German Type IXB submarine

Last updated
Bundesarchiv Bild 101II-MW-4260-37, Lorient, U-Boote U-123 und U-201 auslaufend.jpg
U-123 and U-201 leaving Lorient on 8 June 1941.
Class overview
OperatorsWar ensign of Germany (1938-1945).svg  Kriegsmarine
Preceded by Type IXA submarine
Succeeded by Type IXC submarine
Built1938–1940
In service1939–1945
In commission1939–1945
Planned14
Completed14
Lost14
General characteristics
Displacement
  • 1,051 t (1,034 long tons) surfaced
  • 1,178 t (1,159 long tons) submerged
Length
  • 76.50 m (251 ft 0 in) overall
  • 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in) pressure hull
Beam
  • 6.76 m (22 ft 2 in) overall
  • 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draft4.70 m (15 ft 5 in)
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

The German Type IXB submarine was a sub-class of the German Type IX submarine built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine between 1938 and 1940. The U-boats themselves were designed to be fairly large ocean-going submarines. The inspiration for the Type IXB submarine came from the earlier original Type IX submarine, the Type IXA submarine. The design of the IXA was developed to give an increased range, a change which resulted in a slightly heavier overall tonnage. This design was improved even further in the later Type IXC submarines.

Contents

The class comprised 14 submarines, U-64, U-65, U-103, U-104, U-105, U-106, U-107, U-108, U-109, U-110, U-111, U-122, U-123, and U-124; thirteen were sunk during the war and the last scuttled by its crew at the end of the war. The Type IXB submarines were the most successful class of submarine in the war in terms of the total amount to tonnage sunk, with each U-boat sinking an average of over 100,000  gross register tons  (GRT) during its career. [1]

Design and construction

Construction

All Type IXB submarines were ordered by the Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine between 16 July 1937 and 8 August 1939 as part of Plan Z and the overall German plan of re-armament in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. The design of the IXB submarines came from the initial Type IX submarines, the Type IXA. All contracts for the construction of the submarines were awarded to DeSchiMAG AG Weser, Bremen. The first U-boat to be laid down in the Bremen ship yards was U-65, whose keel was laid down on 6 December 1938. The last U-boat to be laid down was U-111, whose construction began on 20 February 1940. By the end of 1940, all Type IXB submarines had been fully constructed and commissioned into the Kriegsmarine. [1]

Design

All Type IXB submarines had 1,000 PS (986 shp; 735 kW) while submerged and 4,400 PS (4,340 shp; 3,236 kW) when surfaced. As a result, they could travel at 18.2 knots (33.7 km/h; 20.9 mph) while surfaced and 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph) submerged. The Type IXB submarines had a range of 12,000  nmi (22,000 km; 14,000 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) while on the surface and 64 nmi (119 km; 74 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) while submerged. They had 6 torpedo tubes (4 in the bow, 2 in the stern) and carried a total of 22 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedoes. Unlike the earlier Type IXAs, the Type IXB submarines were equipped with 44 TMA mines as well. The Type IXB submarines were equipped with a 10.5 cm SK C/32 naval gun with 180 rounds on a Utof mount. The last piece of armament that the Type IXB submarines were equipped with were the standard 2 cm (0.79 in) anti-aircraft guns. All Type IXB submarines could hold up to 56 crew members at any given time though that number was usually around 45–48 crew members. After being commissioned and deployed, all of the Type IXB submarines built prior to the fall of France were stationed in the German port city of Wilhelmshaven while those who were commissioned following the capture of numerous French ports during the Battle of France were stationed in Lorient. [2]

List of Type IXB U-boats

The Type IXB class had 14 U-boats, all of which were built by AG Weser of Bremen:

Name(a) Hull builderOrderedLaid downLaunchedCommissionedFate
U-64 AG Weser, Bremen16 July 193715 December 193820 September 193916 December 1939Sunk on 13 April 1940 in the Herjangsfjord near Narvik, Norway. 8 dead and 38 survivors. [3]
U-65 AG Weser, Bremen16 July 19376 December 19386 November 193915 February 1940Sunk on 28 April 1941 in the North Atlantic south-east of Iceland. All hands lost. [4]
U-103 AG Weser, Bremen24 May 19386 September 193912 April 19405 July 1940Scuttled on 3 May 1945 at Kiel. [5]
U-104 AG Weser, Bremen24 May 193810 November 193925 May 194019 August 1940Sunk around 28 November 1940 by mine off Tory Island in British minefield SN 44. [6]
U-105 AG Weser, Bremen24 May 193816 November 193915 June 194010 September 1940Sunk 2 June 1943 near Dakar. All hands lost. [7]
U-106 AG Weser, Bremen24 May 193826 November 193917 June 194024 September 1940Sunk on 2 August 1943 north-west of Cape Ortegal, Spain. 22 dead and 36 survivors. [8]
U-107 AG Weser, Bremen24 May 19386 December 19392 July 19408 October 1940Sunk on 18 August 1944 by depth charges from British aircraft. [9]
U-108 AG Weser, Bremen24 May 193827 December 193915 July 194022 October 1940Sunk on 11 April 1944 at Stettin during a bombing raid. Later raised and scuttled there on 24 April 1945. [10]
U-109 AG Weser, Bremen24 May 19389 March 194014 September 19405 December 1940Sunk on 4 May 1943 south of Ireland by depth charges from British aircraft. All hands lost. [11]
U-110 AG Weser, Bremen24 May 19381 February 194025 August 194021 November 1940Captured on 9 May 1941 in the North Atlantic south of Iceland by the destroyers HMS Bulldog, Broadway and the British corvette HMS Aubrietia. The Royal Navy allowed the U-boat to sink the next day in order to keep the documents captured from her a secret. [12]
U-111 AG Weser, Bremen8 August 193920 February 194015 September 194019 December 1940Sunk on 4 October 1941 south-west of Tenerife by depth charges from a British warship. 8 dead and 44 survivors. [13]
U-122 AG Weser, Bremen15 December 19375 March 193920 December 193930 March 1940Went missing on 22 June 1940. All hands presumed lost. [14]
U-123 AG Weser, Bremen15 December 193715 April 19392 March 194030 May 1940Scuttled at Lorient on 19 August 1944. Raised and later became the French submarine Blaison. [15]
U-124 AG Weser, Bremen15 December 193711 August 19399 March 194011 June 1940Sunk 2 April 1943 west of Oporto by depth charges from the British warships HMS Stonecrop and Black Swan. All hands lost. [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

German submarine <i>U-107</i> (1940) German World War II submarine

German submarine U-107 was a Type IXB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine that operated during World War II. Between January 1941 and August 1944, she sailed on 13 active patrols at a time when a U-boat averaged a lifespan of seven to ten patrols. During that time, U-107 sank 39 Allied ships and damaged four. The U-boat was launched on 2 July 1940, based at the U-boat port of Lorient, with a crew of 53 under the initial command of Günter Hessler. She was later commanded, in order, by Harald Gelhaus, Valker Simmermacher and her final commander, Karl Heinz Fritz.

German submarine <i>U-42</i> (1939) German World War II submarine

German submarine U-42 was a Type IXA U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine that operated during World War II.

German submarine <i>U-131</i> (1941) German World War II submarine

German submarine U-131 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

German submarine <i>U-37</i> (1938) German World War II submarine

German submarine U-37 was a Type IXA U-boat of the German Navy (Kriegsmarine) during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 15 March 1937 at the DeSchiMAG AG Weser yard in Bremen, launched on 14 May 1938, and commissioned on 4 August 1938 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Schuch as part of the 6th U-boat Flotilla.

German submarine <i>U-39</i> (1938) German World War II submarine

German submarine U-39 was a Type IXA U-boat of the Kriegsmarine that operated from 1938 to the first few days of World War II.

German submarine <i>U-40</i> (1938) German submarine sunk by a mine in the English Channel

German submarine U-40 was a Type IXA U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine that operated during World War II.

German submarine <i>U-41</i> (1939) German World War II submarine

The German submarine U-41 was a Type IXA U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine that operated during World War II. She conducted three war patrols during her short career, two as part of the 6th U-boat Flotilla and one as part of the 2nd flotilla. U-41 also sank five enemy vessels for a total of 22,815 gross register tons (GRT); captured two more for a total of 2,073 GRT and damaged one other of 8,096 GRT.

German submarine <i>U-523</i> German World War II submarine

German submarine U-523 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 4 August 1941 at the Deutsche Werft yard in Hamburg as yard number 338. She was launched on 15 April 1942, and commissioned on 25 June under the command of Kapitänleutnant Werner Pietzsch. After training with the 4th U-boat Flotilla in the Baltic Sea, the U-boat was transferred to the 10th flotilla for front-line service on 1 February 1943.

German submarine U-122 was a Type IXB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine that operated during World War II.

German submarine <i>U-44</i> (1939) German World War II submarine

German submarine U-44 was a Type IXA U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine that operated during World War II. She was ordered in November 1936 and laid down in September 1938 in Bremen. She was launched in August 1939 and commissioned in November.

German submarine <i>U-157</i> (1941) German World War II submarine

German submarine U-157 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 21 October 1940 at the DeSchiMAG AG Weser yard in Bremen, launched on 5 June 1941, and commissioned on 15 September under the command of Korvettenkapitän Wolf Henne. After training with the 4th U-boat Flotilla, U-157 was transferred to the 2nd U-boat Flotilla for front-line service on 3 June 1942.

German submarine <i>U-158</i> (1941) German World War II submarine

German submarine U-158 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine built for service during World War II.

German Type IXA submarine German submarine class

The German Type IXA submarine was a sub-class of the German Type IX submarine built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine between 1937 and 1938. These U-boats were designed between 1935 and 1936 and were intended to be fairly large ocean-going submarines. The inspiration for the Type IXA submarine came from the German Type IA submarine, which had a similar diving depth and identical submerged horsepower.

German submarine U-64 was a Type IXB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was ordered by them in July 1937. Her keel was laid down by AG Weser in Bremen in December 1938. Following about nine months of construction, she was launched in September 1939 and formally commissioned into the Kriegsmarine in December.

German submarine <i>U-111</i> (1940) German World War II submarine

German submarine U-111 was a Type IXB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

German submarine U-65 was a Type IXB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. Over the course of six war patrols between 9 April 1940 and 28 April 1941, she sank twelve ships and damaged three others for a total loss of 88,664 gross register tons (GRT).

German submarine <i>U-104</i> (1940) German World War II submarine

German submarine U-104 was a Type IXB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was ordered by the Kriegsmarine on 24 May 1938 as part of the German naval rearmament program Plan Z. Her keel was laid down by DeSchiMAG AG Weser in Bremen in November 1939. Following about six and a half months of construction, she was launched on 25 May 1940 and formally commissioned into the Kriegsmarine on 19 August 1940.

German submarine <i>U-105</i> (1940) German World War II submarine

German submarine U-105 was a Type IXB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine. She was ordered on 24 May 1938 as part of Germany's naval rearmament program. Her keel was laid down in Bremen on 16 November 1938. After roughly seven months of construction, she was launched on 15 June 1940 and formally commissioned into the Kriegsmarine on 10 September 1940.

German submarine <i>U-108</i> (1940) German World War II submarine

German submarine U-108 was a Type IXB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine that operated during World War II. She was laid down at DeSchiMAG AG Weser in Bremen as yard number 971 on 27 December 1938, launched on 15 July 1940 and commissioned on 22 October under Korvettenkapitän Klaus Scholtz.

German submarine U-3006 was a Type XXI U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine, built for service in World War II. She was ordered on 6 November 1943, and was laid down on 12 June 1944 at AG Weser, Bremen, as yard number 1165. She was launched on 25 August 1944, and commissioned under the command of Kapitänleutnant Klaus Popp on 5 October 1944.

References

  1. 1 2 Helgason, Guðmundur. "Type IXB". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  2. ↑ "Type IX U-Boat". German U-boat. Uboataces.com. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
  3. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXB boat U-64". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  4. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXB boat U-65". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  5. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXB boat U-103". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  6. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXB boat U-104". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  7. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXB boat U-105". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 1 June 2010.
  8. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXB boat U-106". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  9. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXB boat U-107". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  10. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXB boat U-108". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  11. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXB boat U-109". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  12. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXB boat U-110". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  13. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXB boat U-111". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  14. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXB boat U-122". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  15. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXB boat U-123". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 June 2010.
  16. ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXB boat U-124". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 June 2010.

Bibliography

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