U-178

German submarine ''U-178'' was a Type IXD2 U-boat of Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'' built for service during World War II.

Ordered on 28 May 1940, the U-boat was laid down on 24 December 1940 at the AG Weser yard in Bremen as yard number 1018. She was launched on 25 October 1941 and commissioned on 14 February 1942, under the command of ''Fregattenkapitän'' Hans Ibekken.

Design

German Type IXD2 submarines were considerably larger than the original Type IXs. ''U-178'' had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. The U-boat had a total length of , a pressure hull length of , a beam of , a height of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines plus two MWM RS34.5S six-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines for cruising, producing a total of for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to .

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . ''U-178'' was fitted with six torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 24 torpedoes, one SK C/32 naval gun, 150 rounds, and a SK C/30 with 2575 rounds as well as two C/30 anti-aircraft guns with 8100 rounds. The boat had a complement of fifty-five.

First patrol

''U-178'' sailed from Kiel on 8 September 1942 into the Atlantic, passing north of Scotland and then turned south. She made her first kill on 10 October, putting three torpedoes into the unescorted passenger ship ''Duchess of Atholl'', a Canadian Pacific Steamship Co. liner chartered as a troop transport, about ENE of Ascension Island in the South Atlantic. The vessel sank slowly and only five crew members were lost. The master, 267 crew members, 25 gunners and all 534 passengers were later rescued by a British vessel.

''U-178'' then sailed around the Cape of Good Hope into the Indian Ocean south and east of South Africa, sinking the British troopship ''Mendoza'' on 1 November, killing the master, 19 crew members, three gunners and three passengers, while 127 of the crew, three gunners and 250 passengers were later picked up by a South African patrol ship and an American merchantman.

''U-178'' struck twice on 4 November, sinking both the British merchantman ''Trekieve'' and the Norwegian cargo ship ''Hai Hing'', off Mozambique.

The British merchant ship ''Louise Moller'' was sunk about ExS of Durban on 13 November; two days later the U-boat attacked the British merchant ship ''Adviser''. Seeing the crew abandon the apparently sinking ship, ''U-178'' left the area after hearing depth charges being dropped in the distance. However, ''Adviser'' was taken in tow to Durban, where she was repaired and returned to service.

''U-178''s last victory was on 27 November, sinking the American Liberty ship SS ''Jeremiah Wadsworth'' around S of Cape Agulhas.

''U-178'' then shaped her course north through the Atlantic, arriving at Bordeaux in France on 10 January 1943 after 125 days at sea.

Second patrol

Under a new commander, ''Korvettenkapitän'' Wilhelm Dommes, ''U-178'' sailed from Bordeaux on 28 March 1943, and repeated the success of her previous patrol, this time in the waters of the Mozambique Channel.

Her first victory came on 1 June in a hit-and-run attack on Convoy CD-20. ''U-178'' fired two torpedoes, one of which struck the Dutch cargo ship ''Salabangka'', which later sank.

On 4 July she attacked the Norwegian steamer ''Breiviken'', a straggler from Convoy DN-50. The ship sank within three minutes; ''U-178'' spent some time picking up the crew from the sea and putting them onto rafts. The survivors of ''Breiviken'' later found two drifting lifeboats from their own ship, and on 7 July reached the coast. ''U-178'' sailed off in pursuit of another victim, sinking the Greek merchant ship ''Michael Livanos'' later that day. On 11 July her sister ship ''Mary Livanos'' was also sunk by ''U-178''.

In the early hours of 14 July, the American Liberty ship ''Robert Bacon'' was torpedoed about 35 miles off the Mozambique Light. The crew of 44 and 27 Armed Guards (the ship was armed with two 3-inch and eight 20 mm guns), abandoned ship before ''U-178'' finished her off with two more torpedoes. The U-boat surfaced and questioned the survivors in one of the boats, giving them directions to land and wishing them good luck before leaving.

''U-178'' made her last kill of the patrol on 17 July, sinking the British cargo ship ''City of Canton'' northeast of Beira after a pursuit lasting eighteen hours. She then shaped a course across the Indian Ocean to Penang, arriving there on 27 August after 153 days at sea.

Third patrol

''K.Kapt.'' Dommes remained at Penang, commanding the U-Boat base there, located in the former British seaplane headquarters. ''U-178'' sailed from Penang on 25 November 1943 with ''Kapitänleutnant'' Wilhelm Spahr in command. She made only one kill, sinking the American Liberty ship SS ''José Navarro'' SW of Cochin, India (now known as Kochi). She then sailed around Africa, back through the Atlantic, arriving in Bordeaux on 25 May 1944 after a voyage of 181 days (her longest).

Fate

''U-178'' was scuttled on 25 August 1944 at Bordeaux, as she was not deemed seaworthy enough to escape the Allied advance. The U-boat was broken up in 1947.

Summary of raiding history

References

Bibliography

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External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:U0178
German Type IX submarines
U-boats commissioned in 1942
Indian Ocean U-Boats
1941 ships
World War II submarines of Germany
Ships built in Bremen (state)
Maritime incidents in August 1944