U-177

Type

IXD2

Ordered

28 May 1940

Laid down

25 Nov 1940

AG Weser, Bremen (werk 1017)

Launched

1 Oct 1941

Commissioned

14 Mar 1942

Kptlt. Wilhelm Schulze

Commanders

14 Mar 1942 - 23 Mar 1943	KrvKpt. Wilhelm Schulze
24 Mar 1942 - 16 Oct 1943	KrvKpt. Robert Gysae (Knights Cross)
17 Oct 1943 - 6 Feb 1944	KrvKpt. Heinz Buchholz

Career

3 patrols

14 Mar 1942 - 30 Sep 1942  4. Flottille (training)
1 Oct 1942 - 30 Nov 1942  10. Flottille (front boat)
1 Dec 1942 - 6 Feb 1944  12. Flottille (front boat)

Successes

14 ships sunk for a total of 87,388 GRT
1 ship damaged for a total of 2,588 GRT

Fate

Sunk 6 Feb, 1944 in the South Atlantic west of Ascension Island, in position 10.35S, 23.15W, by depth charges from a US Liberator aircraft (VB-107/B-3). 50 dead and 15 survivors.

See the 15 ships hit by U-177 - View the 3 war patrols

Attacks on this boat

23 Sep 1942
At 13.30 hours, the crash-diving boat was bombed by a twin-engined aircraft southeast of Iceland. It was not damaged by the bomb and escaped submerged.

6 Jun 1943
While tracking a convoy off the lower west coast of Africa in heavy fog the boat suddenly found itself right inside the convoy and quickly under deck-gun fire from the convoy ships. A Canadian Catalina aircraft (RCAF Sqdn 413) also arrived and dropped 3 bombs on the boat which narrowly escaped. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 301)

2 recorded attacks on this boat.