German submarine U-149 was a Type IID U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. Her keel was laid down on 25 May 1940 by Deutsche Werke in Kiel as yard number 278. She was launched on 19 October 1940 and commissioned on 13 November with Kapitänleutnant Horst Höltring in command.
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-149 |
| Ordered | 25 September 1939 |
| Builder | Deutsche Werke, Kiel |
| Yard number | 278 |
| Laid down | 25 May 1940 |
| Launched | 19 October 1940 |
| Commissioned | 13 November 1940 |
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type IID coastal submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
|
| Beam |
|
| Height | 8.40 m (27 ft 7 in) |
| Draught | 3.93 m (12 ft 11 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 80 m (260 ft) |
| Complement | 3 officers, 22 men |
| Armament |
|
| Service record[1][2] | |
| Part of: |
|
| Identification codes: | M 16 105 |
| Commanders: |
|
| Operations: |
|
| Victories: |
1 warship sunk (206 tons) |
U-149 began her service life with the 1st U-boat Flotilla. She was then assigned to the 22nd flotilla, where she remained for the rest of the war, including time on a single patrol.
She surrendered on 5 May 1945 and was sunk as part of Operation Deadlight on 21 December.
Design
editGerman Type IID submarines were enlarged versions of the original Type IIs. U-149 had a displacement of 314 tonnes (309 long tons) when at the surface and 364 tonnes (358 long tons) while submerged. Officially, the standard tonnage was 250 long tons (254 t), however.[3] The U-boat had a total length of 43.97 m (144 ft 3 in), a pressure hull length of 29.80 m (97 ft 9 in), a beam of 4.92 m (16 ft 2 in), a height of 8.40 m (27 ft 7 in), and a draught of 3.93 m (12 ft 11 in). The submarine was powered by two MWM RS 127 S four-stroke, six-cylinder diesel engines of 700 metric horsepower (510 kW; 690 shp) for cruising, two Siemens-Schuckert PG VV 322/36 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 410 metric horsepower (300 kW; 400 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 0.85 m (3 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 80–150 metres (260–490 ft).[3]
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 12.7 knots (23.5 km/h; 14.6 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.4 knots (13.7 km/h; 8.5 mph).[3] When submerged, the boat could operate for 35–42 nautical miles (65–78 km; 40–48 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 3,800 nautical miles (7,000 km; 4,400 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph). U-149 was fitted with three 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes at the bow, five torpedoes or up to twelve Type A torpedo mines, and a 2 cm (0.79 in) anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of 25.[3]
Operational career
editU-149's one patrol was carried out within the confines of the Baltic Sea, but she did sink the Soviet submarine M-99 on 27 July 1941, north-west of Dagö Island before returning to her base at Gotenhafen, (now Gdynia in modern Poland).
Fate
editThe boat surrendered at the German island of Heligoland on 5 May 1945. She was transferred from Wilhelmshaven to Loch Ryan in preparation for Operation Deadlight and was sunk on 21 December 1945 at 55°40′N 08°00′W / 55.667°N 8.000°W.
Summary of raiding history
edit| Date | Ship | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 1] | Fate[4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 June 1941 | M-99 |  Soviet Navy
|
206 | Sunk |
References
editNotes
edit- ^ Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.
Citations
edit- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IID boat U-149". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net uboat.net. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-149". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 39–40.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-149". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 31 July 2011.
Bibliography
edit- 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). Vol. 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. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
External links
edit- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IID boat U-149". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 149". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 30 January 2015.