German submarine U-155 (1941) facts for kids
U-505, a typical Type IXC boat
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Quick facts for kids History |
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 Nazi Germany |
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| Name | U-155 |
| Ordered | 25 September 1939 |
| Builder | DeSchiMAG AG Weser, Bremen |
| Yard number | 997 |
| Laid down | 1 October 1940 |
| Launched | 12 May 1941 |
| Commissioned | 23 August 1941 |
| Fate |
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| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type IXC submarine |
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| Beam |
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| Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) |
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| Propulsion |
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| Range |
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| Test depth | 230 m (750 ft) |
| Complement | 4 officers, 44 enlisted48 to 56 |
| Armament |
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| Service record | |
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| Identification codes: | M 01 188 |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: |
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The German submarine U-155 was a special type of U-boat called a Type IXC. It was built for Nazi Germany's navy, the Kriegsmarine, to be used during World War II. The submarine was built in Bremen and was ready for action on August 23, 1941. Its first commander was Kapitänleutnant Adolf Piening. Later, other commanders took charge, including Johannes Rudolph and Ludwig von Friedeburg, who was only 20 years old.
U-155 went on ten missions, called patrols. During these patrols, it sank 25 merchant ships and one warship. It also damaged another ship. The submarine was part of a group of U-boats called a wolfpack, which hunted ships together.
Contents
Submarine Design and Features
German Type IXC submarines like U-155 were larger than earlier models. When on the surface, U-155 weighed about 1,120 tons. When it was underwater, it weighed 1,232 tons.
Size and Shape
The submarine was about 76.76 meters (251 feet) long overall. Its main strong hull, called the pressure hull, was 58.75 meters (192 feet) long. The widest part of the submarine, its beam, was 6.76 meters (22 feet). It stood 9.60 meters (31 feet) tall and sat 4.70 meters (15 feet) deep in the water.
Power and Speed
U-155 had two powerful diesel engines for moving on the surface. These engines produced 4,400 horsepower. When underwater, it used two electric motors that made 1,000 horsepower. It had two propellers to push it through the water.
The submarine could travel up to 18.3 knots (about 21 miles per hour) on the surface. Underwater, it was slower, reaching 7.3 knots (about 8.4 miles per hour). It could dive safely to a depth of 230 meters (750 feet).
Weapons and Crew
U-155 was well-armed. It had six torpedo tubes, which are like underwater cannons that fire torpedoes. Four tubes were at the front and two were at the back. It carried 22 torpedoes in total.
For fighting on the surface, it had a large 10.5 cm deck gun with 180 rounds. It also had anti-aircraft guns to defend against planes: a 3.7 cm gun and a twin 2 cm gun. The submarine usually had a crew of about 48 to 56 people.
Missions and Adventures
U-155 completed ten patrols during the war. These missions took it to different parts of the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.
First Patrol: Early Success
The submarine began its first patrol on February 7, 1942, from Kiel, Germany. It traveled through the North Sea and into the Atlantic. Near Greenland, it sank two ships, Sama and Adellen. Then, it moved to the US east coast. On March 7, it sank the ship Arabutan off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. Sadly, during this patrol, an officer was washed overboard. The submarine returned to Lorient, France, on March 27.
Second Patrol: Caribbean Action
U-155 left Lorient on April 24, 1942. It headed to the eastern Caribbean Sea. On May 14, it attacked and sank the ship Brabant near Grenada. It sank six more ships during this patrol. One ship, Sylvan Arrow, was hit by a torpedo but didn't sink until days later after a rescue attempt failed. The submarine finished this patrol on June 14.
Third Patrol: Most Successful Mission
The third patrol, starting on July 9, was U-155's most successful. It operated in similar waters to its second mission. It sank Barbacena near Barbados with torpedoes. Other ships, like Piave, were sunk using the deck gun to save torpedoes. One ship, Cranford, sank very quickly. Its cargo included chrome ore. The U-boat crew even treated two injured survivors from Cranford.
During this patrol, the submarine's commander, Piening, apologized to the chief officer of a British ship he sank, Empire Arnold. He said he wished the war was over, and the officer agreed. In total, the submarine sank ten ships on this patrol.
Fourth Patrol: Big Hits
On November 15, 1942, during its fourth patrol, U-155 made some major hits. With just one group of four torpedoes, it damaged a US Navy cargo ship, USS Almaack. It also sank the British escort carrier HMS Avenger and the troop transport Ettrick near Gibraltar. Only 12 people survived from the 526 on Avenger. The submarine also sank Serroskerk in the middle of the Atlantic, with no survivors.
Fifth Patrol: Florida Waters
U-155's fifth mission took it to the western Caribbean and southern Florida, USA. On April 2, 1943, it sank Lysefjord near Havana. The next day, it sank the oil tanker Gulfstate off Florida. Years later, in 2013, the sunken Gulfstate was found to be a possible source of oil pollution. On its way back, U-155 was attacked by an unknown aircraft.
Sixth Patrol: Air Attacks
To protect itself from planes, U-155 joined other U-boats in the Bay of Biscay. On June 14, four de Havilland Mosquito aircraft attacked the group. One Mosquito plane was hit and had to return to base. Five crew members on U-155 were wounded and treated by a doctor from another U-boat.
Later Patrols and Final Days
The seventh and ninth patrols were long but did not find any targets. On the eighth patrol, near Brazil, U-155 sank Siranger and took a wounded crew member prisoner. He was later sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.
On its ninth patrol, U-155 shot down a North American P-51 Mustang aircraft on May 4, 1944. Later, on June 23, other Mosquito planes attacked, killing two crew members and wounding seven others.
The tenth and final patrol for U-155 started on September 9, 1944. It was the last U-boat to leave the Lorient base. This patrol was quiet, and the submarine returned to Germany, docking at Flensburg on October 21.
The End of U-155
After Germany surrendered in World War II, U-155 was moved to Loch Ryan, Scotland, on June 22, 1945. It was part of Operation Deadlight, where captured German U-boats were sunk. U-155 was sunk on December 21, 1945.
In 2001, a team of divers found the wreck of U-155. It was lying upright on the seabed, mostly in one piece, at a depth of 73 meters (240 feet). Years later, in 1995, the crew of U-155 held their 25th reunion. Even one of the Mosquito pilots who attacked the submarine in 1944 attended.
Summary of Ships Sunk or Damaged
| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate |
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| 22 February 1942 | Adellen |  United Kingdom |
7,984 | Sunk |
| 22 February 1942 | Sama |  Norway |
1,799 | Sunk |
| 7 March 1942 | Arabutan |  Brazil |
7,874 | Sunk |
| 14 May 1942 | Brabant |  Belgium |
2,483 | Sunk |
| 17 May 1942 | Challenger |  United States |
7,667 | Sunk |
| 17 May 1942 | San Victorio | United Kingdom |
8,136 | Sunk |
| 20 May 1942 | Sylvan Arrow |  Panama |
7,797 | Sunk |
| 23 May 1942 | Watsonville | Panama |
2,220 | Sunk |
| 28 May 1942 | Poseidon |  Netherlands |
1,928 | Sunk |
| 30 May 1942 | Baghdad | Norway |
2,161 | Sunk |
| 28 July 1942 | Barbacena | Brazil |
4,772 | Sunk |
| 28 July 1942 | Piave | Brazil |
2,347 | Sunk |
| 28 July 1942 | Bill | Norway |
2,445 | Sunk |
| 30 July 1942 | Cranford | United States |
6,096 | Sunk |
| 1 August 1942 | Clan Macnaughton | United Kingdom |
6,088 | Sunk |
| 1 August 1942 | Kentaur | Netherlands |
5,878 | Sunk |
| 4 August 1942 | Empire Arnold | United Kingdom |
7,045 | Sunk |
| 5 August 1942 | Draco | Netherlands |
389 | Sunk |
| 9 August 1942 | San Emiliano | United Kingdom |
8,071 | Sunk |
| 10 August 1942 | Strabo | Netherlands |
383 | Sunk |
| 15 November 1942 | Ettrick | United Kingdom |
11,279 | Sunk |
| 15 November 1942 | HMS Avenger |  Royal Navy |
13,785 | Sunk |
| 15 November 1942 | USS Almaack | United States Navy |
6,736 | Damaged |
| 6 December 1942 | Serooskerk | Netherlands |
8,456 | Sunk |
| 2 April 1943 | Lysefjord | Norway |
1,091 | Sunk |
| 3 April 1943 | Gulfstate | United States |
6,882 | Sunk |
| 24 October 1943 | Siranger | Norway |
5,393 | Sunk |
See also
