German submarine U-117 (1941)
Encyclopedia
German submarine U-117 was a Type XB
minelayer
U-boat
of the German
Kriegsmarine
during World War II
.
She was ordered on 31 January 1939, and was laid down on 1 July 1939, at Germaniawerft
, Kiel
, as "werk 616". She was launched on 22 July 1941 and commissioned under the command of Korvettenkapitän Hans-Werner Neumann on 25 October of that year.
' s second patrol resulted in no attacks on either merchant vessels or the U-boat itself. Following U-117' s departure from Königsberg
, East Prussia
on 12 October 1942, U-117 traveled up to Iceland once again. Then she headed south into the Bay of Biscay
where she reached port in Lorient
, France
on 22 November 1942.
' s third patrol resulted in no contact with any allied vessels. U-117 headed out of Lorient on 23 December 1942, and returned on 3 February 1943.
and headed for French Morocco. It was in this region that U-117 scored her only two hits in the war. On 11 April 1943, the Matt W. Ransom was hit and damaged by a mine from U-117. On 25 April 1943, the struck another mine from U-117 and was badly damaged.
' s was assigned to 12th U-boat Flotilla at Bordeaux
. Her fifth and final patrol began on 22 July 1943 from her base in Bordeaux, France. Her main objective on this patrol was to plant 66 mines off New York City
. On 27 July, U-Boat Control directed U-117 to divert from her course to refuel , which was also heading for North America. U-66 was attacked by aircraft on 3 August, before the rendezvous took place, and was in need of medical assistance. U-117 reached U-66 on 6 August and transferred her ship doctor and other essentials to U-66.
The next day, TBF Avenger
aircraft (VC-1 USN) coming from the attacked the two U-boats on the surface while U-117 was refueling U-66. The Avenger aircraft dropped depth charges near U-117 and U-66 and detonated. U-117 tried to help U-66 during the attack, but was attacked herself by a FIDO homing torpedo by another Avenger aircraft. Later, two more Avengers and two F4F Wildcat
s arrived from the USS Card and forced U-117 to dive and then dropped depth charges. U-117 was hit, while diving, by one of two FIDO torpedoes dropped by the Avengers and sank with the loss of all crew. U-66 was able to escape the Avengers during the attack and make its way back to her home port of Lorient.
German Type X submarine
Type X U-boats were a special type of German submarine . Although intended as long-range mine-layers, they were later used as long-range cargo transports, a task they shared with the Type IXD and Italian Romolo-class submarines.-History:...
minelayer
Minelayer
Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...
U-boat
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...
.
She was ordered on 31 January 1939, and was laid down on 1 July 1939, at Germaniawerft
Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft
Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft was a German shipbuilding company, located in the harbour at Kiel, and one of the largest and most important builders of U-boats for the Kaiserliche Marine in World War I and the Kriegsmarine in World War II.-History:The company was founded in 1867 by Lloyd Foster, as...
, Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, as "werk 616". She was launched on 22 July 1941 and commissioned under the command of Korvettenkapitän Hans-Werner Neumann on 25 October of that year.
1st patrol
On 19 September 1942, U-117 departed from Kiel and headed out into the North Atlantic. Her first patrol involved U-117 traveling along the coast of Norway until she reached Iceland. Upon reaching the island, U-117 headed back for her home port. U-117 made no attacks nor was she attacked upon during her first patrol.2nd patrol
Like her first patrol, U-117Königsberg
Königsberg was the capital of East Prussia from the Late Middle Ages until 1945 as well as the northernmost and easternmost German city with 286,666 inhabitants . Due to the multicultural society in and around the city, there are several local names for it...
, East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
on 12 October 1942, U-117 traveled up to Iceland once again. Then she headed south into the Bay of Biscay
Bay of Biscay
The Bay of Biscay is a gulf of the northeast Atlantic Ocean located south of the Celtic Sea. It lies along the western coast of France from Brest south to the Spanish border, and the northern coast of Spain west to Cape Ortegal, and is named in English after the province of Biscay, in the Spanish...
where she reached port in 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...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
on 22 November 1942.
3rd patrol
Much like her last two patrols, U-1174th patrol
U-117s fourth patrol was the first and last time that any allied vessels were hit by the submarine. Following U-117s departure from Lorient on 31 March 1943, she headed out into the Mid-Atlantic and made a sharp turn upon reaching the Canary IslandsCanary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
and headed for French Morocco. It was in this region that U-117 scored her only two hits in the war. On 11 April 1943, the Matt W. Ransom was hit and damaged by a mine from U-117. On 25 April 1943, the struck another mine from U-117 and was badly damaged.
5th patrol and sinking
On 1 December 1942, U-117BETASOM
BETASOM BETASOM BETASOM (an Italian language acronym of Bordeaux Sommergibile. was a submarine base established at Bordeaux by the Italian Regia Marina Italiana during World War II....
. Her fifth and final patrol began on 22 July 1943 from her base in Bordeaux, France. Her main objective on this patrol was to plant 66 mines off New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. On 27 July, U-Boat Control directed U-117 to divert from her course to refuel , which was also heading for North America. U-66 was attacked by aircraft on 3 August, before the rendezvous took place, and was in need of medical assistance. U-117 reached U-66 on 6 August and transferred her ship doctor and other essentials to U-66.
The next day, TBF Avenger
TBF Avenger
The Grumman TBF Avenger was a torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air or naval arms around the world....
aircraft (VC-1 USN) coming from the attacked the two U-boats on the surface while U-117 was refueling U-66. The Avenger aircraft dropped depth charges near U-117 and U-66 and detonated. U-117 tried to help U-66 during the attack, but was attacked herself by a FIDO homing torpedo by another Avenger aircraft. Later, two more Avengers and two F4F Wildcat
F4F Wildcat
The Grumman F4F Wildcat was an American carrier-based fighter aircraft that began service with both the United States Navy and the British Royal Navy in 1940...
s arrived from the USS Card and forced U-117 to dive and then dropped depth charges. U-117 was hit, while diving, by one of two FIDO torpedoes dropped by the Avengers and sank with the loss of all crew. U-66 was able to escape the Avengers during the attack and make its way back to her home port of Lorient.