Type IXC
Laid down 11 Oct, 1940 AG Weser, Bremen
Commissioned 4 Sep, 1941 Kptlt. Werner Hartenstein (Knights Cross)
Commanders 4 Sep, 1941 - 8 Mar, 1943 KrvKpt. Werner Hartenstein (Knights Cross)
Career 5 patrols 4 Sep, 1941 - 31 Dec, 1941 4. Flottille (training)
1 Jan, 1942 - 8 Mar, 1943 2. Flottille (front boat)
Successes 20 ships sunk for a total of 97.205 GRT
3 ships damaged for a total of 18.811 GRT
1 warship damaged for a total of 1.190 tons
Fate Sunk at 1315hrs on 8 March, 1943 east of Barbados, in position 12.38N, 54.39W, by depth charges from a US Catalina aircraft (VP-53/P-1). 53 dead (all hands lost).
On 12 September, 1942 U-156 sank the Allied liner Laconia west of Africa in what has become known as the Laconia incident. Please check out this page which has several photos and map of the area.
Men lost from the boat
16 Feb, 1942
U-156 began to shell the oil refinery at Aruba in the Caribbean, but the gun crew forgot to remove the water plug from the barrel, causing an explosion that killed one man [Matrosengefreiter Heinrich Büssinger]. The gunnery officer [II WO Leutnant zur See Dietrich von dem Borne, see right] lost his right leg in this incident, and so had to be put ashore into captivity at Martinique on 21 February. The commander decided to saw off the ruined portion of the gun barrel, and using this shorter barrel, on 27 February U-156 sank a 2,498-ton British steamer.
Related: For more info on such losses see - Men lost from U-156
