German submarine U-183

<th colspan="2" >Service record

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German submarine U-183 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat of the German Navy (Kriegsmarine) during World War II. She was commissioned on 1 April 1942, one of the first IXC/40 boats, somewhat larger and faster than the IXC type. She began her service life in the 4th U-boat Flotilla, a training organization, moving on to the 2nd, then the 33rd Flotilla, both operational or front outfits.

U-183 was in the first wave of "Monsun boats" or Monsun Gruppe, which operated in the Indian Ocean from Japanese bases in the occupied Dutch East Indies and British Malaya, mostly Penang.

Design

German Type IXC/40 submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXCs. U-183 had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged.Template:Sfn The U-boat had a total length of , a pressure hull length of , a beam of , a height of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to .Template:Sfn

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of .Template:Sfn When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . U-183 was fitted with six torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 torpedoes, one SK C/32 naval gun, 180 rounds, and a SK C/30 as well as a C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of forty-eight.Template:Sfn

Service history

After serving in the Atlantic, U-183 sailed from France in July 1943, arriving at Penang on 27 October, and operated in the zone for almost two years. She carried out six war patrols including In March 1944, torpedoing the oil tanker British Loyalty that was anchored in the Addu lagoon in the Maldives. The tanker was damaged but not sunk.

The U-183 was sunk on 23 April 1945, 15 days before Germany's surrender, by the American submarine in the Java Sea. Only one crew member survived.

In November 2013 the wreck of either this submarine or Template:GS has been located.

Wolfpacks

U-183 took part in three wolfpacks, namely:

• Luchs (4 – 6 October 1942)
• Panther (7 – 11 October 1942)
• Hartherz (3 – 7 February 1943)

Summary of raiding history

Date	Name	Nationality	Tonnage (GRT)	Fate
3 December 1942		United Kingdom	6,089	Sunk
11 March 1943	Olancho	Honduras	2,493	Sunk
29 February 1944	Palma	United Kingdom	5,419	Sunk
9 March 1944	British Loyalty	United Kingdom	6,993	Total loss
5 June 1944	Helen Moller	United Kingdom	5,259	Sunk