German submarine U-109 (1940)

U-107, a U-boat identical to U-109
Career (Nazi Germany)
Name:	U-109
Ordered:	24 May 1938[1]
Builder:	DeSchiMAG AG Weser, Bremen
Yard number:	972[1]
Laid down:	9 March 1940[1]
Launched:	14 September 1940[1]
Commissioned:	5 December 1940[1]
Fate:	Sunk by aircraft, all crew lost.[2][3]
General characteristics [4][5]
Class and type:	German Type IXB submarine
Displacement:	1,051 t (1,034 long tons) surfaced 1,178 t (1,159 long tons) submerged
Length:	76.5 m (251 ft) o/a 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in) pressure hull
Beam:	6.76 m (22 ft 2 in) overall 4.4 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height:	9.6 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draft:	4.7 m (15 ft 5 in)
Propulsion:	Diesel/Electric 2 × MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged 9 cylinder diesel engines, 4,400 hp (3,300kW) 2 × SSW 2 GU 345/34 double acting electric motors, 1000 hp (740kW)
Speed:	18.2 kn (33.7 km/h; 20.9 mph) surfaced 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph) submerged
Range:	12,000 nmi (22,000 km; 14,000 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 64 nmi (119 km; 74 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth:	230 m (750 ft)
Complement:	48 to 56 officers and ratings
Armament:	6 × 53.3 centimetres (21 in) torpedo tubes: four bow, two stern 22 × torpedoes 1 × 10.5 centimetres (4.13 in) SK C/32 naval gun with 180 rounds various AA guns

Service record
Part of:	Kriegsmarine: 2nd U-boat Flotilla
Commanders:	Hans-Georg Fischer Heinrich Bleichrodt Joachim Schramm
Operations:	Nine
Victories:	12 ships sunk for a total of 86,517 gross register tons (GRT) 1 ship damaged for a total of 6,548 GRT

The German submarine U-109 was a Type IXB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine that operated during World War II. She conducted nine war-patrols, sinking 12 ships and damaging one.^[2] All but one of these successes were during the six patrols she carried out under the command of the U-boat ace, Heinrich Bleichrodt.^[6]

On 4 May 1943, she was sunk with all hands by a B-24 Liberator, operated by 86 Squadron RAF.^[2]

Construction and design

Construction

U-109 was ordered by the Kriegsmarine on 24 May 1938 (as part of Plan Z and in violation of the Treaty of Versailles). Her keel was laid down on 9 March 1940 by DeSchiMAG AG Weser, Bremen as yard number 972. U-109 was launched on 14 September 1940 and commissioned on 5 December under the command of Hans-Georg Fischer.^[2]

Design

Like all Type IXB submarines, U-109 had a total output of 4,400 hp (3,281 kW) on the surface and 1,000 hp (746 kW) while submerged. As a result, she could reach a maximum speed of 18.2 kn (33.7 km/h; 20.9 mph) while surfaced and 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph) submerged. She had a range of 12,000 nmi (22,000 km; 14,000 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) while on the surface and 64 nmi (119 km; 74 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) while submerged. She was equipped with six torpedo tubes (four in the bow, two in the stern) and carried a total of 22 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedoes. The submarine could also be equipped with 44 TMA mines. U-109‍ '​s main deck gun was a 10.5 cm (4.1 in) C/32 deck gun on a Utofmounting with 180 rounds. The last piece of armament that U-109 was equipped with the standard 2 cm FlaK 30 anti-aircraft gun. U-109s complement was 52 men but could carry up to 56 crew members at any given time. After being commissioned and deployed, U-109 was stationed in the German port city of Kiel.^[5]

Service history

U-109 conducted a total of nine war patrols in her career and sank 12 enemy vessels for a total of 79,969 gross register tons (GRT). She also damaged one other of 6,548 GRT.

First patrol

Following training exercises with the 2nd U-boat Flotilla from 5 December 1940 to 30 April 1941, U-109 was transferred to front-line service, still as a member of the 2. Unterseebootsflottille on 1 May. U-109 left Kiel on 6 May. For 24 days, she roamed the North Sea and eventually the North Atlantic in search of Allied convoys heading to Britain. It was here that she claimed her first enemy vessel, the British steam merchantman Harpagus, which was torpedoed and sunk on 24 May, a loss of 5,173 tons. Following this victory, U-109 entered the German occupied port of Lorient in France. This city was to remain her home base for the remainder of her career.^[7]

Second and third patrols

U-109‍ '​s second and third patrols took place without any victories. Her second voyage^[8] began on 28 June 1941 when she left her home port of Lorient. For 51 days, she travelled south past Cape Verde in search of any Allied convoys off the coast of Africa. Having not found any, U-109 returned to Lorient on 17 August.^[9]

Her third patrol was much like her second. Having left Lorient on 5 October 1941, she proceeded to travel north into the North Atlantic. The U-boat travelled as far west as Nova Scotia and as far north as Labrador before heading back, arriving in Lorient on 18 November after spending 45 days at sea and without sinking any vessels.^[10]

Fourth patrol

U-109‍ '​s fourth patrol was much more successful than her last two. The U-boat left Lorient on 27 December 1941 and for 59 days she travelled to the eastern seaboard of the United States in search of Allied shipping as part of Operation Paukenschlag (Drumbeat).^[11] On 23 January 1942, she sank her first enemy vessel when she torpedoed the British merchant vessel, Thirlby. On 1 February, U-109 sank another British vessel, Tacoma Star. These victories were followed by the sinking of the Canadian Montrolite on 5 February and the Panamanian Halcyon on 6 February. Following these victories, U-109 returned to Lorient on 23 February 1942,^[12] she was reported by the BBC to be sunk and the crew taken prisoner.^[13]

Fifth patrol

Her fifth patrol was also eventful. Having left Lorient on 25 March 1942, the U-boat headed to the southern coast of the United States. On 20 April, she sank the British merchant vessel Harpagon. This was followed by the damaging of the British ship La Paz off the coast of Florida on 1 May. Two days later, on 3 May, U-109 torpedoed and sank the Dutch vessel Laertes. She returned to Lorient on 3 June 1942, after 72 days at sea.^[14]

Sixth patrol

Much like her second patrol, U-109‍ '​s sixth foray took place off the coast of Africa. For 81 days, she traveled as far south as the Gold Coast and sank five enemy vessels: the Norwegian Arthur W. Sewall on 7 August; and a further four British vessels, Vimeira on 11 August, Ocean Might on 3 September, Tuscan Star on 6 September and Peterton on 17 September. U-109 then returned to Lorient on 6 October 1942.^[15]

Seventh and eighth patrols

U-109‍ '​s remaining patrols were without any victories. The U-boat left Lorient on 28 November 1942 and traveled south off the northern coast of South America. 57 days later, on 23 January 1943, she returned to Lorient without any victories.^[16]

Her eighth patrol was much the same. The submarine left port on 3 March and travelled as far south as the Azores, circled the island chain and returned to Lorient on 1 April after 30 days at sea and without sighting any enemy vessels.^[17]

Loss

U-109‍ '​s ninth and last war patrol took place from 28 April 1943, when she left Lorient, on 4 May. She was sunk by four depth charges from a RAF Liberator aircraft (89 Squadron) south of Ireland. The aircraft was flying to a rendezvous with an Allied convoy when it detected the boat with its H2S radar, north-east of the Azores. The U-boat was seen to surface before slowly sinking, apparently with enough time for the crew to abandon her, although none were seen to emerge from her hatches. It is assumed that all 52 of her crew went down with her.^[18]

Wolfpacks

U-109 took part in four wolfpacks, namely.

• West (13–23 May 1941)
• Süd (22 July - 5 August 1941)
• Mordbrenner (16 October - 3 November 1941)
• Wohlgemut (12–18 March 1943)

Summary of raiding career

Date	Ship	Nationality	Tonnage	Fate[19]
23 January 1941	Thirlby	United Kingdom	4,877	Sunk
1 February 1941	Tacoma Star	United Kingdom	7,924	Sunk
5 February 1941	Montrolite	Canada	11,309	Sunk
6 February 1941	Halcyon	Panama	3,531	Sunk
20 April 1941	La Paz	United Kingdom	6,548	Damaged
3 May 1941	Laertes	Netherlands	5,825	Sunk
7 August 1941	Arthur W. Sewall	Norway	6,030	Sunk
11 August 1941	Vimeira	United Kingdom	5,728	Sunk
3 September 1941	Ocean Might	United Kingdom	7,173	Sunk
6 September 1941	Tuscan Star	United Kingdom	11,449	Sunk
17 September 1941	Peterton	United Kingdom	5,221	Sunk

References

Bibliography

• Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German) IV (Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler). ISBN 3-8132-0514-2. 
• Gröner, Erich (1985). U-Boote, Hilfskreuzer, Minenschiffe, Netzleger, Sperrbrecher. Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815-1945 (in German) III (Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe). ISBN 3-7637-4802-4. 
• 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 IXB boat U-109". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 2 February 2015. 
• Hofmann, Markus. "U 109". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 2 February 2015. 

German Type IXB submarine U-64 U-65 U-103 U-104 U-105 U-106 U-107 U-108 U-109 U-110 U-111 U-122 U-123 U-124 Preceded by: Type IXA Followed by: Type IXC List of U-boats of Germany

Coordinates: 47°13′N 22°24′W / 47.22°N 22.40°W / 47.22; -22.40