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German submarine U-103 (1940)

Coordinates: 54°19′34″N 10°09′50″E / 54.326°N 10.164°E / 54.326; 10.164
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For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-103.

U-103 in 1939. Looking backwards from the conning tower. Note the width of casing of the Type IX compared to the Type VII U-boat
History
Nazi Germany
NameU-103
Ordered24 May 1938
BuilderAG Weser, Bremen
Yard number966
Laid down6 September 1939
Launched12 April 1940
Commissioned5 July 1940
FateScuttled on 3 May 1945 at Kiel
General characteristics
Class and typeType IXB submarine
Displacement
  • 1,051 t (1,034 long tons) surfaced
  • 1,178 t (1,159 long tons) submerged
Length
Beam
  • 6.76 m (22 ft 2 in) o/a
  • 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught4.70 m (15 ft 5 in)
Installed power
  • 4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels)
  • 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 18.2 knots (33.7 km/h; 20.9 mph) surfaced
  • 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph) submerged
Range
  • 12,000 nmi (22,000 km; 14,000 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
  • 64 nmi (119 km; 74 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth230 m (750 ft)
Armament
Service record[1][2]
Part of:
Identification codes: M 04 095
Commanders:
Operations:
  • 11 patrols:
  • 1st patrol:
  • 21 September – 19 October 1940
  • 2nd patrol:
  • 9 November – 12 December 1940
  • 3rd patrol:
  • 21 January – 24 February 1941
  • 4th patrol:
  • 1 April – 12 July 1941
  • 5th patrol:
  • 10 September – 9 November 1941
  • 6th patrol:
  • 3 January – 1 March 1942
  • 7th patrol:
  • 15 April – 22 June 1942
  • 8th patrol:
  • 21 October – 29 December 1942
  • 9th patrol:
  • 7 February – 26 March 1943
  • 10th patrol:
  • a. 24 April – 26 May 1943
  • b. 25 – 26 July 1943
  • 11th patrol:
  • a. 18 – 19 September 1943
  • b. 23 September 1943 – 1 January 1944
  • c. 3 – 7 January 1944
Victories:
  • 46 merchant ships sunk
    (238,944 GRT)
  • 3 merchant ships damaged
    (28,158 GRT)

German submarine U-103 was a Type IXB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine that operated during World War II. She was one of the most successful boats in the entire war, sinking 238,944 gross register tons (GRT) of Allied shipping in 11 patrols, in a career lasting more than four years.

U-103 was laid down on 6 September 1939 at DeSchiMAG AG Weser in Bremen as yard number 966. She was launched on 12 April 1940 and commissioned on 5 July under the command of Korvettenkapitän Victor Schütze. After her warm-up, (designed to give her an opportunity to train and repair minor faults), she was deployed into the North Atlantic in September 1940 and saw overwhelming success, sinking 46 ships and damaging three other vessels.

Design

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Type IXB submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IX submarines, later designated IXA. U-103 had a displacement of 1,051 tonnes (1,034 long tons) when at the surface and 1,178 tonnes (1,159 long tons) while submerged.[3] The U-boat had a total length of 76.50 m (251 ft), 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).[3]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 18.2 knots (33.7 km/h; 20.9 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph).[3] When submerged, the boat could operate for 64 nautical miles (119 km; 74 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 12,000 nautical miles (22,000 km; 14,000 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-103 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.[3]

Service history

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First patrol

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The boat entered the Atlantic via the gap between the Faroe and Shetland Islands. Her first victory was sinking Nina Borthen in mid-ocean on 6 October. After being hit by a torpedo, the ship developed a list, which the crew corrected. Two more torpedoes hit the ship, which also caused a list. Another torpedo hit broke the vessel in two and she sank with all hands.

On 9 October, U-103 sank Zanes Gounaris and damaged Graigwen and Delphin. Delphin sank the next day. She sank Nora on 13 October and Thistlegarth, 45 nmi (83 km; 52 mi) west northwest of Rockall, on 15 October.

U-103 docked at her new base, Lorient on the French Atlantic coast, on 19 October.

Second patrol

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U-103's second patrol began with her being unsuccessfully attacked by the Flower-class corvette HMS Rhododendron northwest of Ireland on 11 November 1940.

She then sank Daydawn and Victoria on 21 November, Glenmoor on the 27th, and Mount Athos and St. Elwyn on the 28th. The attacks continued with Calabria on 8 December and Empire Jaguar the next day.

The submarine returned to Lorient on 12 December.

Third patrol

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On 13 February 1941 Arthur F. Corwin was damaged by U-103, and sunk by U-96 later that day. On 19 February U-103 sank the Norwegian motor ship Benjamin Franklin. The Flower-class corvette HMS Pimpernel rescued seven survivors, and landed them at Liverpool. The Egyptian steamship Memphis rescued 29 of her crew, but on 28 February Memphis suffered engine failure and sank with all hands.

Fourth patrol

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U-103's fourth patrol was off the coast of West Africa. At 103 days, it was her longest patrol. She sank Polyana 41 nmi (76 km; 47 mi) southwest of the Cape Verde Islands on 24 April 1941. The ship sank with all hands in one minute.

U-103 sank Samsø, Wray Castle, Surat and Dunkwa in the first week of May. When Dunkwa sank, U-103's crew saw that there were 39 survivors in one lifeboat. The U-boat crew righted another boat and provided drinking water.

On 25 May, she sank the cargo ship Radames off the coast of Liberia. The sinking of the Radames was filmed, and is often shown on documentaries about the Battle of the Atlantic.

U-103 sank another seven ships off the African coast before returning to Lorient on 12 July.

Fifth patrol

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U-103's fifth patrol was in the North Atlantic. It sank Niceto de Larrinaga, Edward Blyden and Lapwing west of the Canary Islands on 22 September 1941.

Sixth patrol

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The U-boat's sixth patrol was part of Operation Drumbeat, off the Atlantic coast of the USA. She sank W. L. Stead about 90 nmi (170 km; 100 mi) off the Delaware River on 2 February 1942. The torpedo hit set the ship on fire but wave action soon extinguished it. Using her deck gun, U-103 fired 83 rounds, scoring 17 hits and reigniting the fire. She fired a further two torpedoes. The second missed, but the third detonated the tanker's cargo, sending flames 500 ft (150 m) into the air.

U-103 also sank San Gil on 4 February, and both India Arrow and China Arrow the next day.

Seventh patrol

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U-103 began her seventh patrol by leaving Lorient on 15 April 1942. She sank Stanbank northeast of Bermuda on 5 May. She continued to the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico, where she sank another eight merchant ships that month. U-103 returned to Lorient on 22 June.

Eighth patrol

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U-103 sank Tasmania north of Madeira on 31 October 1942, and Henry Stanley in mid-Atlantic northwest of the Azores on 6 December. She captured Henry Stanley's Master. He was eventually sent to the Milag Nord internment camp for merchant seamen.

U-103 also damaged Horata north of the Azores on 13 December.

Ninth and tenth patrols

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On her ninth patrol U-103 sank no ships. She searched the Atlantic off Spain as far west as the Azores and as far south as Morocco, but found no convoys. Having left Lorient on 7 February 1943, she returned there on 26 March.

On U-103'S tenth patrol, on 27 April a Vickers Wellington of No. 172 Squadron RAF equipped with a Leigh Light attacked her. The aircraft found the U-boat with its radar, and dropped six depth charges, but caused no damage. A Whitley bomber of No. 10 OTU (Operational Training Unit) attacked U-103 on 22 May. U-103 returned fire, preventing the aircraft from dropping its depth charges. Plane and submarine both returned safely to their bases.

11th patrol

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U-103's last operational patrol was officially divided into two parts; the first of which saw her arrive in Brest in France only two days after her departure from Lorient. She then returned to the west African coast but without repeating her earlier success. She sailed to Norway via a reverse in the course of her first patrol and arrived at Bergen on 1 January 1944.

Fate

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U-103 left Bergen on 3 January 1944 and reached Kiel on the 7th. In March she was taken out of service and used as a Schulboot (training boat). She went from Gotenhafen to Hamburg in January 1945, and in April from Hamburg back to Kiel. On 3 May 1945 she was scuttled at Kiel.

Wolfpacks

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U-103 took part in nine wolfpacks, namely:

  • Störtebecker (5 – 7 November 1941)
  • Streitaxt (29 October – 2 November 1942)
  • Schlagetot (9 – 21 November 1942)
  • Westwall (21 November – 16 December 1942)
  • Robbe (16 February – 12 March 1943)
  • Wohlgemut (12 – 19 March 1943)
  • Amsel 4 (4 – 6 May 1943)
  • Rhein (7 – 10 May 1943)
  • Elbe 2 (10 – 14 May 1943)

Summary of raiding history

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Date Ship Nationality Tonnage[Note 1] Fate[4]
6 October 1940 Nina Borthen  Norway 6,123 Sunk
9 October 1940 Delphin  Greece 3,816 Sunk
9 October 1940 Graigwen  United Kingdom 3,697 Damaged
9 October 1940 Zannes Gounaris  Greece 4,407 Sunk
13 October 1940 Nora  Estonia 1,186 Sunk
15 October 1940 Thislegarth  United Kingdom 4,747 Sunk
21 November 1940 Daydawn  United Kingdom 4,768 Sunk
21 November 1940 Victoria  Greece 6,085 Sunk
27 November 1940 Glenmoor  United Kingdom 4,393 Sunk
28 November 1940 Mount Athos  Greece 3,578 Sunk
28 November 1940 St. Elwyn  United Kingdom 4,940 Sunk
8 December 1940 Calabria  United Kingdom 9,515 Sunk
9 December 1940 Empire Jaguar  United Kingdom 5,186 Sunk
13 February 1941 Arthur F. Corwin  United Kingdom 10,516 Damaged
17 February 1941 Edwy R. Brown  United Kingdom 10,455 Sunk
18 February 1941 Seaforth  United Kingdom 5,459 Sunk
19 February 1941 Benjamin Franklin  Norway 7,034 Sunk
25 April 1941 Polyana  Norway 2,267 Sunk
1 May 1941 Samsø  United Kingdom 1,494 Sunk
3 May 1941 Wray Castle  United Kingdom 4,253 Sunk
6 May 1941 Dunkwa  United Kingdom 4,752 Sunk
6 May 1941 Surat  United Kingdom 5,529 Sunk
9 May 1941 City of Winchester  United Kingdom 7,120 Sunk
11 May 1941 City of Shanghai  United Kingdom 5,828 Sunk
22 May 1941 British Grenadier  United Kingdom 6,857 Sunk
24 May 1941 Marionga  Greece 4,236 Sunk
25 May 1941 Radames  Egypt 3,575 Sunk
25 May 1941 Wangi Wangi  Netherlands 7,789 Sunk
8 June 1941 Elmdene  United Kingdom 4,853 Sunk
29 June 1941 Erani  Italy 6,619 Sunk
22 September 1941 Edward Blyden  United Kingdom 5,003 Sunk
22 September 1941 Niceto de Larringa  United Kingdom 5,591 Sunk
26 September 1941 Lapwing  United Kingdom 1,348 Sunk
2 February 1942 W. L. Steed  United States 6,182 Sunk
4 February 1942 India Arrow  United States 8,327 Sunk
4 February 1942 San Gil  United States 3,627 Sunk
5 February 1942 China Arrow  United States 8,403 Sunk
5 February 1942 Stanbank  United States 5,966 Sunk
17 May 1942 Ruth Lykes  United States 2,612 Sunk
19 May 1942 Ogontz  United States 5,037 Sunk
21 May 1942 Clare  United States 3,372 Sunk
21 May 1942 Elizabeth  United States 4,727 Sunk
23 May 1942 Samuel Q. Brown  United States 6,625 Sunk
24 May 1942 Hector  Netherlands 1,828 Sunk
26 May 1942 Alcoa Carrier  United States 5,588 Sunk
28 May 1942 New Jersey  United States 6,414 Sunk
31 October 1942 Tasmania  United Kingdom 6,405 Sunk
6 December 1942 Henry Stanley  United Kingdom 5,025 Sunk
13 December 1942 Horata  United Kingdom 13,945 Damaged

See also

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.

Citations

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  1. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "German U-boats of WWII: U-103". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
  2. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "U-boat patrols: War Patrols by U-64". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 25 December 2010.
  3. ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, p. 68.
  4. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-103". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 3 October 2014.

Bibliography

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  • 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.
  • Edwards, Bernard (1996). Dönitz and the Wolfpacks – The U-boats at War. Cassell Military Classics. pp. 119, 125. ISBN 0-304-35203-9.
  • Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). German Warships 1815–1945, U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
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54°19′34″N 10°09′50″E / 54.326°N 10.164°E / 54.326; 10.164

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