German submarine U-174 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
 U-505, a typical Type IXC boat
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-174 |
| Ordered | 23 December 1939 |
| Builder | DeSchiMAG AG Weser, Bremen |
| Yard number | 1014 |
| Laid down | 2 January 1941 |
| Launched | 21 August 1941 |
| Commissioned | 26 November 1941 |
| Fate | Sunk, 27 April 1943[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type IXC submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
|
| Beam |
|
| Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 230 m (750 ft) |
| Complement | 4 officers, 44 enlisted48 to 56 |
| Armament |
|
| Service record | |
| Part of: |
|
| Identification codes: | M 41 607 |
| Commanders: | |
| Operations: |
|
| Victories: |
5 merchant ships sunk (30,813 GRT) |
She was laid down at the DeSchiMAG AG Weser yard in Bremen as yard number 1014 on 2 January 1941, launched on 21 August and commissioned on 26 November with Fregattenkapitän Ulrich Thilo in command.
U-174 began her service career with training as part of the 4th U-boat Flotilla. She was reassigned to the 10th flotilla for operations on 1 August 1942.
She was sunk by an American Lockheed Ventura on 27 April 1943.
Design edit
German Type IXC submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXBs. U-174 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-174 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 boat departed Kiel on 30 July 1942, moved through the North Sea and negotiated the 'gap' between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. She encountered, in mid-Atlantic Ocean, the corvette HNoMS Potentilla. The Norwegian ship attacked; at one point, she was so close that a depth charge projected towards the U-boat, fell on the far side of the German vessel. The submarine escaped; nevertheless, the damage inflicted was sufficient to cause U-174 to leave a tell-tale trail of oil, thus obliging Thilo to abort the patrol. She entered Lorient, on the French Atlantic coast, on 6 September.
Second patrol edit
For her second sortie, she sailed to the waters off Brazil. There she sank four ships between 31 October and 2 November 1942. She sank a fifth vessel on 15 December but was twice unsuccessfully attacked by American Catalina aircraft on the same day. She returned to Lorient on 9 January 1943.
Third patrol and loss edit
U-174 had departed her French base on 18 March 1943, bound for the eastern seaboard of North America. On 27 April, she was attacked and sunk by an American Lockheed Ventura aircraft of VB-125 southwest of Newfoundland. Fifty-three men died; there were no survivors.[3][1]
Wolfpacks edit
U-174 took part in one wolfpack, namely:
- Lohs (11 – 26 August 1942)
Summary of raiding history edit
| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 October 1942 | Marlyn |  United Kingdom
|
4,555 | Sunk |
| 1 November 1942 | Elmdale | United Kingdom
|
4,872 | Sunk |
| 2 November 1942 | Zaandam |  Netherlands
|
10,909 | Sunk |
| 2 November 1942 | Besholt |  Norway
|
4,977 | Sunk |
| 15 December 1942 | Alcoa Rambler |  United States
|
5,500 | Sunk |
In popular culture edit
The U-174 is said to have been the submarine on which Xavier March served during World War II in Robert Harris's 1992 alternative history novel Fatherland.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC boat U-174". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, p. 68.
- ^ Kemp 1999, p. 111.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-174". 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 VIIC boat U-174". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 29 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 174". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 – u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 30 January 2015.