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36-401: German Type IXC/40 submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXCs . U-168 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. 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),

72-541: A 5-inch (127 mm)/25 caliber gun, and some were equipped with two 5-inch guns. The cruiser submarines USS  Argonaut , Narwhal and Nautilus were each fitted with two 6"/53 caliber guns Mark 18 (152 mm) as built in the 1920s, the largest deck gun to be fitted on any United States submarine. In the Royal Navy , the Amphion -class submarine HMS  Andrew was the last British submarine to be fitted with

108-401: A deck gun necessarily revealed a submarine's position, whereas a torpedo could be used either under water or effectively at night). In addition, submarines carried many more gun rounds than torpedoes - ten or fewer during World War I, fired in spreads of multiple warheads to increase the likelihood of a successful hit. An example of this approach was Lothar von Arnauld de la Perière , who used

144-473: A deck gun or a dynamiting team on 171 of his 194 sinkings. The Royal Navy tried an innovative approach in World War I with its three M-class submarines , which mounted a single 12 inch (305 mm)/40 caliber naval gun intended to be fired while the submarine was at periscope depth with the muzzle of the gun above water, principally in a shore bombardment role. This design was found unworkable in trials because

180-553: 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 metric horsepower (740 kW; 990 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.92 m (6 ft) propellers . The boat

216-528: A large ocean-going submarine for sustained operations far from the home support facilities. Type IX boats were briefly used for patrols off the eastern United States in an attempt to disrupt the stream of troops and supplies bound for Europe. It was derived from the Type IA , and appeared in various sub-types. Type IXs had six torpedo tubes ; four at the bow and two at the stern. They carried six reloads internally and had five external torpedo containers (three at

252-503: A maximum of 155 mm (6.1 inches). In the early part of World War II , German submarine commanders favored the deck gun for similar reasons as their World War I counterparts; the limited number of torpedoes that could be carried, the unreliability of torpedoes, and because their boats could only travel submerged at slow speed for short distances. The deck gun became less effective as convoys became larger and better equipped, and merchant ships were armed. Surfacing also became dangerous in

288-541: A purpose-built indoor berth. DeSchiMAG AG Weser and Seebeckwerft of Bremen, and Deutsche Werft of Hamburg built 54 Type IXC submarines. Only four survived the war, one of which is preserved in the US. Type IXC/40 was an improved Type IXC with slightly increased range and surfaced speed. The remains of U-534 are on display at Woodside Ferry Terminal, Birkenhead . DeSchiMAG AG Weser and Seebeckwerft of Bremen, and Deutsche Werft of Hamburg, built 87 of this type. Type IXD

324-403: A shield; however, a few larger submarines placed these guns in a turret . The main deck gun was a dual-purpose weapon used to sink merchant shipping or shell shore targets, or defend the submarine on the surface from enemy aircraft and warships. Typically a crew of three operated the gun, while others were tasked with supplying ammunition. A small locker box held a few 'ready-use' rounds. With

360-485: A well-drilled, experienced crew, the rate of fire of a deck gun could be 15 to 18 aimed shots per minute. Some submarines also had additional deck guns like auto-cannons and machine guns for anti-aircraft defense. While similar unenclosed guns are often found on surface warships as secondary or defensive armament (such as the US Navy's 5-inch (127 mm)/25 caliber gun which was removed from battleships to mount on submarines),

396-421: The 8.8 cm (3.5 in) SK C/35 (not to be confused with 8.8 cm Flak ) and the 10.5 cm (4.1 in) SK C/32 . The 88 mm had ammunition that weighed about 30 lb (14 kg) and was of the projectile and cartridge type. It had the same controls on both sides of the gun so that the two crewmen that were in charge of firing it could control the gun from either side. The 105 mm evolved from

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432-848: The Bay of Biscay were equipped with enhanced anti-aircraft guns (at the trade-off of reduced torpedo loadouts), being known as "U-Flak" boats to be deployed as service escorts for regular U-boats. After the Royal Air Force modified their anti-submarine tactics which made it too dangerous for a submarine to stay on the surface to fight, the U-Flaks were converted back to standard U-boat armament configuration. Japanese submarine cruisers used 14 cm/40 11th Year Type naval guns to shell California , British Columbia and Oregon during World War II. Two notable deck guns from German U-boats used in World War II were

468-714: The Kattegat and Skaggerak , along the coast of Norway, through the 'gap' between Iceland and the Faroe Islands and into the Atlantic Ocean south and southwest of Greenland . She arrived at Lorient in occupied France on 18 May. The boat then moved into the Indian Ocean , sinking the British steam merchant ship SS Haiching 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) west southwest of Bombay (now Mumbai), on 2 October 1943. She

504-574: The U-168 gave local Japanese units its precise departure and arrival times, intended course and speed. This was subsequently decrypted and included in a FRUMEL report on 5 October 1944. With little time, the Free Dutch Forces submarine HNLMS  Zwaardvisch , under the command of Lieutenant Commander H Goosens, was ordered to intercept. Shortly after sunrise on 6 October, while in the Java Sea , U-168

540-629: The 14th. One of the projectiles malfunctioned, but the other two were sufficiently destructive to send the ship to the bottom. The following day she sank a Greek ship, Epaminondas C. Embiricos about 130 nautical miles (240 km; 150 mi) north of Addu Atoll in the Maldives . The Master and the Chief Engineer were both taken prisoner and handed over to the Japanese. The former's captivity prevented disciplinary action being taken over why he had ordered

576-573: The 88 mm in the sense that it was more accurate and had more power due to the 51 lb (23 kg) ammunition it fired. In the US Navy , deck guns were used through the end of World War II, with a few still equipped in the early 1950s. Many targets in the Pacific War were sampans or other small vessels that were not worth a torpedo. The unreliability of the Mark 14 torpedo through mid-1943 also promoted

612-510: The Japanese, complaining that they never started anti-submarine air searches before 11:00. Pich later informed the Dutch commander that his submarine was hit three times though only one torpedo exploded. U-168 is not believed to have made any defensive maneuvers in the action, thus it is likely that the Germans were sunk without realizing they were under attack until the torpedoes hit. The Kriegsmarine

648-435: The boat though it is pointed out that alternatively it could be the wreck of U-183 . Sharpe, Peter (1998). U-Boat Fact File. Great Britain: Midland Publishing. ISBN   1-85780-072-9 . 6°12′S 111°17′E  /  06.20°S 111.28°E  / -06.20; 111.28 German Type IX submarine#Type IXC The Type IX U-boat was designed by Nazi Germany 's Kriegsmarine in 1935 and 1936 as

684-560: The boats with two tower scopes. As mine-layers they could carry 44 TMA or 66 TMB mines, though the 35 boats of U-162 through U-170 and U-505 through U-550 were not fitted for mine operations. The only U-boat sunk in the Gulf of Mexico , U-166 , was a Type IXC. U-505 survives at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago , and was completely renovated after being moved in 2004 to

720-425: The class and had a range of 23,700 nautical miles (43,900 km; 27,300 mi). The IXD/42, was almost identical but with more engine power (5,400 hp (4,000 kW; 5,500 PS) instead of 4,400 hp (3,300 kW; 4,500 PS)). In 1943 and 1944 the torpedo tubes were removed from a number of IXD boats converted for transport use. In their new role they could transport 252 tonnes of cargo. The range

756-422: The command of Günter Hessler , which had the most successful single mission of the war ever with close to 100,000  GRT sunk. DeSchiMAG AG Weser of Bremen built 14 Type IXB U-boats. Thirteen were sunk in the course of the war. The Type IXC was a further refinement of the class with storage for an additional 43 tonnes of fuel, increasing the boat's range. This series omitted the control room periscope leaving

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792-470: The stern and two at the bow) which stored ten additional torpedoes. The total of 22 torpedoes allowed U-boat commanders to follow a convoy and strike night after night. Some of the IXC boats were fitted for mine operations; as mine-layers they could carry 44 TMA or 60 TMB mines . Secondary armament was provided by one 10.5 cm (4.1 in) deck gun with 180 rounds. Anti-aircraft armament differed throughout

828-596: The submarine was required to surface to reload the gun, and problems arose when variable amounts of water entered the barrel prior to firing. The French submarine Surcouf was launched in 1929 with two 203 mm/50 Modèle 1924 guns in a turret forward of the conning tower . These were the second largest guns carried by any submarine after the British HMS ; M1 during the Second World War . The London Naval Treaty of 1930 restricted submarine guns to

864-551: The term "deck gun" normally refers only to such weapons when mounted on submarines. The deck gun was introduced in all submarine forces prior to World War I . However, it came to the fore in the German navy, and proved its worth when U-boats needed to conserve torpedoes or attack enemy vessels straggling behind a convoy . Submarine captains often considered the deck gun as their main weapon, using much more expensive but not always accurate torpedoes only when necessary or advisable (as

900-624: The undamaged ship to be abandoned and why the vessel was stationary for two hours, despite standing orders to the contrary. U-168 also damaged the Norwegian Fenris with her last torpedo on the 21st west of the Maldives, but had no ammunition left for her deck gun to finish the ship off which continued to Bombay under her own power. The boat returned to Batavia (now Jakarta) on 24 March. The submarine left Batavia on 5 October 1944. According to normal procedures to safeguard friendly submarines

936-518: The use of the deck gun. Most US submarines started the war with a single 3-inch (76 mm)/50 caliber deck gun, adopted in the 1930s to discourage commanders from engaging heavily armed escorts. However, the aging S-boats were equipped with a 4-inch (102 mm)/50 caliber gun, which was often used to re-equip 3-inch-gunned submarines as the S-boats were transferred to training duties beginning in mid-1942. By 1944 most front-line submarines had been refitted with

972-465: The vicinity of a convoy because of improvements in radar and direction finding. (See Defensively equipped merchant ships (DEMS) and United States Navy Armed Guard ). German U-boat deck guns were eventually removed on the order of the supreme commander of the U-boat Arm ( BdU ) during World War II, and those deck guns that remained were no longer manned. For a few months in 1943, some U-boats operating in

1008-455: The war. They had two periscopes in the tower. Types IXA and IXB had an additional periscope in the control room, which was removed in Type IXC and afterward. These long range boats were frequently equipped with Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 rotor kite towed rotary-wing aircraft. DeSchiMAG AG Weser of Bremen built eight Type IXA U-boats. Type IXB was an improved model with an increased range. It

1044-498: Was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft). 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). 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-168

1080-458: Was convinced that the sinking of U-168 was the result of "loose talk" due to the crew who brought their Indonesian girlfriends aboard for a goodbye party. They also assumed that the exact position of U-168 was discovered by the Allies long before the engagement, though Dutch reports suggest that they encountered the Germans simply by chance. In late-2013 divers found what is believed the wreck of

1116-421: Was extended to 31,500 nautical miles (58,300 km; 36,200 mi). DeSchiMAG AG Weser of Bremen built 30 Type IXD U-boats. Several Type IXD/42 U-boats were contracted to be built by DeSchiMAG AG Weser of Bremen, but only two were commissioned. They were: Deck gun A deck gun is a type of naval artillery mounted on the deck of a submarine . Most submarine deck guns were open, with or without

German submarine U-168 - Misplaced Pages Continue

1152-613: 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. U-168 conducted four patrols, sinking three ships totalling 8,008  gross register tons  (GRT) and damaging one other grossing 9,804  GRT . U-168 ' s first patrol commenced with her departure from Kiel on 3 March 1943. Her route took her through

1188-519: Was significantly longer and heavier than the IXC/40. It was faster than the IXC but at the cost of slightly reduced maneuverability. It had three pairs of Daimler Benz diesels: two pairs for cruise and one for high speed or battery recharge. There were three variants: the IXD1, IXD2 and IXD/42. The IXD1 had unreliable engines and they were later converted for use in surface transport vessels. The IXD2 comprised most of

1224-584: Was spotted on steady easterly course and fired upon by a spread of six torpedoes. The torpedoes were spotted mere seconds before impact, being struck by two. One hit the U-168 ' s pressure hull but failed to detonate. The second hit the forward torpedo room and exploded. Attempts to stem the flooding failed and the U-168 sank rapidly. The attack killed 23 men, with a further 27 being captured including Pich. In his interrogation, unaware of Allied code-breaking and signals intelligence, Pich could not explain why he'd been caught unaware with one of his crewmen blaming

1260-468: Was the most successful version overall with each boat averaging a total of over 100,000  GRT sunk. Notable IXB boats included U-123 commanded by Reinhard Hardegen , which opened up the attack in the US waters in early 1942 known as Operation Drumbeat , U-156 , which was bombed by a US aircraft while flying a Red Cross -flag and rescuing survivors of a torpedoed ship ( Laconia incident ), and U-107 operating off Freetown, Sierra Leone under

1296-519: Was unsuccessfully attacked by a Catalina flying boat of No. 413 Squadron RCAF on 3 November. Four 250 lb depth charges were dropped. The patrol terminated in Penang , Malaya (now Malaysia) on 11 November. The submarine began her third and what would turn out to be her most successful patrol when she departed Penang on 7 February 1944. She fired three torpedoes at the British salvage vessel HMS  Salviking south of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) on

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