List of all U-boats
U-155
Type | IXC | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ordered | 25 Sep 1939 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Laid down | 1 Oct 1940 | AG Weser, Bremen (werk 997) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Launched | 12 May 1941 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Commissioned | 23 Aug 1941 | Kptlt. Adolf Cornelius Piening (Knights Cross) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Commanders |
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| Career 10 patrols |
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| Successes | 25 ships sunk, total tonnage 126,664 GRT 1 warship sunk, total tonnage 13,785 tons 1 auxiliary warship damaged, total tonnage 6,736 GRT | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fate |
Surrendered on 5 May 1945 at Baring Bay near Frederica, Denmark. Transferred from Wilhelmshaven to Loch Ryan, Scotland on 22 June 1945. Operation Deadlight (post-war Allied operation, info) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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This boat is a dive site
Innes McCartney dove on this boat in 2001 (see his report).
Depth: 240 feet (73 meters)Position (lat, long): 55.35, -7.39
See more U-boat dive sites.
Wolfpack operations
U-155 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
Westwall (8 Nov 1942 - 16 Dec 1942)
Attacks on this boat and other events
19 Aug 1942
A man was lost overboard during an air attack off the coast of French Guyana, S. America. [Maschinengefreiter Konrad Garneier]
27 Apr 1943
While inbound to France the boat repelled a nighttime attack by an unidentified aircraft, reaching Lorient three days later. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 219)
14 Jun 1943
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down:Polish Mosquito HJ648 (307 Sqdn RAF/B, pilot S/L S. Szablowski)
09.29 hrs, Bay of Biscay north of Corunna: four Mosquito aircraft (three from 307 Polish Sqdn RAF and one from 410 Sqdn RCAF) attacked a group of five outbound boats (U-68, U-155, U-159, U-415 and U-634). The leading Mosquito first strafed U-68 and then U-155, but its port engine stopped after being hit by flak and the aircraft was forced to return to base at Predannack, Cornwall, where it made a belly landing. A Mosquito piloted by F/O J. Pelka then made an attack run, but without firing, and the remaining aircraft were held off by an intense barrage of flak.Five of the crew of U-155 were wounded, two badly. The boat returned to base with U-68, whose doctor was transferred to treat the wounded on the way.
(Sources: Franks/Zimmerman/Ritschel)21 Nov 1943
U-155 was severely damaged by enemy aircraft.
23 Jun 1944
A Mosquito (248 Sqn RAF/P) attacked the boat. Two men were killed and seven wounded. The boat was close to port when attacked and reached Lorient the same day.
[Matrosenobergefreiter Karl Lohmeier, Mechanikerobergefreiter Friedrich Feller]
4 May 1945
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down:
British P-51 Mustang Mk.III KH578 (126 Sqn RAF/B, pilot SqnLdr Arne Austeen)
On 4 May 1945, U-155 was en route with U-680 and U-1233 from Germany to Norway through the Little Belt when they were strafed by Mustang fighters of 126 Squadron which were escorting Beaufighters of the North Coates Strike Wing. The flight broke off the attack after the leading Mustang was shot down, killing the CO of the squadron.
6 recorded attacks on this boat.
General notes on this boat
The crew of U-155 held their 25th meeting in September 1995! "Onboard" were the former Commander Oblt. Rudolph and the British pilot who bombed the boat in 1944 when she was returning to her base in Lorient.
The first commander of U-155, Adolf Piening, invented the so-called Piening-Route as a means to travel the Bay of Biscay.
15 Aug 1944. U-155 had the youngest U-boat Commander during the war, Leutnant zur See Ludwig-Ferdinand von Friedeburg. He took over the command of U-155 on 15 August 1944. He was 20 years and 3 months old at the time.
Schnorchel-fitted U-boat
This boat was fitted with a Schnorchel underwater-breathing apparatus and sailed equipped with it in August 1944 but it was of course installed prior to that date.
Read more about the Schnorchel and see list of fitted boats.
Men lost from the boat
10 Mar 1942
On the return from the US eastern seaboard, I WO Oberleutnant zur See Gert Rentrop was lost overboard.
19 Aug 1942
A man was lost overboard during an air attack off the coast of French Guyana, S. America. [Maschinengefreiter Konrad Garneier]
14 Jun 1943
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down:
Polish Mosquito HJ648 (307 Sqdn RAF/B, pilot S/L S. Szablowski)
09.29 hrs, Bay of Biscay north of Corunna: four Mosquito aircraft (three from 307 Polish Sqdn RAF and one from 410 Sqdn RCAF) attacked a group of five outbound boats (U-68, U-155, U-159, U-415 and U-634). The leading Mosquito first strafed U-68 and then U-155, but its port engine stopped after being hit by flak and the aircraft was forced to return to base at Predannack, Cornwall, where it made a belly landing. A Mosquito piloted by F/O J. Pelka then made an attack run, but without firing, and the remaining aircraft were held off by an intense barrage of flak.
Five of the crew of U-155 were wounded, two badly. The boat returned to base with U-68, whose doctor was transferred to treat the wounded on the way.
23 Jun 1944
A Mosquito (248 Sqn RAF/P) attacked the boat. Two men were killed and seven wounded. The boat was close to port when attacked and reached Lorient the same day.
[Matrosenobergefreiter Karl Lohmeier, Mechanikerobergefreiter Friedrich Feller]
Related: For more info on such losses see - Men lost from U-boats -
U-boat Emblems
We have 2 emblem entries for this boat. See the emblem page for this boat or view emblems individually below.
 Star with U-boat |
 Coat of Arms of Schwelm |
Media links
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There was another U-155 in World War One
That boat was launched from its shipyard on 28 Mar 1916 and commissioned into the Imperial Navy on 19 Feb 1917. The Naval war in WWI was brought to an end with the Armistice signed on 11 Nov, 1918. Read about SM U 155 during WWI.
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