German submarine U - 159 ( 1941 ) German submarine " U - 159 " was a Type IXC U - boat of the Nazi German " Kriegsmarine " built for service during World War II . The keel for this boat was laid down on 11 November 1940 at the AG Weser yard in Bremen , Germany as ' werk ' 1009 . She was launched on 1 July 1941 and commissioned on 4 October under the command of " Kapitänleutnant " Helmut Witte ( Knight ' s Cross ) . The U - boat ' s service began with training as part of the 4th U - boat Flotilla . She then moved to the 10th flotilla on 1 May 1942 for operations . She sank 22 ships , totalling 119 , 554 tons and damaged one more , of 265 tons . She was sunk by an American aircraft in July 1943 . Operational career . 1st and 2nd patrols . The submarine ' s first patrol took her from Kiel on 22 April 1942 , across the North Sea and into the Atlantic Ocean through the gap between the Faroe and Shetland Islands . She arrived at Lorient , in occupied France , on 3 May . She would be based at this Atlantic port for the rest of her career . " U - 159 " s second sortie proved to be successful , sinking ships such as the " Montenol " on 21 May 1942 east southeast of Santa Maria , in the Azores . She also attacked the " Illinios " , which with a cargo of 8 , 000 tons of manganese ore , sank in 40 seconds . The U - boat ' s deck gun got plenty of use , sinking the " Sally " on 5 June and the " Flora " on the 18th . On another occasion , due to rough seas , the weapon could not be used in the attack on the Brazilian sailing ship " Paracury " ; her 20mm AA gun was used instead . Holes at the waterline were shot into the vessel , which capsized but did not sink . The wreck was subsequently recovered and repaired . < br > The boat was attacked by a Leigh Light equipped Vickers Wellington aircraft of No . 172 Squadron RAF on 13 July 1942 . She was severely damaged and barely managed to reach Lorient , some 12 hours later . 3rd patrol . Her third foray was to the South Atlantic and at 135 days , her longest and most destructive . Attacking and sinking among others , the " Boringia " , the " Empire Nomad " and the " Ross " . The boat was attacked by a SAAF [ South African Air Force ] Lockheed Ventura on 10 October 1942 ; only minor damage was sustained . She also torpedoed and sank the " La Salle " on 7 November 1942 . When the ships ' cargo of ammunition exploded , it was heard at the Cape Point lighthouse , more than away . Another of her victims , the " Star of Scotland " , ( which despite the name was registered in the US ) , was a steel sailing ship which was attacked and sunk with the deck gun about west of Luderitz Bay , South Africa . Her master was to be taken away as a prisoner , but he was returned to his men after he pointed out to the submariners that he was the only man who could navigate . Another " Star " , the " Star of Suez " , was sunk . Amongst the floating debris were 45 aircraft tyres , a 20 hp electric motor and 120 grapefruits ; they were recovered by " U - 159 " . Another U - boat , " U - 134 " , which had been thwarted in her attempt to get into an attacking position in time , also managed to rescue some aircraft tyres and spare parts for cars . 4th patrol . On her fourth patrol , " U - 159 " sank the " Silverbeech " on 28 March 1943 south of the Canary Islands . The U - boat was attacked by aircraft ( she was one of eight ) , off the coast of Spanish , ( now Western ) Sahara . 5th patrol and loss . Her final patrol saw " U - 159 " depart Lorient on 12 June 1943 . She was sunk by a US Navy Mariner aircraft of VP - 32 .