German submarine U-83 (1940)

	U-52, a typical Type VIIB boat
History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-83
Ordered	9 June 1938
Builder	Flender Werke, Lübeck
Yard number	291
Laid down	5 October 1939
Launched	9 December 1940
Commissioned	8 February 1941
Fate	Sunk, 4 March 1943 by a British aircraft
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Type VIIB submarine
Displacement	753 tonnes (741 long tons) surfaced; 857 t (843 long tons) submerged;
Length	66.50 m (218 ft 2 in) o/a; 48.80 m (160 ft 1 in) pressure hull;
Beam	6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a; 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull;
Height	9.50 m (31 ft 2 in)
Draught	4.74 m (15 ft 7 in)
Installed power	2,800–3,200 PS (2,100–2,400 kW; 2,800–3,200 bhp) (diesels); 750 PS (550 kW; 740 shp) (electric);
Propulsion	2 shafts; 2 × diesel engines; 2 × electric motors;
Speed	17.9 knots (33.2 km/h; 20.6 mph) surfaced; 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph) submerged;
Range	9,400 nmi (17,400 km; 10,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced; 90 nmi (170 km; 100 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged;
Test depth	220 m (720 ft); Crush depth: 230–250 m (750–820 ft);
Complement	4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
Sensors and ; processing systems	Gruppenhorchgerät
Armament	4 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow); 12 × torpedoes or 26 TMA mines; 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun (220 rounds); 1 × 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun;
Service record
Part of:	1st U-boat Flotilla; 8 February – 31 December 1941; 23rd U-boat Flotilla; 1 January – 30 April 1942; 29th U-boat Flotilla; 1 May 1942 – 4 March 1943;
Identification codes:	M 32 441
Commanders:	Oblt.z.S. / Kptlt. Hans-Werner Kraus; 8 February 1941 – 21 September 1942; Kptlt. Ulrich Wörisshoffer; 16 October 1942 – 4 March 1943;
Operations:	12 patrols:; 1st patrol:; 26 July – 9 September 1941; 2nd patrol:; 28 September – 31 October 1941; 3rd patrol:; 11 – 23 December 1941; 4th patrol:; 25 – 30 December 1941; 5th patrol:; 12 – 24 February 1942; 6th patrol:; a. 10 – 21 March 1942; b. 24 – 28 March 1942; 7th patrol:; 5 April – 30 May 1942; 8th patrol:; 4 – 20 June 1942; 9th patrol:; a. 6 – 20 August 1942; b. 31 August – 4 September 1942; 10th patrol:; 21 November – 17 December 1942; 11th patrol:; 12 – 31 January 1943; 12th patrol:; 1 – 4 March 1943;
Victories:	5 merchant ships sunk ; (8,425 GRT); 1 auxiliary warship sunk ; (96 GRT); 1 merchant ship damaged ; (2,590 GRT); 1 auxiliary warship damaged ; (6,746 GRT);

German submarine U-83 was a Type VIIB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

She was laid down in the Flender Werke at Lübeck as yard number 291 on 5 October 1939. Launched on 9 December 1940, she was commissioned on 8 February 1941. U-83 served with 1st U-boat Flotilla from 8 February 1941 to 31 December, with the 23rd flotilla from 1 January 1942 to 30 April and with the 29th flotilla from 1 March 1942 until she was sunk.^[2]

Design

German Type VIIB submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIA submarines. U-83 had a displacement of 753 tonnes (741 long tons) when at the surface and 857 tonnes (843 long tons) while submerged.^[4] She had a total length of 66.50 m (218 ft 2 in), a pressure hull length of 48.80 m (160 ft 1 in), a beam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.50 m (31 ft 2 in), and a draught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of 2,800 to 3,200 metric horsepower (2,060 to 2,350 kW; 2,760 to 3,160 shp) for use while surfaced, two AEG GU 460/8-276 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 metric horsepower (550 kW; 740 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m (4 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 17.9 knots (33.2 km/h; 20.6 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph).^[4] When submerged, the boat could operate for 90 nautical miles (170 km; 100 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 8,700 nautical miles (16,100 km; 10,000 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). Differently from other VII B U-Boats, U-83 was fitted with only the front four 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes, and only twelve instead of 14 torpedoes,^[5] one 8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and one 2 cm (0.79 in) anti-aircraft gun The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.^[4]

Service history

U-83 conducted twelve patrols and sank five ships totalling 8,425 gross register tons (GRT) and one auxiliary warship - the Q-ship HMS Farouk, of 96 GRT.^[6] She damaged one other ship of 2,590 GRT and damaged the fighter catapult ship HMS Ariguani, of 6,746 GRT.^[2]^[7]

U-83 was sunk on 4 March 1943 with all hands southeast of Cartagena in Spain in position 37°10′N 00°05′E / 37.167°N 0.083°E / 37.167; 0.083, by three depth charges dropped from an RAF Hudson bomber (500 Squadron).^[2]^[1]

Wolfpacks

U-83 took part in three wolfpacks, namely:

Bosemüller (28 August - 2 September 1941)
Seewolf (2 – 7 September 1941)
Breslau (2 – 29 October 1941)

Summary of raiding history

Date	Ship	Nationality	Tonnage^{[Note 1]}	Fate^[8]
12 October 1941	Corte Real	Portugal	2,044	Sunk
26 October 1941	HMS Ariguani	Royal Navy	6,746	Damaged
17 March 1942	Crista	United Kingdom	2,590	Damaged
8 June 1942	Esther	Palestine	100	Sunk
8 June 1942	Said	Egypt	231	Sunk
9 June 1942	Typhoon	Palestine	175	Sunk
13 June 1942	HMS Farouk	Royal Navy	96	Sunk
17 August 1942	Princess Marguerite	Canada	5,875	Sunk

References

Notes

^ Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.

Citations

^ ^a ^b Kemp 1999, p. 105.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIB boat U-83". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 27 December 2009.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-83". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 27 December 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gröner, Jung & Maass 1991, pp. 43–44.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Type VIIB". U-Boat War in World War II. Uboat.net. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "HMS Farouk (Q-ship)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 27 December 2009.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "HMS Ariguani (F 105) (Fighter catapult ship)". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 27 December 2009.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-83". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net.

Bibliography

Bishop, Chris (2006). Kriegsmarine U-Boats, 1939–45. London: Amber Books. ISBN 978-1-904687-96-2.
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). Der U-Boot-Krieg, 1939-1945: Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945] (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
Gröner, Eric; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). German Warships 1815-1945: U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
Kemp, Paul (1999). U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.

External links

Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIB boat U-83". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
Hofmann, Markus. "U 83". Deutsche U-Boote 1935–1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 8 December 2014.
"U-boat Archive - U-boat KTB - U-83 9th War Patrol". Retrieved 13 April 2017.