In four patrols, U-132 sank ten ships for a total of 37,280
gross register tons (GRT) and 2,216 tons.[1] She was a member of three
wolfpacks. The submarine was lost after an attack on
Convoy SC-107 in November 1942.
Design
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter
Type VIIB submarines. U-132 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[2] She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in), a
pressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), a
beam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a
draught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by two
MAN 6-cylinder 4-stroke M 6 V 40/46 four-stroke, six-cylinder
superchargeddiesel 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
Brown, Boveri & Cie GG UB 720/8
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).[2]
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph).[2] When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-132 was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in)
torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen
torpedoes, one
8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a
2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a
complement of between forty-four and sixty.[2]
Service history
First patrol
U-132 departed on her first patrol when she left
Trondheim in Norway on 7 September 1941. Rounding the
North Cape, she criss-crossed that part of the
Barents Sea northwest of
Murmansk before heading further east. She sank two Soviet ships, Argun and SKR-11 Ural on 18 October.
The boat docked in
Kirkenes, also in Norway, on 21 October.
Second patrol
Having moved from Kirkenes back to Trondheim in late October 1941, U-132 commenced her second foray on 15 January 1942. Her route took her due west through the
gap between
Iceland and the
Faroe Islands to a point 10 nmi (19 km; 12 mi) west of
Reykjavík. Here she sank
USCGC Alexander Hamilton on the 29th.
She then moved to the port of
La Pallice in occupied France, arriving on 8 February.
Third patrol
The boat's most successful patrol began when she left
La Pallice on 10 June 1942. Having crossed the Atlantic Ocean, she attacked shipping in the
Gulf of St Lawrence.
On 6 July the U-132 sank 3 ships in short order, Anastasios Pateras, Hainaut and Dinaric, all southeast of
Cap Chat, Quebec from
convoy QS-15.[3]The convoy escort the Canadian minesweeper
HMCS Drummondville retaliated with a depth charge attack. The warship's
depth charges damaged the U-boat's ballast pumps and resulted in the loss of 4 m³ of fuel.
Fourteen days later on 20 July, the submarine attacked Frederika Lensen in convoy QS-19[3] near
Anticosti Island. The ship was towed to
Grand Valée Bay and beached, but with her back broken, she was declared a total loss.
On 29 July the U-132 sights
convoy ON-113 and the next day sinks one ship from it.[4]
The boat returned to La Pallice on 16 August.
Fourth patrol and loss
U-132 left La Pallice for the last time on 6 October 1942. Operating southeast of
Cape Farewell (Greenland), she was triumphant after sinking Hobbema and Empire Lynx, but was sunk, probably by falling debris from the ammunition ship Hatimura when that vessel exploded, following an attack by U-132 and
U-442 on 4 November. All 47 crew members died; there were no survivors.[5]
Had originally been recorded as sunk the next day, 5 November 1942, by British aircraft of
No. 120 Squadron RAF. The 120 Squadron attack, in the same area southeast of Cape Farewell where U-132 inadvertently sunk herself, had actually been on
U-89 operating nearby, causing severe damage but not sinking her.
^Helgason, Guðmundur.
"Hatimura". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 30 March 2009.
^Helgason, Guðmundur.
"Ships hit by U-132". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 11 July 2012.
Bibliography
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.
ISBN1-55750-186-6.
Rohwer, J.; Hummelchen, G. (1992). Chronology of the War at Sea 1939–1945. Naval Institute Press.
ISBN1-55750-105-X.
Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler.
ISBN3-8132-0514-2.
Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press.
ISBN0-85177-593-4.
External links
Helgason, Guðmundur.
"The Type VIIC boat U-132". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
Hofmann, Markus.
"U 132". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 9 December 2014.