pp. 143, 144, 149.
ISBN 0-304-35203-9
.

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-187". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
Hofmann, Markus. "U 187". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 30 January 2015.

50°12′N 36°35′W / 50.200°N 36.583°W / 50.200; -36.583

[uboatnet-1] Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-187". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 22 July 2012.

[FOOTNOTEKemp1999100–1-2] Kemp 1999, pp. 100–1.

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

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