German submarine U-153 (1941)
| History | |
|---|---|
 Germany | |
| Name | U-153 |
| Ordered | 25 September 1939 |
| Builder | AG Weser, Bremen |
| Yard number | 995 |
| Laid down | 12 September 1940 |
| Launched | 5 April 1941 |
| Commissioned | 19 July 1941 |
| Fate | Sunk on 13 July 1942[1][2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Type IXC submarine |
| Displacement | list error: <br /> list (help) 1,120 t (1,100 long tons) surfaced 1,232 t (1,213 long tons) submerged |
| Length | list error: <br /> list (help) 76.8 m (252 ft 0 in) overall 58.7 m (192 ft 7 in) pressure hull |
| Beam | list error: <br /> list (help) 6.8 m (22 ft 4 in) overall 4.4 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull |
| Height | 9.4 m (30 ft 10 in) |
| Draft | 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion | list error: <br /> list (help) 2 × MAN M9V40/46 supercharged 9-cylinder diesel engines, 4,000 hp (2,983 kW) 2 × SSW GU345/34 double-acting electric motors, 1,000 hp (746 kW) |
| Speed | list error: <br /> list (help) 18.2 knots (33.7 km/h) surfaced 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h) submerged |
| Range | list error: <br /> list (help) 24,880 nmi (46,080 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) surfaced 117 nmi (217 km) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h) submerged |
| Test depth | 230 m (750 ft) |
| Complement | 48 to 56 |
| Armament | list error: <br /> list (help) 6 × torpedo tubes (four bow, two stern) 22 × 55 cm (22 in) torpedoes 1 × 10.5 cm SK C/32 naval gun[3] (110 rounds) |
| Service record | |
| Part of: |
list error: <br /> list (help) Kriegsmarine 4th U-boat Flotilla (19 July–31 May) 2nd U-boat Flotilla (1 June–13 July 1942) |
| Commanders: | Wilfried Reichmann |
| Operations: | Two patrols |
| Victories: | Three ships sunk for a total of 16,186 GRT GRT uses unsupported parameter (help) |
German submarine U-153 was a Type IXC U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine built for service during World War II. The keel for this boat was laid down on 12 September 1940 at the AG Weser yard in Bremen, Germany as 'werk' 995. She was launched on 5 April 1941 and commissioned on 19 July under the command of Korvettenkapitän Wilfried Reichmann.
The submarine began her service life with training as part of the 4th U-boat Flotilla; moving on to the 2nd flotilla for operations. She conducted two patrols, sinking three ships.
She was sunk by an American destroyer in July 1942.
Operational history
1st patrol
The boat's first patrol began with her depature from Kiel on 18 May 1942. After a brief stop in Kristiansand in Norway, she headed for the Atlantic Ocean via the gap between the Faroe and Shetland Islands. After a long southwest, south and southeast sweep, she docked at Lorient in occupied France, on the 30th.
2nd patrol and loss
She sank the Anglo-Canadian on 25 June 1942 800 mi (1,300 km) northeast of Antigua. The survivors were helped to lifeboats and received water and cigarettes. The following day, she sank the Potlatch, about 650 mi (1,050 km) east of the Virgin Islands. She also sank the Ruth on the 29th about 320 mi (510 km) north northeast of Barbuda.
U-153 was attacked by US A-20a aircraft of the 59th Bomb Squadron, USAAF on 6 July 1942 in the eastern Caribbean. She was sunk on the 13th near Colon, not far from the entrance to the Panama Canal, by the American destroyer USS Landsdowne.
Raiding history
| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 June 1942 | Anglo-Canadian |  United Kingdom |
5,268 | Sunk |
| 27 June 1942 | Potlatch |  USA |
6,085 | Sunk |
| 29 June 1942 | Ruth | USA |
4,833 | Sunk |
See also
References
- Citations
- ^ Kemp, Paul: U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars, 1997, Arms & Armour, ISBN 1-85409-515-3, p. 84
- ^ Gannon, Michael - Operation Drumbeat - the dramatic true story of Germany's first U-boat attacks along the American coast in World War II, 1990, Harper and Row publishers, ISBN 0-060161155-8, p. 384 .
- ^ Campbell, John Naval Weapons of World War Two ISBN 0-87021-459-4 pp.248&249
- ^ http://uboat.net/boats/successes/u153/html
- Bibliography