German submarine U-164 (1941)
 U-505, a typical Type IXC boat
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-164 |
| Ordered | 25 September 1939 |
| Builder | DeSchiMAG, Bremen |
| Yard number | 703 |
| Laid down | 20 June 1940 |
| Launched | 1 May 1941 |
| Commissioned | 28 November 1941 |
| Fate | Sunk on 6 January 1943[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type IXC submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
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| Beam |
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| Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion |
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| Speed |
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| Range |
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| Test depth | 230 m (750 ft) |
| Complement | 4 officers, 44 enlisted |
| Armament |
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| Service record | |
| Part of: |
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| Identification codes: | M 41 384 |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: |
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| Victories: |
3 merchant ships sunk (8,133 GRT) |
German submarine U-164 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine built for service during World War II. The keel for this boat was laid down on 20 June 1940 at the Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau AG, Bremen yard as yard number 703. She was launched on 1 May 1941 and commissioned on 28 November 1941 under the command of Korvettenkapitän Otto Fechner.
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 August 1942 for operations. She sank three ships, totalling 8,133 gross register tons (GRT).
She was sunk by an American aircraft on 6 January 1943.
Design
[edit]German Type IXC submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXBs. U-164 had a displacement of 1,120 tonnes (1,100 long tons) when at the surface and 1,232 tonnes (1,213 long tons) while submerged.[2] The U-boat had a total length of 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in), a pressure hull length of 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in), a beam of 6.76 m (22 ft 2 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in). The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 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 metric horsepower (740 kW; 990 shp) 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).[2]
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] When submerged, the boat could operate for 63 nautical miles (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 13,450 nautical miles (24,910 km; 15,480 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-164 was fitted with six 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 torpedoes, one 10.5 cm (4.13 in) SK C/32 naval gun, 180 rounds, and a 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 as well as a 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of forty-eight.[2]
Service history
[edit]First patrol
[edit]The submarine's first patrol took her from Kiel on 18 July 1942, across the North Sea and into the Atlantic Ocean through the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. She sank Stad Amsterdam on 25 August in the eastern Caribbean. The first torpedoes hit, except they were duds, probably fired from too close-in; but a coup de grǎce caused the ship to sink stern-first. The boat also sank John A. Holloway northwest of Curaçao. U-164 arrived at Lorient, in occupied France, on 7 October. She would be based at this Atlantic port for the rest of her brief career.
Second patrol and loss
[edit]She sank Brageland, a neutral Swedish ship, on 1 January 1943. A three-man boarding party inspected the ship and under the prize rules, she was torpedoed.
U-164 was sunk by an American PBY Catalina flying boat of VP-83 125 nmi (232 km; 144 mi) from northwest of Ceará State shoreline, Brazil on 6 January 1943. 54 men died, there were two survivors.
Summary of raiding history
[edit]| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 August 1942 | Stad Amsterdam |  Netherlands
|
3,780 | Sunk |
| 6 September 1942 | John A. Holloway |  Canada
|
1,745 | Sunk |
| 1 January 1943 | Brageland |  Sweden
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2,608 | Sunk |
References
[edit]- ^ Kemp 1999, p. 99.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, p. 68.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-164". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
Bibliography
[edit]- 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.
- Kemp, Paul (1999). U-Boats Destroyed – German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
External links
[edit]- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IX boat U-164". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 164". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 – u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 7 December 2014.
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in January 1943 | |
|---|---|
| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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- German Type IX submarines
- World War II submarines of Germany
- World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean
- World War II shipwrecks in the South Atlantic
- Ships built in Bremen (state)
- U-boats sunk by US aircraft
- U-boats sunk by depth charges
- U-boats commissioned in 1941
- U-boats sunk in 1943
- 1941 ships
- Maritime incidents in January 1943