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Erich Topp's Red Devil
© S. Burbridge
Image courtesy of SubArt.net
U-Boat Operations
Major contributors to this section:
Commanders, Flotillas & Yards —  Fernando Almeida
Ships, General —  Werner Freitag
Ship Details —  David Rayner & Walter Janssens
Detail Consultant —  Horst Schmeisser
Patrols, Fates and Air Attacks —  Howard Cock

U-16Type IIB
Feldpost NumberM 13 014
Construction YardDeutsche Werke AG, Kiel-Gaarden
Yard Number251
Ordered2nd Feb 1935
Keel laid5th Aug 1935
Launched28th Apr 1936
Commissioned16th May 1936
BaubelehrungMarinelehr-und Reparaturwerkstatt, Kiel
Training, Flotillas and Duties
05.36 - 10.37U-Flottille Weddigen, Kiel
Schulboot (training boat)
Frontboot (operational)
10.37 - 10.39U-Flottille Lohs, Kiel
Frontboot (operational)
U-Abwehrschule
Schulboot (training boat)
Commanders
16.05.36 - 29.09.37KL Heinz Beduhn
see also: U-10 U-18 U-23 U-25 
30.09.37 - 11.10.39KL Hannes Weingärtner
see also: U-4 U-10 U-16 U-851 
08.10.37 - 17.10.39OL ~ KL Udo Behrens
see also: U-24 U-17 U-845 
12.10.39 - 25.10.39KL Horst Wellner
see also: U-14 

Operations information for U-16
02.09.1939 - 08.09.1939
First Sailing - active patrol
U-16 left Wilhelmshaven under the command of Hannes Weingärtner on 2nd Sep 1939 for operations off Hartlepool and arrived at Kiel on 8th Sep 1939 after six days.
13.09.1939 - 05.10.1939
Second Sailing - active patrol
On the 13th Sep 1939, U-16 left Kiel under the command of Hannes Weingärtner for operations off Norway and returned to Kiel on 5th Oct 1939 after just over three weeks on patrol.
Hannes Weingärtner hit one ship on this patrol.
  • On 28th Sep 1939 he sank the Swedish 3,378 ton Nyland.
18.10.1939 - 25.10.1939
Third Sailing - active patrol
U-16 departed under Horst Wellner from Kiel on 18th Oct 1939 for operations in the English Channel. U-16 was sunk on 25th Oct 1939.

U-16 laid mines on this patrol. These mines were hit by 1 ship.
The 57 ton French Sainte Claire was sunk by a mine on 21st Nov 1939.

Notes for U-16
U-16 was located and attacked by HMS Puffin and HMT Cayton Wyke near Goodwin Sands (E of Dover) on 25th October 1939. KL Wellner radiod that the boat was heavily damaged and would scuttle. Nothing further was heard from U-16, it was found later that day on Goodwin Sands, all crew either dead with their boat or washed ashore elsewhere. According to Axel Niestlé the boat may have struck a mine after reporting damage.

We have 46 crew names for this boat. click here for crew names of U 16
You can perform other crew searches here. Note that the number of names we give possibly includes prior crew members.

You can discuss this boat or ask questions at the ubootwaffe.net forums

We have an approximate position of 51°09N 01°28E for where U 16 went down, mapped below. The cross represents the position best estimated.

Mercator projection map ©ubootwaffe.net
We have extra information on
2 relevant ships here:

NYLAND

STE.CLAIR

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