German submarine U-171
U-505, a typical Type IXC boat | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-171 |
| Ordered | 23 December 1939 |
| Builder | DeSchiMAG AG Weser, Bremen |
| Yard number | 1011 |
| Laid down | 1 December 1940 |
| Launched | 22 July 1941 |
| Commissioned | 25 October 1941 |
| Fate | Sunk by a mine 9 October 1942 in the Bay of Biscay. 22 crew killed, 30 survivors. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Type IXC submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
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| Beam |
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| Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion |
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| Speed |
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| Range |
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| Complement | 4 officers, 44 enlisted |
| Armament |
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| Service record | |
| Part of: |
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| Identification codes: | M 29 121 |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: |
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| Victories: |
3 merchant ships sunk (17,641 GRT) |
German submarine U-171 was a Type IXC U-boat of Germany's Kriegsmarine built for service during World War II. It was laid down on 1 December 1940 at the DeSchiMAG AG Weser yard at Bremen as yard number 1011, launched on 22 July 1941, and commissioned on 25 October 1941 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Günther Pfeffer.
After training with the 4th U-boat Flotilla, U-171 was transferred to the 10th U-boat Flotilla for front-line service on 1 July 1942. It was sent to patrol in the Gulf of Mexico. It was sunk by a naval mine in the Bay of Biscay 115 days into its first and only patrol, whilst returning to Lorient in occupied France, with the loss of 22 of its crew of 54. For many years it was believed U-166 was sunk by an American aircraft in what was, in reality, an unsuccessful attack on U-171 in the Gulf of Mexico.