German submarine U-132 (1941)

For other ships of the same name, see German submarine U-132.

German submarine U-132 (1941)
U-132 returns to La Pallice
Career (Nazi Germany)
Name:	U-132
Ordered:	7 August 1939
Builder:	Vegesacker Werft GmbH, Bremen-Vegesack
Laid down:	10 August 1940
Launched:	10 April 1941
Commissioned:	29 May 1941
Fate:	Sunk, 4 November 1942
General characteristics
Type:	Type VIIC submarine
Displacement:	769 tonnes (757 long tons) ↑ 871 t (857 long tons) ↓
Length:	67.1 m (220 ft 2 in) o/a 50.5 m (165 ft 8 in) pressure hull
Beam:	6.2 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Draft:	4.74 m (15 ft 7 in)
Propulsion:	2 × supercharged MAN 6-cylinder 4-stroke M 6 V 40/46 diesel engines, totalling 2,800–3,200 bhp (2,100–2,400 kW). Max rpm: 470-490 2 × BBC electric motors, totalling 750 shp (560 kW) and max rpm: 296
Speed:	17.7 knots (20.4 mph; 32.8 km/h) ↑ 7.6 knots (8.7 mph; 14.1 km/h) ↓
Range:	8,500 nmi (15,700 km) at 10 kn (19 km/h) ↑ 80 nmi (150 km) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h) ↓
Test depth:	230 m (750 ft) Crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft)
Complement:	44–52 officers & ratings
Armament:	• 5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern) • 14 × G7e torpedoes or 26 TMA mines • 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun (220 rounds) • Various AA guns

Service record
Part of:	3rd U-boat Flotilla (29 May 1941–31 August 1941) 3rd U-boat Flotilla (1 September 1941–4 November 1942)
Commanders:	Oblt. Ernst Vogelsang (29 May 1941–4 November 1942)
Operations:	Four: 1st patrol: 7 September–21 October 1941 2nd patrol: 15 January–8 February 1942 3rd patrol: 10 June 1942–16 August 1942 4th patrol: 6 October–4 November 1942
Victories:	Eight commercial ships sunk (32,964 GRT) One warship sunk (2,216 tons) One ship damaged (6,690 GRT) One ship declared a total loss (4,367)

German submarine U-132 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for the Nazi German Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. She was laid down on 10 August 1940 by Vegesacker Werft, Bremen-Vegesack as 'werk' 11, launched on 10 April 1941 and commissioned on 29 May that year under Oberleutnant Ernst Vogelsang. In four patrols, U-132 sank eight ships for a total of 32,964 gross register tons (GRT). She was a member of three wolfpacks. The submarine was lost after an attack on Convoy SC-107 in November 1942.

Operational career

1st patrol

U-132 departed on her first patrol when she left Trondheim in Norway on 7 September 1941. Rounding the North Cape, she criss-crossed that part of the Barents Sea northwest of Murmansk before heading further east. She sank two Soviet ships, the Argun and the RT-8 Seld on 18 October.

The boat docked in Kirkenes, also in Norway, on 21 October.

2nd patrol

Having moved from Kirkenes back to Trondheim in late October 1941, U-132 commenced her second foray on 15 January 1942. Her route took her due west through the 'gap' between Iceland and the Faroe Islands to a point 10 mi (16 km) west of Reykjavík. Here she sank the United States Coast Guard Cutter Alexander Hamilton on the 29th.

She then moved to the port of La Pallice in occupied France, arriving on 8 February.

3rd patrol

The boat's most successful patrol began when she left La Pallice on 10 June 1942. Having crossed the Atlantic Ocean, she was attacked by the Canadian minesweeper HMCS Drummondville shortly after torpedoing the Dinaric (see below), in the St. Lawrence Seaway. The warship's depth charges damaged the U-boat's ballast pumps and resulted in the loss of 4 m³ of fuel. She sank three ships in short order, the Anastossios Pateras, the Hainaut and the Dinaric, all southeast of Cap Chat, Quebec on 6 July.

Fourteen days later, the submarine attacked the Frederika Lensen near Anticosti Island. The ship was towed to Grand Valée Bay and beached, but with her back broken, she was declared a total loss.

The boat returned to La Pallice on 16 August.

4th patrol and loss

U-132 left La Pallice for the last time on 6 October 1942. Operating southeast of Cape Farewell (Greenland), she was triumphant after sinking the Hobbema and the Empire Lynx, but was sunk, probably by falling debris from the ammunition ship Haitmura when that vessel exploded, following an attack by U-132 and U-442 on 4 November.

47 men died with the U-boat; there were no survivors.

Previously recorded fate

Sunk on 5 November 1942 southeast of Cape Farewell by British aircraft of No. 120 Squadron RAF. This attack was on U-89 and caused severe damage to her.

Summary of Raiding Career

Date	Ship Name	Flag	Tonnage	Fate	Position	Deaths
18 October 1941	Argun	Soviet Union	3,487	Sunk	67°41′N 41°03′E	Unknown
18 October 1941	RT-8 Seld	Soviet Union	608	Sunk	67°03′N 41°11′E	Unknown
29 January 1942	USCGC Alexander Hamilton	United States	2,216	Sunk	64°10′N 22°56′W	32
6 July 1942	Anastassios Pateras	Greece	3,382	Sunk	49°30′N 66°30′W	3
6 July 1942	Dinaric	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland	2,555	Sunk	49°30′N 66°30′W	4
6 July 1942	Hainaut	Belgium	4,312	Sunk	49°13′N 66°49′W	1
20 July 1942	Frederika Lensen	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland	4,367	Total loss	49°22′N 65°12′W	4
30 July 1942	Pacific Pioneer	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland	6,734	Sunk	43°30′N 60°35′W	0
4 November 1942	Empire Lynx	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland	6,379	Sunk	55°20′N 40°01′W	0
4 November 1942	Hatimura*	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland	6,690	Damaged	55°30′N 40°00′W	28
4 November 1942	Hobbema	Netherlands	5,507	Sunk	55°28′N 39°52′W	4

*Credit for sinking this vessel belongs to U-442

References

Notes

Bibliography

• U-132 at uboat.net
• U-132 at ubootwaffe.net

External links

• U-132 at u-boot-archiv.de (German)

See also

• List of German U-boats