German submarine U-167 (1942)

German submarine U-167 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine built for service during World War II. Her keel was laid down on 12 March 1941 by the Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau AG in Bremen as yard number 706. She was launched on 5 March 1942 and commissioned on 4 July with Kapitänleutnant Kurt Neubert in command.

History
Nazi Germany
Name: U-167
Ordered: 15 August 1940
Builder: DeSchiMAG, Bremen
Yard number: 706
Laid down: 12 March 1940
Launched: 6 March 1941[1]
Commissioned: 4 July 1942[1]
Fate: Scuttled, 6 April 1943[1]
General characteristics
Class and type: Type IXC/40 submarine
Displacement:
  • 1,144 t (1,126 long tons) surfaced
  • 1,257 t (1,237 long tons) submerged
Length:
Beam:
  • 6.86 m (22 ft 6 in) o/a
  • 4.44 m (14 ft 7 in) pressure hull
Height: 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught: 4.67 m (15 ft 4 in)
Installed power:
  • 4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels)
  • 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric)
Propulsion:
Range:
  • 13,850 nmi (25,650 km; 15,940 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
  • 63 nmi (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth: 230 m (750 ft)
Complement: 4 officers, 44 enlisted
Armament:
Service record[2]
Part of:
Commanders:
  • Kptlt. Kurt Neubert
  • 4 July 1942 – 8 February 1943
  • Lt.z.S. Günter Zahnow
  • 8–16 January 1943
  • Kurt Sturm
  • 5 February – 6 April 1943
Operations: Two patrols
Victories:
  • One ship sunk for 5,449 GRT
  • one ship damaged for 7,200 tons

The U-boat's service began with training as part of the 4th U-boat Flotilla. She then moved to the 10th flotilla on 5 February 1943 for operations. She was a member of three wolfpacks. She sank one ship of 5,449 gross register tons (GRT) and damaged another of 7,200 tons.

She was scuttled in April 1943.

Design

German Type IXC/40 submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXCs. U-167 had a displacement of 1,144 tonnes (1,126 long tons) when at the surface and 1,257 tonnes (1,237 long tons) while submerged.[3] The U-boat had a total length of 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in), a pressure hull length of 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in), a beam of 6.86 m (22 ft 6 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.67 m (15 ft 4 in). The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of 4,400 metric horsepower (3,240 kW; 4,340 shp) for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 1,000 metric horsepower (740 kW; 990 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.92 m (6 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).[3]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 18.3 knots (33.9 km/h; 21.1 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph).[3] When submerged, the boat could operate for 63 nautical miles (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 13,850 nautical miles (25,650 km; 15,940 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-167 was fitted with six 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 torpedoes, one 10.5 cm (4.13 in) SK C/32 naval gun, 180 rounds, and a 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 as well as a 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of forty-eight.[3]

Service history

The boat moved from Kiel in Germany to Bergen in Norway in December 1942.

1st patrol

The submarine's first patrol took her from Bergen on 21 December 1941, across the North Sea and into the Atlantic Ocean through the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. U-167 lost a man overboard in mid-Atlantic on 8 January 1943. She arrived in Lorient in occupied France, on the 16th.

2nd patrol and loss

On her second patrol on 17 March 1943, she attacked and damaged Molly Pitcher 500 nautical miles (930 km; 580 mi) west of Lisbon. She then sailed round the Azores before approaching the northwest African coast. She sank the Lagosian southeast of the Canary Islands on the 28th.

U-167 was scuttled near the Canary Islands following an attack by a Lockheed Hudson of No. 233 Squadron RAF on 6 April 1943.

Post-war

The boat was raised in 1951 and transferred to Spain. Before being broken up, she was used for filming.

Summary of raiding history
DateShipNationalityTonnageFate[4]
17 March 1943 Molly Pitcher  United States 7,200 Damaged
28 March 1943 Lagosian  United Kingdom 5,449 Sunk

References
  1. Kemp, Paul (1999). U-Boats Destroyed – German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. Arms & Armour. p. 109. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
  2. Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-167 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
  3. Gröner 1991, p. 68.
  4. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-167". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.

Bibliography
  • Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
  • Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German). IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
  • Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
  • Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-167". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
  • Hofmann, Markus. "U 167". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 30 January 2015.

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