Type | VIIB | |||||||||||||||||
| Ordered | 9 Jun 1938 | |||||||||||||||||
| Laid down | 5 Oct 1939 | Flender Werke AG, Lübeck (werk 291) | ||||||||||||||||
| Launched | 9 Dec 1940 | |||||||||||||||||
| Commissioned | 8 Feb 1941 | Oblt. Hans-Werner Kraus | ||||||||||||||||
| Commanders |
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| Career 12 patrols |
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| Successes | 5 ships sunk, total tonnage 8,425 GRT 1 auxiliary warship sunk, total tonnage 96 GRT 1 ship damaged, total tonnage 2,590 GRT 1 auxiliary warship damaged, total tonnage 6,746 GRT | |||||||||||||||||
| Fate |
Sunk on 4 March 1943 in the Mediterranean south-east of Cartagena, in position 37.10N, 00.05E, by depth charges from a British Hudson aircraft (500 Sqn RAF/V). 50 dead (all hands lost). | |||||||||||||||||
| Loss position | ||||||||||||||||||
Photo taken by the crew of Hudson "V" of 500 Sqn RAF which sank U-83 on 4 March 1943:
Three 100lb A/S bombs dropped from 1500 feet in the initial attack are falling short of U-83 which was subsequently
sunk by three depth charges dropped during a second attack run. Photo from Imperial War Museum, CNA-646
Wolfpack operations
U-83 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
Bosemüller (28 Aug 1941 - 2 Sep 1941)
Seewolf (2 Sep 1941 - 7 Sep 1941)
Breslau (2 Oct 1941 - 29 Oct 1941)
Attacks on this boat and other events
28 Dec 1941
An attack by a convoy escort in the Mediterranean damaged U-83 so severely she was forced to return to base at Salamis, Greece.
1 recorded attack on this boat.
General notes on this boat
21 Oct 1941. U-83 fired a spread of torpedoes at a British task force (which included the ageing aircraft carriers HMS Eagle and HMS Argus) in the Straits of Gibraltar. The boat reported a destroyer sunk, but no hits were in fact scored.
Men lost from U-boats
Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-83 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.
U-boat Emblems
We have 1 emblem entry for this boat. See the emblem page for this boat or view emblems individually below.
 Viking Ship |
Media links
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There was another U-83 in World War One
That boat was launched from its shipyard on 13 Jul 1916 and commissioned into the Imperial Navy on 6 Sep 1916. The Naval war in WWI was brought to an end with the Armistice signed on 11 Nov, 1918. Read about SM U 83 during WWI.
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