German submarine U-199
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-199 |
| Ordered: | 4 November 1940 |
| Builder: | AG Weser, Bremen |
| Yard number: | 1045 |
| Laid down: | 10 October 1941 |
| Launched: | 11 July 1942 |
| Commissioned: | 28 November 1942 |
| Fate: | Sunk, 31 July 1943 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Type IXD2 submarine |
| Displacement: | Surfaced: 1616 tons Submerged: 1804 tons |
| Length: | Overall: 87.60 m (287.4 ft) Pressure hull: 68.50 m (224.7 ft) |
| Beam: | Overall: 7.50 m (24.6 ft) Pressure hull: 4.40 m (14.4 ft) |
| Draught: | 5.40 m (17.7 ft) |
| Propulsion: | Surfaced: 5,400 hp Submerged: 1,100 hp |
| Speed: | Surfaced: 19.2 kn (35.6 km/h; 22.1 mph) Submerged: 6.9 kn (12.8 km/h; 7.9 mph) |
| Range: | Surfaced: 31,500 mi (50,700 km) at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) Submerged: 57 mi (92 km) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) |
| Test depth: | Calculated crush depth: 230 m (750 ft) |
| Armament: |
|
| Service record[1][2] | |
| Part of: |
4th U-boat Flotilla (28 November 1942–30 April 1943) 12th U-boat Flotilla (1 May–31 July 1943) |
| Commanders: | Kptlt. Hans-Werner Kraus (28 November 1942–31 July 1943) |
| Operations: | 1st patrol: 13 May–31 July 1943 |
| Victories: | Two commercial ships sunk (4,181 GRT) |
German submarine U-199 was a Type IXD2 U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was sunk off the Brazilian coast in 1943 by a combination of attacks by Brazilian and American planes.
The submarine was laid down on 10 October 1941 at the AG Weser yard at Bremen, launched on 11 July 1942, and commissioned on 28 November. After training with the 4th U-boat Flotilla at Stettin, U-199 was transferred to the 12th U-boat Flotilla for front-line service from 1 May 1943.[1]
U-199 was commanded by Ritterkreuz recipient Kapitänleutnant Hans-Werner Kraus, who had previously successfully commanded U-47 and U-83.
Service history
U-199 sailed from Kiel on 13 May 1943 on her first and only operational patrol,[3] crossing the Equator on 10 July, to target ships in the South Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of South America. Operating off the Brazilian coast, she torpedoed and damaged the Brazilian armed merchant ship Bury, which returned fire and managed to escape. A few days later, the submarine was spotted on the surface by the small fishing boat Changri-Lá.[4] The Brazilian boat was sunk with the loss of all hands by cannon fire. On 25 July U-199 had her first and only significant success, sinking the British merchant ship Henzada.[5]
On 31 July U-199 was found on the surface, off Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in position 23°54′S 42°54′W / 23.9°S 42.9°WCoordinates: 23°54′S 42°54′W / 23.9°S 42.9°W, by two Brazilian aircraft, a PBY Catalina and a Lockheed Hudson, and an American PBM Mariner.[1] The Brazilian Catalina, codenamed Ärará, hit U-199 with depth charges, sinking her. The pilot of the Catalina was 2º Ten.-Av. (2nd Lt.) Alberto M. Torres.[6] Forty-nine of the crew were killed, although twelve Germans managed to escape, including the captain. This was possible due to 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.
References
Notes
- ^ a b c "The Type IXD2 boat U-199 — German U-boats of WWII". UBoat.net. http://uboat.net/boats/u199.htm. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
- ^ "War Patrols by German U-boat U-199". UBoat.net. http://uboat.net/boats/patrols/u199.html. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
- ^ "Patrol of U-boat U-199 from 13 May 1943 to 31 Jul 1943 — U-boat patrols". U-boat.net. http://uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_4112.html. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
- ^ "Changri-Lá (Sailing ship) - Ships hit by U-boats". U-boat.net. http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/3578.html. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
- ^ "Henzada (Steam merchant) - Ships hit by U-boats". U-boat.net. http://uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/3020.html. Retrieved 9 March 2010.
- ^ Morison, Samuel Eliot (March 2001). History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. Vol.10: The Atlantic Battle Won.. Castle Books. p. 219. ISBN 0-7858-1311-X.
Bibliography
- U-199, U-boat.net, http://www.uboat.net/boats/u199.htm.
External links
- U-199, U-bootwaffe, http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/boat.cgi?boat=199
- U-199, U-boot Archiv, http://www.u-boot-archiv.de/dieboote/u0199.html (German)
See also
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