German submarine U-119 (1942)
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-119 |
| Ordered: | 7 August 1939 |
| Builder: | Germaniawerft, Kiel |
| Yard number: | 624 |
| Laid down: | 15 May 1940 |
| Launched: | 6 January 1942[1] |
| Commissioned: | 2 April 1942[1] |
| Fate: | Sunk on 24 June 1943[1] by a British warship |
| General characteristics [2] | |
| Class and type: | Submarine minelayer |
| Displacement: | 1,763 tonnes (1,735 long tons) surfaced 2,177 tonnes (2,143 long tons) submerged |
| Length: | 89.80 m (294 ft 7 in) o/a 70.90 m (232 ft 7 in) pressure hull |
| Beam: | 9.20 m (30 ft 2 in) o/a 4.75 m (15 ft 7 in) pressure hull |
| Height: | 10.20 m (33 ft 6 in) |
| Draught: | 4.71 m (15 ft 5 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × supercharged GW F 46 a 9 pu 9 cylinder, four-stroke diesel engines, 4,800 bhp (3,600 kW) 2 × AEG GU 720/8-287 electric motors, 1,100 hp (820 kW) |
| Speed: | 16.4–17 knots (30.4–31.5 km/h; 18.9–19.6 mph) surfaced 7 knots (13 km/h; 8.1 mph) submerged |
| Range: | 18,450 nautical miles (34,170 km; 21,230 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 93 nmi (172 km; 107 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged |
| Test depth: | Calculated crush depth: 220 m (720 ft) |
| Complement: | 5 officers, 47 enlisted |
| Armament: |
|
| Service record[3][4] | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
2nd U-boat Flotilla (26 July 1941–31 January 1942) 1st U-boat Flotilla (1 February 1942–6 October 1942) |
| Commanders: |
Kptlt. Alois Zech (2 April 1943–16 April 1942) Kptlt. Horst-Tessen von Kameke (1 February 1943–24 June 1943) |
| Operations: |
1st patrol: 6 February–1 April 1943 2nd patrol: (25 May–24 June 1943) |
| Victories: |
Two commercial ships sunk (2,937 GRT) One commercial ship damaged - 7,176 GRT |
German submarine U-119 was a Type XB minelaying U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was laid down at the Germaniawerft in Kiel on 15 May 1940 as yard number 624. She was launched on 6 January 1942 and commissioned under Kapitänleutnant Alois Zech on 2 April 1942, he was replaced by Kptlt. Horst-Tessen von Kameke on 1 February 1943, who remained in command until her loss.
U-119 's service career began with the 4th U-boat Flotilla on 2 April 1942 where she underwent training. She was declared operational on 1 February 1943 when she moved over to the 12th flotilla.
Operational career
The boat made a short run from Kiel to Frederikshaven in Denmark and back between 4 August 1942 and the 10th.
1st patrol
Her first patrol commenced with her departure from Kiel on 6 February 1943. She crossed the North Sea and skirted the northern coast of Iceland, arriving at Bordeaux in occupied France on 1 April.
2nd patrol and loss
U-119 was unsuccessfully attacked on 29 April 1943 by a Short Sunderland flying boat of 461 Squadron RAAF (Royal Australian Air Force). The boat sustained no damage but one man was killed.
She sank Halma on 3 June east of Halifax, Nova Scotia and damaged John A. Poor on 27 July. Both ships were attacked with mines laid by U-119 on 1 June.
U-119 was sunk by a combination of depth charges, gunfire and ramming from HMS Starling on 24 June 1943.[1]
Summary of raiding history
| Date | Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) |
Fate[5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 June 1943 | Halma |  Panama | 2,937 | Sunk (Mine) |
| 28 July 1943 | John A. Poor |  USA | 7,176 | Damaged (Mine) |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Kemp 1999, p. 126.
- ↑ Gröner, p. 116.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type XB boat U-116". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-119". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-119". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.
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
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 119". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 2014-12-06.
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type X boat U-119". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
- U-119 at ubootwaffe.net