| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-188 |
| Ordered | 15 August 1940 |
| Builder | DeSchiMAG,Bremen |
| Yard number | 1028 |
| Laid down | 18 August 1941 |
| Launched | 31 March 1942 |
| Commissioned | 5 August 1942 |
| Fate | Scuttled 25 August 1944 in Bordeaux, later raised andbroken up in 1947 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Type IXC/40submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
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| Beam |
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| Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 4.67 m (15 ft 4 in) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion |
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| Speed |
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| Range |
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| Test depth | 230 m (750 ft) |
| Complement | 4 officers, 44 enlisted |
| Armament |
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| Service record[1][2] | |
| Part of: |
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| Identification codes: | M 10 459 |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: |
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| Victories: | |
German submarineU-188 was aType IXC/40U-boat ofNazi Germany'sKriegsmarine built for service during World War II.
Laid down on 18 August 1941 byDeutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau AG (DeSchiMAG) ofBremen as yard number 1028, she waslaunched on 31 March 1942 andcommissioned on 5 August under the command ofOberleutnant zur SeeSiegfried Lüdden.
The boat carried out three patrols and she was a member of threewolfpacks. She sank eight ships and one warship; she also damaged one ship.
She was scuttled at Bordeaux, France on 25 August 1944. The wreck wasbroken up in 1947.
German Type IXC/40 submarines were slightly larger than the originalType IXCs.U-188 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.[4] The U-boat had a total length of 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in), apressure hull length of 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in), abeam of 6.86 m (22 ft 6 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and adraught of 4.67 m (15 ft 4 in). The submarine was powered by twoMAN M 9 V 40/46supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinderdiesel engines producing a total of 4,400 metric horsepower (3,240 kW; 4,340 shp) for use while surfaced, twoSiemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34double-acting electric motors producing a total of 1,000 shaft horsepower (1,010 PS; 750 kW) 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).[4]
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).[4] 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-188 was fitted with six 53.3 cm (21 in)torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22torpedoes, one10.5 cm (4.13 in) SK C/32 naval gun, 180 rounds, and a3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 as well as a2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had acomplement of forty-eight.[4]
U-188 sailed fromKiel on 4 March 1943.[5] She steamed through thegap betweenIceland and theFaroe Islands, into the Northern Atlantic Ocean.
The boat's first victim was an old 'four stacker' destroyer,HMS Beverley in mid-Atlantic on 11 April. Less than a month later, the inbound submarine was attacked by anArmstrong-Whitworth Whitley ofNo. 612 Squadron RAF in theBay of Biscay on 2 May. The Commander and one crewman were wounded. The crewman died in hospital inParis on 12 May.
U-188 docked atLorient in occupied France on 4 May.
Having left Lorient on 30 June 1943,U-188 headed for the Indian Ocean. She sankCornelia P. Spencer about 300 nmi (560 km; 350 mi) off the coast ofSomalia on 21 September.
She was also successful when she damagedBritannia in theGulf of Oman on 5 October. This ship was held together by wires and chains on the orders of the master who was known as the 'crazy Norwegian' by the British naval authorities in Bombay. The ship loaded 6,000 tons of oil inAbädän, Iran.[6] She was eventually repaired inBaltimore in March 1944.
The boat crossed theArabian Sea and theBay of Bengal before docking atPenang in Malaya (now Malaysia) on 30 October.
U-188's third and final foray was her longest and most successful. Operating off theHorn of Africa, she sank seven ships in a 171-day patrol. Two of them,Fort la Maune andSamouri were sent to the bottom with no casualties. It was a different story concerning the fate of the Chinese registeredChung Cheng. Twenty men out of seventy-one were lost. The ship sank quickly, probably due to her cargo of 8,350 tons ofilmenite ore.
The boat returned to France, but toBordeaux on 19 June 1944.[7]
U-188 was scuttled in Bordeaux to prevent her being captured by the advancing Allies on 25 August 1944. The wreck wasbroken up in 1947.
| Date | Ship | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 1] | Fate[8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 April 1943 | HMSBeverley |  Royal Navy | 1,190 | Sunk |
| 21 September 1943 | Cornelia P. Spencer |  United States | 7,176 | Sunk |
| 5 October 1943 | Britannia |  Norway | 9,977 | Damaged |
| 20 January 1944 | Fort Buckingham |  United Kingdom | 7,122 | Sunk |
| 25 January 1944 | Fort la Maune | United Kingdom | 7,130 | Sunk |
| 26 January 1944 | Samouri | United Kingdom | 7,219 | Sunk |
| 26 January 1944 | Surada | United Kingdom | 5,427 | Sunk |
| 29 January 1944 | Olga E. Embiricos |  Greece | 4,677 | Sunk |
| 3 February 1944 | Chung Cheng |  China | 7,176 | Sunk |
| 9 February 1944 | Viva | Norway | 3,798 | Sunk |
