German submarine U-160 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine built for service during World War II. The keel for this boat was laid down on 21 November 1940 at the DeSchiMAG AG Weser yard in Bremen, Germany as yard number 1010. She was launched on 12 July 1941 and commissioned on 16 October under the command of Kapitänleutnant Georg Lassen (Knight's Cross).

The U-boat's service began in training with the 4th U-boat Flotilla. She lost seven men and one was injured in a fire on 14 December 1941 at Danzig (now Gdańsk, Poland). She then moved to the 10th flotilla on 1 March 1942 for operations.

She sank 26 ships, totalling and damaged five more, for 34,419 GRT. She was sunk by American carrier-borne aircraft on 14 July 1943.

Design German Type IXC submarines were slightly larger than the original Type IXBs. U-160 had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. The U-boat had a total length of , a pressure hull length of , a beam of , a height of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to .

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . U-160 was fitted with six torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 torpedoes, one SK C/32 naval gun, 180 rounds, and a SK C/30 as well as a C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of forty-eight.

Service history

Before starting on her first patrol, U-160 made a brief journey from Wilhelmshaven to Helgoland on 24 February 1942.

First and second patrols She departed the German island on 1 March 1942, crossed the North Sea entered the Atlantic Ocean via the Faroe / Shetland gap and headed for the US east coast. Her first victim was Equipoise, sunk on 27 March 1942 southeast of Cape Henry, Virginia. The confusion of the sinking was not helped by there being nationals from at least ten countries among the crew. The boat went on to successfully attack City of New York, Rio Blanco and Ulysses. One ship that did not sink was Bidwell; indeed, she survived the war, not being broken up until 1965.

U-160s second foray saw the boat leave Lorient on 20 June 1942. She crossed the Atlantic again but made for the northern coast of South America. The pickings were just as rich here as they had been further north. Sinking Beaconlight, Carmona and the Treminnard, who were all sailing without an escort, was accomplished within of Trinidad. She also damaged Thorshavet, an 11,015 GRT tanker, with torpedo and gun on 4 August 1942. The drifting wreck was subsequently sunk by the Italian submarine Enrico Tazzoli on 6 August. U-160 returned to Lorient on the 24th.

Third patrol It was during her third patrol that the boat almost came to grief. She sank HMS Castle Harbour, which was travelling as part of Convoy TRIN-19 from Trinidad at 2120 hours on 16 October 1942. The ship sank within twenty seconds with the loss of nine of her twenty-two crew.Castle Harbour, Uboat.netThe Andrew and the Onions: The Story of the Royal Navy in Bermuda, 1795–1975, Lt. Commander Ian Stranack, The Bermuda Maritime Museum Press, The Bermuda Maritime Museum, The Keep, Royal Naval Dockyard, Ireland Island, Sandys Parish, Bermuda. Postal address: P.O. Box MA 133, Mangrove Bay, Bermuda MA BX. U-160 herself was attacked by the escorts of the convoy, but the damage was slight. The submarine returned to her former hunting grounds off South America and sank Gypsum Express and Leda to name but two.

Fourth patrol Her fourth sortie was her longest, at 125 days, but also her most successful. Moving into the south Atlantic, she sank on 8 February. She then attacked and sank Nirpura, Empire Mahseer and Marietta E. east of South Africa. Also lost with Marietta E. were eight landing craft. Other ships were also sunk. When the submariners questioned the survivors of Aelbryn, they misunderstood the ship's name, reporting it as Arian, an American vessel.

Fifth patrol and loss By now she was based in Bordeaux, from which she departed on 29 June 1943. She was sunk by TBM Avenger and F4F Wildcat aircraft from the carrier USS Santee south of the Azores on 14 July 1943 with the loss of all 57 on board.

Summary of raiding history Date Name Nationality Tonnage(GRT) Fate27 March 1942Equipoise6,210Sunk29 March 1942City of New York8,272Sunk1 April 1942Rio Blanco4,086Sunk6 April 1942Bidwell6,837Damaged9 April 1942Malchace3,516Sunk11 April 1942Ulysses14,647Sunk16 July 1942Beaconlight6,926Sunk18 July 19425,496Sunk21 July 1942Donovonia8,149Sunk25 July 1942Telamon2,078Sunk29 July 1942Prescodoc1,938Sunk2 August 1942Treminnard4,694Sunk4 August 1942Havsten6,161Damaged16 October 1942730Sunk16 October 1942Winona6,197Damaged3 November 1942Chr. J. Kampmann2,260Sunk3 November 1942Gypsum Express4,034Sunk3 November 1942Leda8,546Sunk3 November 1942Thorshavet11,015Sunk6 November 1942Arica5,431Sunk11 November 1942City of Ripon6,368Sunk21 November 1942Bintang6,481Sunk8 February 1943Roger B. Taney7,191Sunk3 March 1943Harvey W. Scott7,176Sunk3 March 1943Nipura5,961Sunk3 March 1943Tibia10,356Damaged3 March 1943Empire Mahseer5,087Sunk4 March 1943Marietta E.7,628Sunk4 March 1943Sheaf Crown4,868Damaged8 March 1943James B. Stephens7,176Sunk11 March 1943Aelbryn4,986Sunk

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