German submarine U-183 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of the German Navy (Kriegsmarine) during World War II. She was commissioned on 1 April 1942, one of the first IXC/40 boats, somewhat larger and faster than the IXC type. She began her service life in the 4th U-boat Flotilla, a training organization, moving on to the 2nd, then the 33rd Flotilla, both operational or front outfits.
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-183 |
| Ordered | 15 August 1940 |
| Builder | DeSchiMAG AG Weser, Bremen |
| Yard number | 1023 |
| Laid down | 28 May 1941 |
| Launched | 9 January 1942 |
| Commissioned | 1 April 1942 |
| Fate | Sunk by USS Besugo, 23 April 1945 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type IXC/40 submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
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| Beam |
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| Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 4.67 m (15 ft 4 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 44 100 |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: |
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| Victories: | |
U-183 was in the first wave of "Monsun boats" or Monsun Gruppe, which operated in the Indian Ocean from Japanese bases in the occupied Dutch East Indies and British Malaya, mostly Penang.
Design
editGerman Type IXC/40 submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXCs. U-183 had a displacement of 1,144 tonnes (1,126 long tons) when at the surface and 1,257 tonnes (1,237 long tons) while submerged.[1] 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 6.86 m (22 ft 6 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.67 m (15 ft 4 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 shaft horsepower (1,010 PS; 750 kW) 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).[1]
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).[1] 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 13,850 nautical miles (25,650 km; 15,940 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-183 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.[1]
Service history
editAfter serving in the Atlantic, U-183 sailed from France in July 1943, arriving at Penang on 27 October, and operated in the zone for almost two years. She carried out six war patrols including In March 1944, torpedoing the oil tanker British Loyalty that was anchored in the Addu lagoon in the Maldives. The tanker was damaged but not sunk.[2]
The U-183 was sunk on 23 April 1945, 15 days before Germany's surrender, by the American submarine Besugo (SS-321) in the Java Sea. Only one crew member survived.[3]
In November 2013 the wreck of either this submarine or U-168 has been located.[4]
Wolfpacks
editU-183 took part in three wolfpacks, namely:
- Luchs (4 – 6 October 1942)
- Panther (7 – 11 October 1942)
- Hartherz (3 – 7 February 1943)
Summary of raiding history
edit| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 December 1942 | Empire Dabchick |  United Kingdom
|
6,089 | Sunk |
| 11 March 1943 | Olancho |  Honduras
|
2,493 | Sunk |
| 29 February 1944 | Palma | United Kingdom
|
5,419 | Sunk |
| 9 March 1944 | British Loyalty | United Kingdom
|
6,993 | Total loss |
| 5 June 1944 | Helen Moller | United Kingdom
|
5,259 | Sunk |
References
edit- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, p. 68.
- ^ Kearney, Jonathan (23 September 2020). "Fascinating History of How WWII Brought to the Maldives". maldivestraveller.mv.
- ^ "National Archives Catalog". USS BESUGO - Report of FOURTH War Patrol, 3/24/45 - 5/20/45. pp. 20, 21. Retrieved 19 August 2023.
- ^ "Archaeologists Find Sunken Nazi Sub in Indonesia with 17 Skeletons". Io9.com. 23 April 1945. Retrieved 25 November 2013.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-183". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 26 September 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.
External links
edit- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXD boat U-183". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 183". Deutsche U-Boote 1935–1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 30 January 2015.
- Jedrzejewski, Marcin. "Monsun boats. U-boats in the Indian Ocean and the Far East". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 24 April 2015.