Follow Up on the U-168-- Part 2

Continued from my Dec. 6. 2013, entry. This all came about because of the November 2013 announcement that the wreck of the U-168 had been found off the coast of Indonesia. I was a bit surprised by this an I was unaware of German submarines operating in the Indian and Pacific oceans. I needed to do some more research.

From Wikipedia.

FIRST PATROL: In the North Atlantic, arrived at Lorient in Occupied France May 18, 1943.

SECOND PATROL; Was moved to the Indian Ocean and sank the British ship SS Haiching off Bombay Oct. 2, 1943. Attacked by a Catalina flying boat 3 Nov. when four 250 pound depth charges were dropped. Survived and arrived Penang, Malaya 11 November.

THIRD PATROL: Most successful patrol. Left Panang 7 Feb. 1944 and fired three torpedoes at the HMS Salviking (a salvage ship) off Ceylon on the 14th and sank it. On the 15th, the U-168 sank the Greek ship Epaminonas C. Embincis off Maldives. It damaged a Norwegian ship on the 21st with its last torpedo, surfaced, but couldn't sink it because there was no ammunition left for the deck gun. Returned to Jakarta 24 March.

FOURTH PATROL: Left Jakarta Oct. 5, 1944. The next day, the U-168 was torpedoed by a Dutch submarine and lost 23 men and 27 were captured. (You also rarely hear of Dutch naval forces in the war.)

In late 2013, divers found the wreck, though it might possibly the U-183.

--GreGen