German submarine U-111 (1940)
Encyclopedia
German submarine U-111 was a Type IXB U-boat
of the German
Kriegsmarine
during World War II
. U-111 was ordered by the Kriegsmarine on 8 August 1939 in violation of the Treaty of Versailles
and as part of the German naval rearmament program known as Plan Z
. Her keel was laid down by AG Weser
in Bremen
on 20 February 1940. Following about seven months of construction, she was launched on 15 September 1940 and formally commissioned into the Kriegsmarine on 19 December under the command of Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Kleinschmidt
.
U-111 had a short career and sank only four enemy vessels and damaged a further one. These victories took place over a period of two war patrols. During her first patrol, U-111 sank two enemy vessels and damaged a further one; on her second patrol, U-111 sank two more enemy ships before she herself was sunk on 4 October 1941 southwest of Tenerife
, by depth charges from the British anti-submarine warship . Out of a crew of 52 men and officers, 8 died in the attack and 44 survived.
in Bremen
as Werk 976. U-111 was launched on 15 September 1940 and commissioned on 19 December under the command of Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Kleinschmidt.
Like all Type IXB submarines, U-111 had a total output of 1000 hp while submerged and 4400 hp when surfaced. As a result, she could travel at 18.3 knots (35.9 km/h) while surfaced and 7.3 knots (14.3 km/h) submerged. U-111 had a range of 22200 nmi (41,114.4 km) at 10 knots (19.6 km/h) while on the surface and 118 nmi (218.5 km) at 4 kn (7.8 km/h) while submerged. She was equipped with 6 torpedo tubes (4 in the bow, 2 in the stern) and carried a total of 22 533 mm (21 in) torpedoes. The submarine was also equipped with 44 TMA mines. U-111s main deck gun
was a Utof 105 mm/45 with a magazine of 110 rounds. U-111 was also equipped with the standard 2 cm FlaK 30
anti-aircraft guns. She had a crew of 52 men and could carry up to 56 crew members at any given time. After being commissioned and deployed, U-111 was stationed in the German port city of Wilhelmshaven
.
and eventually the North Atlantic as far west as Nova Scotia
in search of any Allied convoys heading to Great Britain. During that time she encountered three enemy vessels. The first encounter took place on 13 May 1941, just 8 days after leaving port, when U-111 came across the British merchant vessel Somersby and sank her just south of Iceland. On 20 May, U-111 came across the tanker San Felix and fired a torpedo at her, causing damage to her hull but failing to sink her. Two days later, U-111 sank her second and last enemy vessel of her patrol, the Barnby, south of Greenland
. After these victories, U-111 returned to port. However, instead of returning to Wilhelmshaven, she entered the occupied French port of Lorient
on 7 July 1941.
. All of her crew survived the attack and boarded life boats. They were questioned by the crew of U-111, given food and released. Markens crew were later safely picked up by a Spanish merchant vessel. Ten days later, U-111 sank her fourth and last enemy vessel, the British motor merchant Cingalese Prince off of Brazil as well. On 28 September she was involved in an action in Tarafal Bay
, in the Cape Verde
islands, having been ordered to rendezvous there with two other U-boats, U-67 and U-68. Following this, U-111 headed for home. On 4 October 1941, U-111 was hunted down and sunk by depth charges from the British anti-submarine trawler HMS Lady Shirley. She sank southwest of Tenerife, and of a crew of 52 men, 8 died and 44 survived. The survivors were later interrogated; it was the first time prisoners of war were captured from a U-boat operating in the South Atlantic.
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
of the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. U-111 was ordered by the Kriegsmarine on 8 August 1939 in violation of the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Versailles
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I. It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919, exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The other Central Powers on the German side of...
and as part of the German naval rearmament program known as Plan Z
Plan Z
Plan Z was the name given to the planned re-equipment and expansion of the Nazi German Navy ordered by Adolf Hitler on January 27, 1939...
. Her keel was laid down by AG Weser
AG Weser
Aktien-Gesellschaft Weser was one of the great German shipbuilding companies, located at the Weser River in Bremen. Founded in 1873 it was finally closed in 1983. Altogether, AG Weser built about 1400 ships of different types, including many war ships...
in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
on 20 February 1940. Following about seven months of construction, she was launched on 15 September 1940 and formally commissioned into the Kriegsmarine on 19 December under the command of Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Kleinschmidt
Wilhelm Kleinschmidt
Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Kleinschmidt was captain of U-111 during World War II which was sunk on 4 October 1941 by HMS Lady Shirley a Royal Navy Anti-submarine warfare trawler when he was killed in action....
.
U-111 had a short career and sank only four enemy vessels and damaged a further one. These victories took place over a period of two war patrols. During her first patrol, U-111 sank two enemy vessels and damaged a further one; on her second patrol, U-111 sank two more enemy ships before she herself was sunk on 4 October 1941 southwest of Tenerife
Tenerife
Tenerife is the largest and most populous island of the seven Canary Islands, it is also the most populated island of Spain, with a land area of 2,034.38 km² and 906,854 inhabitants, 43% of the total population of the Canary Islands. About five million tourists visit Tenerife each year, the...
, by depth charges from the British anti-submarine warship . Out of a crew of 52 men and officers, 8 died in the attack and 44 survived.
Construction
U-111 was ordered to be built by the German Kriegsmarine on 8 August 1939 (as part of Plan Z and in violation of the Treaty of Versailles). Her keel was laid down on 20 February 1940 by AG WeserAG Weser
Aktien-Gesellschaft Weser was one of the great German shipbuilding companies, located at the Weser River in Bremen. Founded in 1873 it was finally closed in 1983. Altogether, AG Weser built about 1400 ships of different types, including many war ships...
in Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
as Werk 976. U-111 was launched on 15 September 1940 and commissioned on 19 December under the command of Kapitänleutnant Wilhelm Kleinschmidt.
Design
Deck gun
A deck gun is a type of artillery cannon mounted on the deck of a ship or submarine.The deck gun was used as a defensive weapon against smaller boats or ships and in certain cases where torpedo use was limited. Typically a crew of three; gunner, loader, and layer, operated the gun, while others...
was a Utof 105 mm/45 with a magazine of 110 rounds. U-111 was also equipped with the standard 2 cm FlaK 30
2 cm FlaK 30
The Flak 30 and improved Flak 38 were 20 mm anti-aircraft guns used by various German forces throughout the Second World War. It was not only the primary German light anti-aircraft gun, but by far the most numerously produced German artillery piece throughout the war...
anti-aircraft guns. She had a crew of 52 men and could carry up to 56 crew members at any given time. After being commissioned and deployed, U-111 was stationed in the German port city of Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven
Wilhelmshaven is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea.-History:...
.
First patrol
U-111 went to sea on a war patrol for the first time on 5 May 1941. For a period of 64 days, U-111 roamed the North SeaNorth Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
and eventually the North Atlantic as far west as Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
in search of any Allied convoys heading to Great Britain. During that time she encountered three enemy vessels. The first encounter took place on 13 May 1941, just 8 days after leaving port, when U-111 came across the British merchant vessel Somersby and sank her just south of Iceland. On 20 May, U-111 came across the tanker San Felix and fired a torpedo at her, causing damage to her hull but failing to sink her. Two days later, U-111 sank her second and last enemy vessel of her patrol, the Barnby, south of Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. After these victories, U-111 returned to port. However, instead of returning to Wilhelmshaven, she entered the occupied French port of Lorient
Lorient
Lorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-History:At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis...
on 7 July 1941.
Second patrol
U-111s second patrol was much less successful than her first patrol, with the U-boat herself being sunk in the middle of it. U-111 left Lorient on 14 August 1941 and traveled south off Africa and into the South Atlantic. She then turned west towards the eastern coast of Brazil. It was in these waters that U-111 sank her last two enemy merchant ships. The first ship to be sunk was the Dutch Motor merchant Marken. She was torpedoed on 10 September 1941 just north of CearáCeará
Ceará is one of the 27 states of Brazil, located in the northeastern part of the country, on the Atlantic coast. It is currently the 8th largest Brazilian State by population and the 17th by area. It is also one of the main touristic destinations in Brazil. The state capital is the city of...
. All of her crew survived the attack and boarded life boats. They were questioned by the crew of U-111, given food and released. Markens crew were later safely picked up by a Spanish merchant vessel. Ten days later, U-111 sank her fourth and last enemy vessel, the British motor merchant Cingalese Prince off of Brazil as well. On 28 September she was involved in an action in Tarafal Bay
Action in Tarafal Bay
The Action in Tarafal Bay was a naval engagement which took place during the Battle of the Atlantic in the Second World War. It was notable in that the four vessels involved were all submarines.-Background:...
, in the Cape Verde
Cape Verde
The Republic of Cape Verde is an island country, spanning an archipelago of 10 islands located in the central Atlantic Ocean, 570 kilometres off the coast of Western Africa...
islands, having been ordered to rendezvous there with two other U-boats, U-67 and U-68. Following this, U-111 headed for home. On 4 October 1941, U-111 was hunted down and sunk by depth charges from the British anti-submarine trawler HMS Lady Shirley. She sank southwest of Tenerife, and of a crew of 52 men, 8 died and 44 survived. The survivors were later interrogated; it was the first time prisoners of war were captured from a U-boat operating in the South Atlantic.
External links
See also
- List of German U-boats