German submarine U-143 (1940)
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | U-143 |
| Ordered | 25 September 1939 |
| Builder | Deutsche Werke, Kiel |
| Yard number | 272 |
| Laid down | 3 January 1940 |
| Launched | 16 August 1940 |
| Commissioned | 18 September 1940 |
| Fate | list error: <br /> list (help) Surrendered on 2 May 1945 at Heligoland. Sunk on 22 December 1945 as part of Operation Deadlight |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Type IID submarine |
| Displacement | list error: <br /> list (help) 314 tonnes (309 long tons) surfaced 364 t (358 long tons) submerged |
| Length | list error: <br /> list (help) 43.97 m (144 ft 3 in) o/a 29.8 m (97 ft 9 in) pressure hull |
| Beam | list error: <br /> list (help) 4.92 m (16 ft 2 in) o/a 4 m (13 ft 1 in) pressure hull |
| Height | 8.4 m (27 ft 7 in) |
| Draft | 3.93 m (12 ft 11 in) |
| Propulsion | list error: <br /> list (help) 2 × MWM RS127S 6-cylinder diesel engines, 700 hp (522 kW) 2 × SSW PGVV322/26 double-acting electric motors, 402 hp (300 kW) |
| Speed | list error: <br /> list (help) 12.7 knots (14.6 mph; 23.5 km/h) surfaced 7.4 knots (8.5 mph; 13.7 km/h) submerged |
| Range | list error: <br /> list (help) 9,000 km (4,900 nmi) at 8 kn (15 km/h) surfaced 90 km (49 nmi) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h) submerged |
| Test depth | 150 m (490 ft) |
| Complement | 22 to 24 men |
| Armament | 3 × torpedo tubes (bow), five torpedoes |
| Service record[1][2] | |
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| Operations: |
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| Victories: | One ship sunk |
German submarine U-143 was a Type IID U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II. Her keel was laid down on 3 January 1940 by Deutsche Werke in Kiel as 'werk' 272. She was launched on 10 August 1940 and commissioned on 18 September under Kapitänleutnant Ernst Mengerson.
U-143 began her service life with the 1st U-boat Flotilla. She was then assigned to the 24th flotilla and subsequently to the 22nd flotilla where she conducted four patrols, sinking one ship of 1,409 tons. She spent the rest of the war as a training vessel.
Operational career
1st patrol
U-143's first patrol took her along the Norwegian coast, before crossing the North Sea and passing through the gap between the Faroe and Shetland Islands towards Iceland.
2nd and 3rd patrols
Following a transit voyage from Bergen in Norway, she left Kiel on 9 June 1941, travelling to much the same area as on her first sortie.
Her third foray was equally uneventful.
4th patrol and fate
On her fourth patrol, the boat sank the Inger on 23 August 1941 about 30 mi (48 km) northwest of the Butt of Lewis (in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland).
She surrendered on 2 May 1945 in Heligoland, was transferred to Wilhelmshaven and then to Loch Ryan for Operation Deadlight. She was sunk on 22 December at 55.58N, 09.35W.
References
- ^ "The Type IID boat U-143 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
- ^ "War Patrols by German U-boat U-143 - Boats - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
Bibliography
- U-143 at uboat.net
- U-143 at ubootwaffe.net
- Blair, Clay (1996). Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters 1939–1942. New York: Random House. ISBN 0-394-58839-8.