German submarine U-135 (1941)

History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-135
Ordered	7 August 1939
Builder	Bremer Vulkan, Bremen-Vegesack
Yard number	14
Laid down	16 September 1940
Launched	12 June 1941
Commissioned	16 August 1941
Fate	Sunk, 15 July 1943
General characteristics
Class and type	Type VIIC submarine
Displacement	769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced; 871 t (857 long tons) submerged;
Length	67.10 m (220 ft 2 in) o/a ; 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in) pressure hull ;
Beam	6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a; 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull;
Height	9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught	4.72 m (15 ft 6 in)
Installed power	2,800–3,200 PS (2,100–2,400 kW; 2,800–3,200 bhp) (diesels); 750 PS (550 kW; 740 shp) (electric);
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 × diesel engines ; 2 × electric motors ;
Speed	17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced; 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged;
Range	8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced; 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged;
Test depth	230 m (750 ft); Calculated crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft);
Complement	4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
Armament	5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern); 14 × torpedoes ; 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun(220 rounds); 1 × 2 cm Flak 38 gun ;
Service record
Part of:	5th U-boat Flotilla ; 16 August – 1 December 1941; 7th U-boat Flotilla ; 1 December 1941 – 15 July 1943;
Identification codes:	M 00 150
Commanders:	Kptlt. / Oblt.z.S. Friedrich-Hermann Praetorius; 16 August 1941 – November 1942; Oblt.z.S. Heinz Schütt; November 1942 – 3 June 1943; Oblt.z.S. Otto Luther; 4 June – 15 July 1943;
Operations:	7 patrols:; 1st patrol:; 24 December 1941 – 31 January 1942; 2nd patrol:; 22 February – 3 April 1942; 3rd patrol:; 26 April – 5 July 1942; 4th patrol:; 8 August – 3 October 1942; 5th patrol:; 21 November – 26 December 1942; 6th patrol:; 24 January – 10 March 1942; 7th patrol:; 7 June – 15 July 1943;
Victories:	3 merchant ships sunk ; (21,302 GRT); 1 merchant ship damaged ; (4,762 GRT);

Last updated February 05, 2024

German submarine U-135 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

Design

German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-135 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.^[3] She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in), a pressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), a beam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by two MAN M 6 V 40/46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of 2,800 to 3,200 metric horsepower (2,060 to 2,350 kW; 2,760 to 3,160 shp) for use while surfaced, two Brown, Boveri & Cie GG UB 720/8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 metric horsepower (550 kW; 740 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m (4 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 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph).^[3] When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-135 was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.^[3]

Service history

The boat sank three ships totalling 21,302 gross register tons (GRT) and damaged a fourth of 4,762 GRT.

First and second patrols

The submarine's first patrol began with her departure from Kiel on 24 December 1941. Her route took her across the North Sea and into the Atlantic Ocean via the passage between the Orkney and Shetland Islands. As part of wolfpack 'Ziethen',^[4]^[1] she sank Gandia on 22 January 1942 420 nmi (780 km; 480 mi) east of Cape Race, (Newfoundland). She arrived at St. Nazaire in occupied France on the 31st.

Her second foray was northeast of Iceland, but she returned to another port, Brest, on 3 April 1942.

Third and fourth patrols

Her third sortie was her longest, at 71 days. Having departed Brest on 26 April 1942, she sank Fort Qu Appelle on 17 May north of Bermuda. She also sank Pleasantville on 8 June northwest of Bermuda before returning to St. Nazaire on 5 June.

U-135 discovered and shadowed convoy ON 122 during her fourth patrol, and was able to remain on patrol following heavy damage received when attacked with depth charges and Hedgehog by HNoMS Potentilla and HMS Viscount.^[5] The boat was later attacked by a Czech-crewed Vickers Wellington aircraft of No. 311 Squadron RAF on 3 October 1942 in the Bay of Biscay. Only minor damage was sustained, but one man was killed and another died of his wounds.

Fifth and sixth patrols

Her fifth sortie took her across the Atlantic, almost to the coast of Newfoundland.

U-135's sixth patrol was toward Greenland; she was attacked by a British B-24 Liberator of 120 Squadron northeast of Ireland on 8 February 1943. Some damage was repaired, but the boat was forced to return to Lorient on 10 March when further leaks were discovered.

Seventh patrol and loss

For her last patrol, she left Lorient on 7 June 1943. Northeast of the West Indies, she attacked and damaged Twickenham on the 15th. She then moved to the east Atlantic where she was attacked by the sloop HMS Rochester, the corvettes HMS Migonette and Balsam and a US PBY Catalina flying boat of VP-92. U-135 was sunk east of the Canary Islands on 15 July. Five men died, there were 41 survivors.

Wolfpacks

U-135 took part in ten wolfpacks, namely:

Zieten (6 – 20 January 1942)
Westwall (2 – 12 March 1942)
York (12 – 25 March 1942)
Pfadfinder (21 – 27 May 1942)
Lohs (17 August - 20 September 1942)
Panzer (23 November - 11 December 1942)
Raufbold (11 – 19 December 1942)
Pfeil (3 – 8 February 1943)
Neptun (18 – 28 February 1943)
Trutz 2 (22 – 29 June 1943)

Summary of raiding history

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage (GRT)	Fate^[6]
22 January 1942	Gandia	Belgium	9,626	Sunk
17 May 1942	Fort Qu Appelle	United Kingdom	7,127	Sunk
18 June 1942	Pleassantville	Norway	4,549	Sunk
15 July 1943	Twickenham	United Kingdom	4,762	Damaged

Related Research Articles

German submarine U-468 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 1 July 1941 as yard number 299 at the Deutsche Werke yard in Kiel, launched on 16 May 1942 and commissioned on 12 August 1942 under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Klemens Schamong. She sailed on three war patrols and sank only one ship before being sunk by a RNZAF plane on 11 August 1943. The airplane pilot was subsequently awarded the Victoria Cross - the only occasion on which a VC has been awarded solely on the testimony of an enemy combatant.

German submarine U-98 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II, operating from March 1941 until she was sunk in November 1942.

German submarine U-371 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 17 November 1939 in Kiel, launched on 27 January 1941, and commissioned on 15 March under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Heinrich Driver. After training, U-371 was ready for front-line service with the 1st U-boat Flotilla from 1 July 1941.

German submarine U-134 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was laid down on 6 September 1940 by Bremer Vulkan in Bremen-Vegesack as yard number 13 and commissioned on 26 July 1941. In seven patrols, U-134 sank three ships for a total of 12,147 gross register tons (GRT).

German submarine U-625 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 28 July 1941 at the Blohm & Voss yard in Hamburg, launched on 15 April 1942, and commissioned on 4 June 1942 under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Hans Benker.

German submarine U-441 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II, which served for a short time as an anti-aircraft submarine under the designation U-flak 1.

German submarine U-300 was a Type VIIC/41 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

German submarine U-759 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 15 November 1940 at the Kriegsmarinewerft yard at Wilhelmshaven, launched on 30 May 1942, and commissioned on 15 August 1942 under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Rudolf Friedrich.

German submarine U-309 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the German Navy (Kriegsmarine) during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 24 January 1942 at the Flender Werke yard at Lübeck, launched on 5 December 1942, and commissioned on 27 January 1943 under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Hans-Gert Mahrholz. She sailed on nine combat patrols, but damaged only one ship, before being sunk off Scotland on 16 February 1945.

German submarine U-376 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

German submarine U-564 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during the Second World War. The RAF sank her in the Bay of Biscay on 14 June 1943.

German submarine U-751 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. Built as yard number 134 of the Kriegsmarinewerft shipyard in Wilhelmshaven, she was commissioned on 31 January 1941. She served with 7th U-boat Flotilla until 1 June as a training boat, and as an operational boat until 17 July 1942, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Gerhard Bigalk. U-751 served in seven patrols with the 7th U-boat Flotilla, sinking the escort carrier HMS Audacity. The U-boat was attacked with depth charges from aircraft on 17 July 1942 and sank with the loss of all 48 crew members.

German submarine U-752 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during World War II.

German submarine U-1163 was a Type VIIC/41 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

German submarine U-450 was a Type VIIC U-boat in the service of Nazi Germany during World War II.

German submarine U-211 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 29 March 1941 by the Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft yard at Kiel as yard number 640, launched on 15 January 1942 and commissioned on 7 March under the command of Korvettenkapitän Karl Hause.

German submarine U-251 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 18 October 1940 at the Bremer-Vulkan-Vegesacker Werft (yard) in Bremen as yard number 16, launched on 26 July 1941 and commissioned on 20 September under the command of Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Timm.

German submarine U-373 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

German submarine U-378 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

German submarine U-1007 was a Type VIIC/41 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

References

1 2 Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-135". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
1 2 Kemp 1999, p. 131.
1 2 3 4 Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
↑ Gannon, Michael - Operation Drumbeat - the dramatic true story of Germany's first U-boat attacks along the American coast in World War II, 1990, Harper and Row publishers, ISBN 0-06-016155-8, p. 200.
↑ Blair, Clay (1996). Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters 1939-1942. Random House. p. 662&663. ISBN 0-394-58839-8.
↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-135". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 December 2014.

Bibliography

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.
Gannon, Michael (1990). Operation Drumbeat - the dramatic true story of Germany's first U-boat attacks along the American coast in World War II. Harper and Row. pp. 200, 442. ISBN 978-0-06-016155-2.
Kemp, Paul (1999). U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.

External links

Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-135". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
Hofmann, Markus. "U 135". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 26 December 2014.

28°20′N13°17′W / 28.333°N 13.283°W / 28.333; -13.283

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[U-boat-1] 1 2 Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-135". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 December 2014.

[FOOTNOTEKemp1999131-2] 1 2 Kemp 1999, p. 131.

[FOOTNOTEGröner199143–46-3] 1 2 3 4 Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.

[4] Gannon, Michael - Operation Drumbeat - the dramatic true story of Germany's first U-boat attacks along the American coast in World War II, 1990, Harper and Row publishers, ISBN 0-06-016155-8, p. 200.

[5] Blair, Clay (1996). Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters 1939-1942. Random House. p. 662&663. ISBN 0-394-58839-8.

[6] Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-135". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 December 2014.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

v t e German Type VII submarines
Type VIIA	U-27 U-28 U-29 U-30 U-31 U-32 U-33 U-34 U-35 U-36
Type VIIB	U-45 U-46 U-47 U-48 U-49 U-50 U-51 U-52 U-53 U-54 U-55 U-73 U-74 U-75 U-76 U-83 U-84 U-85 U-86 U-87 U-99 U-100 U-101 U-102
Type VIIC	U-69 U-70 U-71 U-72 U-77 U-78 U-79 U-80 U-81 U-82 U-88 U-89 U-90 U-91 U-92 U-93 U-94 U-95 U-96 U-97 U-98 U-132 U-133 U-134 U-135 U-136 U-201 U-202 U-203 U-204 U-205 U-206 U-207 U-208 U-209 U-210 U-211 U-212 U-221 U-222 U-223 U-224 U-225 U-226 U-227 U-228 U-229 U-230 U-231 U-232 U-235 U-236 U-237 U-238 U-239 U-240 U-241 U-242 U-243 U-244 U-245 U-246 U-247 U-248 U-249 U-250 U-251 U-252 U-253 U-254 U-255 U-256 U-257 U-258 U-259 U-260 U-261 U-262 U-263 U-264 U-265 U-266 U-267 U-268 U-269 U-270 U-271 U-272 U-273 U-274 U-275 U-276 U-277 U-278 U-279 U-280 U-281 U-282 U-283 U-284 U-285 U-286 U-287 U-288 U-289 U-290 U-291 U-301 U-302 U-303 U-304 U-305 U-306 U-307 U-308 U-309 U-310 U-311 U-312 U-313 U-314 U-315 U-316 U-331 U-332 U-333 U-334 U-335 U-336 U-337 U-338 U-339 U-340 U-341 U-342 U-343 U-344 U-345 U-346 U-347 U-348 U-349 U-350 U-351 U-352 U-353 U-354 U-355 U-356 U-357 U-358 U-359 U-360 U-361 U-362 U-363 U-364 U-365 U-366 U-367 U-368 U-369 U-370 U-371 U-372 U-373 U-374 U-375 U-376 U-377 U-378 U-379 U-380 U-381 U-382 U-383 U-384 U-385 U-386 U-387 U-388 U-389 U-390 U-391 U-392 U-393 U-394 U-396 U-397 U-398 U-399 U-400 U-401 U-402 U-403 U-404 U-405 U-406 U-407 U-408 U-409 U-410 U-411 U-412 U-413 U-414 U-415 U-416 U-417 U-418 U-419 U-420 U-421 U-422 U-423 U-424 U-425 U-426 U-427 U-428 U-429 U-430 U-431 U-432 U-433 U-434 U-435 U-436 U-437 U-438 U-439 U-440 U-441 U-442 U-443 U-444 U-445 U-446 U-447 U-448 U-449 U-450 U-451 U-452 U-453 U-454 U-455 U-456 U-457 U-458 U-465 U-466 U-467 U-468 U-469 U-470 U-471 U-472 U-473 U-475 U-476 U-477 U-478 U-479 U-480 U-481 U-482 U-483 U-484 U-485 U-486 U-551 U-552 U-553 U-554 U-555 U-556 U-557 U-558 U-559 U-560 U-561 U-562 U-563 U-564 U-565 U-566 U-567 U-568 U-569 U-570 U-571 U-572 U-573 U-574 U-575 U-576 U-577 U-578 U-579 U-580 U-581 U-582 U-583 U-584 U-585 U-586 U-587 U-588 U-589 U-590 U-591 U-592 U-593 U-594 U-595 U-596 U-597 U-598 U-599 U-600 U-601 U-602 U-603 U-604 U-605 U-606 U-607 U-608 U-609 U-610 U-611 U-612 U-613 U-614 U-615 U-616 U-617 U-618 U-619 U-620 U-621 U-622 U-623 U-624 U-625 U-626 U-627 U-628 U-629 U-630 U-631 U-632 U-633 U-634 U-635 U-636 U-637 U-638 U-639 U-640 U-641 U-642 U-643 U-644 U-645 U-646 U-647 U-648 U-649 U-650 U-651 U-652 U-653 U-654 U-655 U-656 U-657 U-658 U-659 U-660 U-661 U-662 U-663 U-664 U-665 U-666 U-667 U-668 U-669 U-670 U-671 U-672 U-673 U-674 U-675 U-676 U-677 U-678 U-679 U-680 U-681 U-682 U-683 U-701 U-702 U-703 U-704 U-705 U-706 U-707 U-708 U-709 U-710 U-711 U-712 U-713 U-714 U-715 U-716 U-717 U-718 U-719 U-720 U-721 U-722 U-731 U-732 U-733 U-734 U-735 U-736 U-737 U-738 U-739 U-740 U-741 U-742 U-743 U-744 U-745 U-746 U-747 U-748 U-749 U-750 U-751 U-752 U-753 U-754 U-755 U-756 U-757 U-758 U-759 U-760 U-761 U-762 U-763 U-764 U-765 U-766 U-767 U-768 U-771 U-772 U-773 U-774 U-775 U-776 U-777 U-778 U-779 U-821 U-822 U-825 U-826 U-901 U-903 U-904 U-905 U-907 U-921 U-922 U-923 U-924 U-925 U-926 U-927 U-928 U-951 U-952 U-953 U-954 U-955 U-956 U-957 U-958 U-959 U-960 U-961 U-962 U-963 U-964 U-965 U-966 U-967 U-968 U-969 U-970 U-971 U-972 U-973 U-974 U-975 U-976 U-977 U-978 U-979 U-980 U-981 U-982 U-983 U-984 U-985 U-986 U-987 U-988 U-989 U-990 U-991 U-992 U-993 U-994 U-1051 U-1052 U-1053 U-1054 U-1055 U-1056 U-1057 U-1058 U-1101 U-1102 U-1131 U-1132 U-1161 U-1162 U-1191 U-1192 U-1193 U-1194 U-1195 U-1196 U-1197 U-1198 U-1199 U-1200 U-1201 U-1202 U-1203 U-1204 U-1205 U-1206 U-1207 U-1208 U-1209 U-1210
Type VIIC/41	U-292 U-293 U-294 U-295 U-296 U-297 U-298 U-299 U-300 U-317 U-318 U-319 U-320 U-321 U-322 U-323 U-324 U-325 U-326 U-327 U-328 U-691 U-827 U-828 U-929 U-930 U-995 U-997 U-998 U-999 U-1000 U-1001 U-1002 U-1003 U-1004 U-1005 U-1006 U-1007 U-1008 U-1009 U-1010 U-1011 U-1013 U-1014 U-1015 U-1016 U-1017 U-1018 U-1019 U-1020 U-1021 U-1022 U-1023 U-1024 U-1025 U-1063 U-1064 U-1065 U-1103 U-1104 U-1105 U-1106 U-1107 U-1108 U-1109 U-1110 U-1163 U-1164 U-1165 U-1166 U-1167 U-1168 U-1169 U-1170 U-1171 U-1172 U-1271 U-1272 U-1273 U-1274 U-1275 U-1276 U-1277 U-1278 U-1279 U-1301 U-1302 U-1303 U-1304 U-1305 U-1306 U-1307 U-1308
Type VIID	U-213 U-214 U-215 U-216 U-217 U-218
Type VIIF	U-1059 U-1060 U-1061 U-1062
Preceded by: Type II Followed by: Type IX List of U-boats of Germany

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in July 1943
Shipwrecks	2 Jul: Hoihow 3 Jul: U-126 , U-628 , LST-429 4 Jul: City of Venice 5 Jul: USS Strong, U-535 6 Jul: USS Helena, Erg , Nagatsuki , Niizuki 7 Jul: U-951 8 Jul: U-232 , U-514 9 Jul: Samuel Heintzelman, U-435 , U-590 10 Jul: USS Maddox, USS Sentinel , Alice F. Palmer 11 Jul: Flutto 12 Jul: HMS California, Duchess of York, U-409 , U-506 , U-561 13 Jul: Acciaio , USS Gwin, Jintsū , Timothy Pickering, U-487 , U-607 14 Jul: I-179 , U-160 15 Jul: U-135 , U-509 , U-759 16 Jul: U-67 17 Jul: Hatsuyuki 19 Jul: U-513 20 Jul: Kiyonami , U-558 , Yūgure 21 Jul: Empire Florizel, U-662 22 Jul: Nisshin 23 Jul: U-527 , U-598 , U-613 24 Jul: U-459 , U-622 25 Jul: Vaterland, Weissesee , Max Gundelach 26 Jul: El Argentino, U-359 27 Jul: Hamburg , I-168 28 Jul: Ariake , Mikazuki , U-159 , U-404 29 Jul: Pietro Micca, U-614 30 Jul: U-43 , U-375 , U-461 , U-462 , U-504 , U-591 31 Jul: U-199 Unknown date: HMS Parthian, Ro-103, Ro-107, U-647 , Sidney
Other incidents	9 Jul: USS Permit 11 Jul: HMS California, Duchess of York 16 Jul: HMS Cleopatra 23 Jul: HMS Newfoundland 25 Jul: Asturias 29 Jul: USS Tuna 30 Jul: USS Grouper Unknown date: Ro-100
1942 1943 1944 June 1943 August 1943

History

Nazi Germany
Name	U-135
Ordered	7 August 1939
Builder	Bremer Vulkan, Bremen-Vegesack
Yard number	14
Laid down	16 September 1940
Launched	12 June 1941^[1]
Commissioned	16 August 1941^[2]
Fate	Sunk, 15 July 1943^[2]
General characteristics
Class and type	Type VIIC submarine
Displacement	769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced 871 t (857 long tons) submerged
Length	67.10 m (220 ft 2 in) o/a 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in) pressure hull
Beam	6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height	9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught	4.72 m (15 ft 6 in)
Installed power	2,800–3,200 PS (2,100–2,400 kW; 2,800–3,200 bhp) (diesels) 750 PS (550 kW; 740 shp) (electric)
Propulsion	2 shafts 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Speed	17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged
Range	8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth	230 m (750 ft) Calculated crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft)
Complement	4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
Armament	5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern) 14 × torpedoes 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun(220 rounds) 1 × 2 cm Flak 38 gun
Service record
Part of:	5th U-boat Flotilla 16 August – 1 December 1941 7th U-boat Flotilla 1 December 1941 – 15 July 1943
Identification codes:	M 00 150
Commanders:	Kptlt. / Oblt.z.S. Friedrich-Hermann Praetorius 16 August 1941 – November 1942 Oblt.z.S. Heinz Schütt November 1942 – 3 June 1943 Oblt.z.S. Otto Luther 4 June – 15 July 1943
Operations:	7 patrols: 1st patrol: 24 December 1941 – 31 January 1942 2nd patrol: 22 February – 3 April 1942 3rd patrol: 26 April – 5 July 1942 4th patrol: 8 August – 3 October 1942 5th patrol: 21 November – 26 December 1942 6th patrol: 24 January – 10 March 1942 7th patrol: 7 June – 15 July 1943
Victories:	3 merchant ships sunk (21,302 GRT) 1 merchant ship damaged (4,762 GRT)