German submarine U-172

U-Boat Infobox
type=IXC| fieldpost number=
yard number=
order date=
keel=
launch=
commission=5 November, 1941| yard=AG Weser, Bremen
U_Boat Command
startdate=5 November, 1941| enddate=31 October, 1943
name=Carl Emmermann| U_Boat Command| startdate=1 November, 1943
enddate=13 December, 1943
name=Hermann Hoffmann
U_Boat Sink
type=Type of Ship Sunk
total=Number of Ships Sunk
tonnage=Gross Registered Tonnage
U_Boat Sink
type=Commercial Vessels
total=26
tonnage=152,778
U_Boat Sink
type=Military Vessels
total=-
tonnage=-

Unterseeboot 172 or U-172 was a German World War II Type IXC long-range submarine commissioned on 5 November 1941. U-172 was assigned to 4. Unterseebootsflottille ("4th U-Boat Flotilla") for training, later on 1 May 1942 U-172 was assigned to 10. Unterseebootsflottille, an operational long-range flotilla. U-172 completed six patrols, and was very successful sinking 26 ships totalling 152,778 Gross Register Tonnage.

U-172 was sunk on 13 December 1943, in the mid-Atlantic west of the Canary Islands by Avengers and Wildcats from the escort carrier USS|Bogue|CVE-9|6 and the destroyers USS|George E. Badger|DD-196|2, USS|Clemson|DD-186|2, USS|Osmond Ingram|DD-255|2 and USS|Du Pont|DD-152|2. The battle between U-172 and the small armada of ships and planes lasted 27 hours and as many as 200 depth charges were dropped by the destroyers. 13 of U-172’s crew were killed and 46 survived the sinking.

References

*Bishop, C. "Kriegsmarine U-Boats, 1939-45". Amber Books, 2006.