German submarine U-199
 U-199 under attack by Brazilian Air Force PBY Catalina Arará, notice the "short" conning tower of an early type IX D2.
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-199 |
| Ordered | 4 November 1940 |
| Builder | |
| Yard number | 1045 |
| Laid down | 10 October 1941 |
| Launched | 11 July 1942 |
| Commissioned | 28 November 1942 |
| Fate | Sunk, 31 July 1943 by the Brazilian aircraft PBY Catalina Arará |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type IXD2 submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
|
| Beam |
|
| Height | 10.20 m (33 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 5.40 m (17 ft 9 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | Calculated crush depth: 230 m (750 ft) |
| Complement | 55 - 64 |
| Armament |
|
| Service record[1][2] | |
| Part of: |
|
| Identification codes: | M 50 247 |
| Commanders: |
|
| Operations: |
|
| Victories: |
2 merchant ships sunk (4,181 GRT) |
German submarine U-199 was a
.The submarine was
DeSchiMAG AG Weser yard at Bremen as yard number 1045, launched on 11 July 1942 and commissioned on 28 November. She was commanded by Ritterkreuz recipient Kapitänleutnant Hans-Werner Kraus, who had previously successfully commanded U-47 and U-83
.
After training with the
Stettin, U-199 was transferred to the 12th U-boat Flotilla for front-line service from 1 May 1943.[1]
She was sunk off the Brazilian coast on 31 July 1943 by the Brazilian Air Force Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boat "Arará".
Design
MWM RS34.5S six-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines for cruising, producing a total of 9,000 metric horsepower (6,620 kW; 8,880 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 1.85 m (6 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 200 metres (660 ft).[3]
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 20.8 knots (38.5 km/h; 23.9 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 6.9 knots (12.8 km/h; 7.9 mph).2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft guns with 8,100 rounds. The boat had a complement of fifty-five.[3]
Operational history
U-199 sailed from Kiel on 13 May 1943 on her first and only operational patrol;[4] she negotiated the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands, before heading south and had crossed the Equator by 17 June, targeting ships in the South Atlantic Ocean. Operating off the Brazilian coast, she torpedoed and damaged the Brazilian armed merchant ship Bury, which returned fire and managed to escape. On 4 July, the submarine was spotted on the surface by the small fishing boat Changri-Lá.[5] The Brazilian boat was sunk with the loss of all hands by gunfire. U-199 had her first and only significant success, sinking the British merchant ship Henzada on 25 July.[6]
Fate
U-199 was found on the surface, off
depth charges, sinking her. The pilot of the Catalina was 2º Ten.-Av. (2nd Lt.) Alberto M. Torres,[7] who later went to Italy as part of 1st Brazilian Fighter Squadron. Forty-nine of the crew were killed, although twelve Germans managed to escape including the captain. This was possible due to the actions of the Catalina's crew, who threw a lifeboat to the survivors. They were rescued by the USS Barnegat
and taken to Brazil, and then on to captivity in the United States.
Summary of raiding history
| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 July 1943 | Changri-Lá |  Brazil
|
20 | Sunk |
| 24 July 1943 | Henzada |  United Kingdom
|
4,161 | Sunk |
References
- ^ a b c Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXD2 boat U-199 — German U-boats of WWII". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-199". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 74–75.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Patrol of U-boat U-199 from 13 May 1943 to 31 Jul 1943". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Changri-Lá (Sailing ship)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Henzada (Steam merchant)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
- ISBN 0-7858-1311-X.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-199". 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.
- 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.
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXD boat U-199". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.
External links
- Hofmann, Markus. "U-199". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 19 December 2015.
