Reiner Dierksen

Korvettenkapitän (Crew 31)

Successes
11 ships sunk, total tonnage 53,307 GRT

Born	24 Mar 1908		Esenshausen, Baden-Württemberg
Died	15 May 1943	(35)	Cuban waters

Ranks

1 Apr 1933		Offiziersanwärter
1 Jul 1934		Fähnrich zur See
1 Apr 1935		Leutnant zur See
1 Jan 1937		Oberleutnant zur See
1 Oct 1939		Kapitänleutnant
1 May 1943		Korvettenkapitän

Decorations

1940		Iron Cross 2nd Class
1940		Minesweeper War Badge
3 Oct 1942		Iron Cross 1st Class
19 Feb 1943		U-boat War Badge 1939
7 Jan 1944		German Cross in Gold (posthumous)

U-boat Commands

U-boat	From	To
U-176	15 Dec 1941	15 May 1943 (+)	3 patrols (216 days)

Reiner Dierksen joined the Germany Navy (Reichsmarine) in 1933. From Oct 1938 to June 1940 he was Commander M 5 of the 1st Mineseweeping flotilla, then he was the Commander of the 32nd Minesweeping flotilla until March 1941.

Kapitänleutnant Reiner Dierksen began his U-boat training in March 1941, then took his U-boat Commander training and U-boat familiarization until 15 Dec 1941 when he commissioned the type IXC U-176 at Bremen.

On his second patrol with U-176 Dierksen ran into one of the most stubborn victims of the entire war when he spent almost 48 hours hunting the Dutch freighter Polydorus before finally sinking her with his 7th and 8th torpedoes! (Blair, 1998).

Korvettenkapitän Reiner Dierksen died when his U-176 was sunk with all hands, 53 men, on its 3 war patrol north of Cuba on 15 May 1943 by Cuban patrol boat CS 13. Dierksen had sunk 10 ships with a total of 45,850 GRT and one 7,457 GRT ship damaged.

Sources

Blair, C. (1998). Hitler’s U-boat War. The Hunted, 1942-1945.
Busch, R and Röll, H-J. (1998). German U-boat commanders of World War II.

Patrol info for Reiner Dierksen

	U-boat	Departure		Arrival
1.	U-176	21 Jul 1942	Kiel	2 Oct 1942	Lorient	Patrol 1,	74 days
2.	U-176	9 Nov 1942	Lorient	18 Feb 1943	Lorient	Patrol 2,	102 days
3.	U-176	6 Apr 1943	Lorient	15 May 1943	Sunk	Patrol 3,	40 days
3 patrols, 216 days at sea

Ships hit by Reiner Dierksen

Date	U-boat	Name of ship	Tons		Convoy
4 Aug 1942	U-176	Richmond Castle	7,798	br
8 Aug 1942	U-176	Kelso	3,956	br	SC-94
8 Aug 1942	U-176	Mount Kassion	7,914	gr	SC-94
8 Aug 1942	U-176	Trehata	4,817	br	SC-94
9 Aug 1942	U-176	Radchurch	3,701	br	SC-94
25 Aug 1942	U-176	Empire Breeze	7,457	br	ONS-122
27 Nov 1942	U-176	Polydorus	5,922	nl	ON-145
13 Dec 1942	U-176	Scania	1,629	sw
16 Dec 1942	U-176	Observer	5,881	br

13 May 1943	U-176	Mambi	1,983	cu	NC-18
13 May 1943	U-176	Nickeliner	2,249	am	NC-18
			53,307
11 ships sunk (53,307 tons). Legend We have a picture of this vessel.