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| Kriegsmarine Type IXC/40 U-boat 1,120 Tons (surfaced) 1,232 (submerged) 252' x 22' 8' x 14.5" 6 x 53.3cm torpedo tubes 4 bow, 2 stern with 22 torpedoes 10.5cm L45 deck gun with 110 rounds 72 x TMA sea mines  Kriegsmarine c1943  Kriegsmarine c1943 |
Sub History Built by AG Weser in Bremen, Germany. Ordered August 15, 1940. Laid down May 28, 1941 as Type IXC/40 Unterseeboot (U-Boat) werk number 1023. Launched January 9, 1942 as U-183. Commissioned April 1, 1942 in the Kriegsmarine (German Navy) under the command of Kapitänleutnant Heinrich Schäfer. That same day, assigned to 4 Flottille for training until the middle of September 1942. First War Patrol On September 19, 1942 departs Kiel on her first war patrol in the Atlantic Ocean. On October 1, 1942 assigned to 2. Flottille. On October 4, 1942 assigned to Wolfpack Luchs (Lynx) for two days. On October 7, 1942 assigned to Wolfpack Panther for five days. On December 2, 1942 torpedoed and sank British Steam merchant Empire Dabchick 200 nautical miles south east of Sable Island, Nova Scotia, Canada with the loss of all hands including 36 crew and 11 gunners. On December 23, 1942 arrives Lorient in France ending the patrol that lasted 96 days. Second War Patrol On January 30, 1943 departs Lorient on her second war patrol. On February 3, 1943 assigned to Wolfpack Hartherz (Hard hearted) in the Atlantic Ocean for five days. On March 11, 1943 torpedoes and sinks Honduran Steam merchant Olancho in the Gulf of Mexico roughly 30 miles west of Cape San Antonio on Cuba. On May 13, 1943 returns to Lorient ending the patrol that lasted 104 days. Third War Patrol On July 3, 1943 departs Lorient on a voyage bound for the Far East. In late July 1943 refueled at sea by U-155 in the Atlantic Ocean roughly 600 miles WNW of Cape Verde Islands then proceeds to the Indian Ocean with another at sea refueling by tanker Brake in late September 1943 roughly 450 miles south of Mauritius. On October 30, 1943 arrives Penang ending the patrol that lasted 120 days. In the Far East, patrols the Indian Ocean and uses Japanese bases in Malay and Netherlands East Indies (NEI) to refuel and resupply. On November 10, 1943 departs Penang and two days later arrives Singapore. On November 20, 1943 assigned to captain Kapitänleutnant Fritz Schneewind. On January 28, 1944 departs Singapore and three days later returns to Penang. Fourth War Patrol On February 10, 1944 departs Penang on her fourth war patrol. On February 29, 1944 sinks SS Palma. On March 9, 1944 while patrolling the Maldive Islands off Addu Atoll (Seenu) and fired a torpedo that penetrated a gab in the anti-torpedo net across the Gan Channel that hit MV British Loyalty on the starboard side destroying the engine room and flooding the no. 7, no. 8 and no. 9 tanks and caused a heavy starboard list but counter flooding saved the ship from completely sinking. On March 21, 1944 returns Penang ending the patrol that lasted 41 days. On May 3, 1944 departs Penang and returns three days later. On May 13, 1944 a crew member was killed in an accident while diving to prepare the submarine for the next patrol. Fifth War Patrol On May 17, 1944 departed Penang. On June 5, 1944 sank SS Helen Moller, the submarine's last confirmed sinking. On July 7, 1944 returns Penang ending the patrol that lasted 52 days. Sometime in August 1944 departs Penang and moves to Singapore. On October 1, 1944 assigned to 33. Flottille (Monsoon Group). On October 16, 1944 departs Singapore bound for Japan. On October 30, 1944 arrives Kobe. On February 22, 1945 departs Kobe bound for Java. On March 9, 1945 arrives Batavia (Jakarta). Sixth War Patrol On April 21, 1945 departs Batavia (Jakarta) on her sixth war patrol. Sinking History On April 23, 1945 at 7:29am in the Java Sea north of Soerabaja spotted by USS Besugo SS-321 that fired a spread of six torpedoes with one hitting U-183 amidships and caused it to sink in the Java Sea at roughly Lat 4.57S, Long 112.52E. Aboard, 54 of the crew including Kptlt. Fritz Schneewind were lost in the sinking. Fates of the Crew Only one crew member survived the sinking. Wreck The wreck of U-183 was first found by Indonesian fisherman and diver Mr. Shinatria Adhityatama and reported to authorities as a "tube-shaped ship" east of Karimun Island off Java in the Java Sea. On November 4, 2013 a team of SCUBA divers from the National Archeology Center Research Team and Gadjah Mada University (UGM) dove the shipwreck and removed artifacts. The stern was damaged or missing. The divers penetrated the wreck and found deposits of sand and silt inside plus several skulls. The artifacts recovered included two plates with Reichsadler (German Eagle holding a wreathed swastika) the insignia of Nazi Germany. Also, a battery, electric panel cover and switch, shirt button with anchors, a pair of binoculars, diving goggles and breathing tubes. Afterwards, these items were examined at the National Archaeological Headquarters and helped to confirm the wreck as a World War II U-Boat. The wreck is presumed to be U-183 based on the sinking location. References U-boot-archiv.de U-183 profile in German Uboat.net - U-183 UBoat.net - Patrols by U-183 Uboat.net - The Monsun boats operations in the Indian Ocean Uboat.net - Olancho Honduran Steam merchant sunk by U-183 on March 11, 1943 HyperWar Foundation - Blockade-Running Between Europe and the Far East by Submarines, 1942-44 Deutsches U-Boot Museum - The Voyage to the Far East Der Spiegel "Sunken Sub: German WWII U-Boat Found Near Indonesia" November 21, 2013 via Wayback Machine November 28, 2013 Mysteries of Nazi U-Boat Submarines in Indonesia November 21, 2013 page in Indonesian Contribute
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