Her service was carried out, first with the
1st U-boat Flotilla then the
22nd flotilla; she stayed with the latter organization for most of her career.
Design
German Type IID submarines were enlarged versions of the original
Type IIs. U-145 had a displacement of 314 tonnes (309 long tons) when at the surface and 364 tonnes (358 long tons) while submerged. Officially, the standard tonnage was 250 long tons (254 t), however.[3] The U-boat had a total length of 43.97 m (144 ft 3 in), a
pressure hull length of 29.80 m (97 ft 9 in), a
beam of 4.92 m (16 ft 2 in), a height of 8.40 m (27 ft 7 in), and a
draught of 3.93 m (12 ft 11 in). The submarine was powered by two
MWM RS 127 S four-stroke, six-cylinder
diesel engines of 700 metric horsepower (510 kW; 690 shp) for cruising, two
Siemens-Schuckert PG VV 322/36
double-acting electric motors producing a total of 410 metric horsepower (300 kW; 400 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 0.85 m (3 ft)
propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 80–150 metres (260–490 ft).[3]
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 12.7 knots (23.5 km/h; 14.6 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.4 knots (13.7 km/h; 8.5 mph).[3] When submerged, the boat could operate for 35–42 nautical miles (65–78 km; 40–48 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 3,800 nautical miles (7,000 km; 4,400 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph). U-145 was fitted with three 53.3 cm (21 in)
torpedo tubes at the bow, five
torpedoes or up to twelve Type A torpedo mines, and a
2 cm (0.79 in) anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a
complement of 25.[3]
Operational career
U-145 did not sink or damage any ships, but she conducted three war patrols all in 1941.
References
^
abHelgason, Guðmundur.
"The Type IID boat U-145". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 July 2012.
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.
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.