German submarine U-104 (1940)
Encyclopedia
German submarine U-104 was a Type IXB U-boat
of the German
Kriegsmarine
during World War II
. U-104 was ordered by the Kriegsmarine on 24 May 1938 as part of the German naval rearmament program Plan Z
. Her keel was laid down by AG Weser
in Bremen
on 10 November 1939. Following about six and a half months of construction, she was launched on 25 May 1940 and formally commissioned into the Kriegsmarine on 19 August 1940 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Harald Jürst.
U-104 had a very short career and sank only one enemy vessel and damaged a further one during one war patrol. In the middle of her first patrol, U-104 went missing off of the north coast of Ireland
on 28 November 1940 and was presumed sunk in minefield SN 44, which was laid down a few days prior to U-104s arrival in the area.
in Bremen
as Werk 967. U-104 was launched on 25 May 1940 and commissioned on 19 August of that year under the command of Kapitänleutnant Harald Jürst.
Like all Type IXB submarines, U-104 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) while submerged. U-104 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-104s main deck gun
was a Utof 105 mm/45 with a magazine of 110 rounds. U-104 also carried the standard 2 cm FlaK 30
anti-aircraft guns. She had a crew of 49 men and could carry up to 56 crew members at any given time. After being commissioned and deployed, U-104 was stationed in the German port city of Wilhelmshaven
.
, off of the northern coast of Ireland and Great Britain. U-104 went to sea on her first and only war patrol on 12 November 1940. For a period of 17 days, U-104 roamed the North Sea
and eventually the northern coast of Scotland and Ireland in search of any Allied convoys heading to Great Britain. During that time she attacked two enemy vessels, sinking one and damaging the other. On 27 November 1940, U-104 torpedoed the British merchant vessel Diplomat. She soon sank with the loss of 14 of her crew. The other merchant vessel to be attacked by U-104 on that day was the British motor tanker Charles F. Meyer, which survived the attack. The next day, U-104 went missing just north of neutral Ireland. She is presumed to have been sunk by a mine from the SN 44 minefield, which was laid on 8 November 1940, just 20 days prior to U-104s disappearance. All of her crew are presumed dead.
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-104 was ordered by the Kriegsmarine on 24 May 1938 as part of the German naval rearmament program 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 10 November 1939. Following about six and a half months of construction, she was launched on 25 May 1940 and formally commissioned into the Kriegsmarine on 19 August 1940 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Harald Jürst.
U-104 had a very short career and sank only one enemy vessel and damaged a further one during one war patrol. In the middle of her first patrol, U-104 went missing off of the north coast of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
on 28 November 1940 and was presumed sunk in minefield SN 44, which was laid down a few days prior to U-104s arrival in the area.
Construction
U-104 was ordered by the German Kriegsmarine on 24 May 1938 (as part of Plan Z and in violation of the Treaty of Versailles). Her keel was laid down on 10 November 1939 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 967. U-104 was launched on 25 May 1940 and commissioned on 19 August of that year under the command of Kapitänleutnant Harald Jürst.
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-104 also carried 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 49 men and could carry up to 56 crew members at any given time. After being commissioned and deployed, U-104 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:...
.
Service history
During her short career, U-104 sank one enemy vessel and damaged another on her first and only war patrol in 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...
, off of the northern coast of Ireland and Great Britain. U-104 went to sea on her first and only war patrol on 12 November 1940. For a period of 17 days, U-104 roamed the North Sea
North 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 northern coast of Scotland and Ireland in search of any Allied convoys heading to Great Britain. During that time she attacked two enemy vessels, sinking one and damaging the other. On 27 November 1940, U-104 torpedoed the British merchant vessel Diplomat. She soon sank with the loss of 14 of her crew. The other merchant vessel to be attacked by U-104 on that day was the British motor tanker Charles F. Meyer, which survived the attack. The next day, U-104 went missing just north of neutral Ireland. She is presumed to have been sunk by a mine from the SN 44 minefield, which was laid on 8 November 1940, just 20 days prior to U-104s disappearance. All of her crew are presumed dead.
External links
See also
- List of German U-boats