| German submarine U-135 (1941) | |
|---|---|
| Career |  |
| Name: | U-135 |
| Ordered: | 7 August 1939 |
| Builder: | Bremer Vulkan, Bremen-Vegesack |
| Yard number: | 14 |
| Laid down: | 16 September 1940 |
| Launched: | 17 May 1941[1] |
| Commissioned: | 16 August 1941[2] |
| Fate: | Sunk, 15 July 1943[2] |
| General characteristics | |
| Type: | Type VIIC submarine |
| Displacement: |
769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced 871 t (857 long tons) submerged |
| 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: | 4.72 m (15 ft 6 in) |
| Propulsion: |
2 × supercharged Germaniawerft, 6-cylinder, 4-stroke M6V 40/46 diesels totalling 2,800–3,200 hp (2,100–2,400 kW). Max rpm: 470–490 2 × electric motors, totalling 750 shp (560 kW) |
| Speed: |
17.7 knots (20.4 mph; 32.8 km/h) surfaced 7.6 knots (8.7 mph; 14.1 km/h) submerged |
| 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) Calculated crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft) |
| Complement: | 44–52 officers and ratings |
| Armament: |
• 5 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern) • 14 × torpedoes • 1 × C35 88 mm gun/L45 deck gun (220 rounds) • 1 × 20 mm Flak 38 gun |
| Service record | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
5th U-boat Flotilla (16 August 1941–1 December 1941) 7th U-boat Flotilla (1 December 1941–15 July 1943) |
| Commanders: |
Kptlt. Friedrich - Hermann Praetorius August 1941–November 1942) Oblt. Heinz Schütt (November 1942–24 August 1943) Oblt. Otto Luther (1 December–15 July 1943 |
| Operations: |
Seven 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: |
Three commercial ships sunk (21,302 GRT) One ship damaged (4,762 GRT) |
German submarine U-135 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II.
She was laid down at the Vulkan-Vegesackerwerft in Bremen on 16 September 1940 as 'werk' 14, launched on 12 June 1941 and commissioned on 16 August with Oberleutnant Friederich - Hermann Praetorius in command.
U-135 began her service career in training with the 5th U-boat Flotilla, before moving on to the 7th flotilla for operations.
Operational career[]
The boat sank three ships totalling 21,302 GRT and damaged a fourth of 4,762 GRT.
1st and 2nd 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',[3][4] she sank the Gandia on 22 January 1942 420 mi (680 km) 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.
3rd and 4th patrols[]
Her third sortie was her longest, at 71 days. Having departed Brest on 26 April 1942, she sank the Fort Qu Appelle on 17 May north of Bermuda. She also sank the 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.
5th and 6th 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.
7th patrol and loss[]
U-135 under attack on 15 July 1943.
For her last patrol, she left Lorient on 7 June 1943. Northeast of the West Indies, she attacked and damaged the 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.
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 |
References[]
Bibliography[]
- 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 978-0-06016-155-2.
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ Kemp, Paul: U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars, 1999, Arms & Armour, ISBN 1-85409-515-3, p. 131.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kemp, p. 131.
- ↑ 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 0-060161155-8, p. 200.
- ↑ http://uboat.net/boats/u135/htm
- ↑ Blair, Clay (1996). Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunters 1939-1942. Random House. p. 662&663. ISBN 0-394-58839-8.
- ↑ http://uboat.net/boats/successes/u135.html
Coordinates: 28°20′N 13°17′W / 28.333°N 13.283°W
The original article can be found at German submarine U-135 (1941) and the edit history here.