German submarine U-156 (1941)

Conning tower emblem of U-156
History
Nazi Germany
NameU-156
Ordered25 September 1939
BuilderDeSchiMAG AG Weser, Bremen
Yard number998
Laid down11 October 1940
Launched21 May 1941
Commissioned4 September 1941
FateSunk on 8 March 1943 with all hands on board[citation needed]
General characteristics
Class and typeType IXC submarine
Displacement
  • 1,120 t (1,100 long tons) surfaced
  • 1,232 t (1,213 long tons) submerged
Length
  • 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in) o/a
  • 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in) pressure hull
Beam
  • 6.76 m (22 ft 2 in) o/a
  • 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught4.70 m (15 ft 5 in)
Installed power
  • 4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels)
  • 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) surfaced
  • 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph) submerged
Range
  • 13,450 nmi (24,910 km; 15,480 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 depth230 m (750 ft)
Complement48 to 56
Armament
Service record
Part of:
Identification codes: M 01 308
Commanders:
Operations:
  • 5 patrols:
  • 1st patrol:
  • 24 December 1941 – 10 January 1942
  • 2nd patrol:
  • 19 January – 17 March 1942
  • 3rd patrol:
  • 22 April – 7 July 1942
  • 4th patrol:
  • 20 August – 16 November 1942
  • 5th patrol:
  • 16 January – 8 March 1943
Victories:
  • 19 merchant ships sunk
    (97,489 GRT)
  • 3 merchant ships damaged
    (18,811 GRT)
  • 1 warship damaged
    (1,190 tons)

The German submarine U-156 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine built for service during World War II. The keel for this boat was laid on 11 October 1940 at the DeSchiMAG AG Weser yard in Bremen, Germany, as yard number 998. She was commissioned on 4 September 1941 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Werner Hartenstein (Knight of the Iron Cross). The city of Plauen, Hartenstein's home city, adopted the submarine within the then popular sponsorship programme (Patenschaftsprogramm), organising gifts and holidays for the crew.

The U-boat took part in five patrols, which included attacks on shipping in which she sank twenty merchantmen, damaged another three merchantmen, and damaged the American destroyer USS Blakeley.

On February 16th, 1942, there were Attacks on Aruba’s oil refineries, Lago Oil and Transport Company and Arend Petroleum Company, which resulted in four fallen Dutch marines.

U-156 was the main participant in the Laconia Incident in September 1942, during which she torpedoed and sank the troopship Laconia west of Africa. Whilst rescuing the survivors and flying the Red Cross flag, the U-boat was attacked by an American aircraft and forced to dive, resulting in the shipwrecked survivors being cast back into the sea. The incident led to the Laconia Order, banning U-boats from attempting rescues, and later caused major embarrassment to the US during the Nuremberg trials.

U-156 was attacked with depth charges by an American aircraft east of the island of Barbados on 8 March 1943. She sank with the loss of all hands.