Type: IX-C
Built by: Seebeckwerft (Bremerhaven)
Launched: 3 November 1941
Commissioned: 23 March 1942
Feldpost Nr.: M35882
Sunk: I August 1942
Sunk by: USCG Aircraft
Location sunk: off New Orleans
Position sunk: 28.37N x 90.45W (All hands lost)

The only Skipper of U-166 was Oberleutnant zur See HansGunther Kuhlmann.

U-166 had one patrol in the North Atlantic before her second and final patrol sent her to the American Gulf Coast. She laid nine mines in the Mississippi River Passes over the night of 24-25 July 1942. No ships ran onto any of her mines.

U-166 is somewhat of a 'ghost ship' in that the position of her loss is known to all and the water is only 60 feet deep (not even twenty meters) but no one (to our knowledge) has been able to locate U-166. In addition, there have been so many stones and reportings about U-166 and all, it seems, are no more than local romance legends.

SHIPS SUNK BY U-166

07.11.42 CARMEN Domin Sail 84 GRT

07.13.42 ONEIDA Amer stmr2,309 GRT
Built in 1920, ONEIDA was a fairly old ship. She was owned by the Ford Motor Company and operated by Agwilines. Her Master was Walter Franklin Deal and she was unarmed. She was in ballast (carrying no cargo) at the time of the attack. She drew a little over 13 feet and was making 10 knots when hit. She cleared San Juan, Puerto Rico bound for Punta Gorda, Cuba. She was part of Convoy NG.359 but somehow, dropped out of formation and became a straggler. She was about two miles north of Cape Maysi when Kuhlmann fired his torpedo. The wake of the torpedo was spotted on board ONEIDA, but there was no time to take evasive action and the torpedo hit amidships, just aft of the engineroom and right at the waterline.The blast did extensive damage to ONEIDA, and she went down in just three minutes. The ship went down so fast there was no time to launch lifeboats-, only two rafts got away from the sinking ship. Two of the eight officers and four of the twenty-one men died in this attack-, three of them on watch below decks. it took only a few hours for the survivors to reach the Cuban coast.

07.16.42 GERTRUDE Amer Fisher 16 GRT

07.30.42 ROBERTE.LEE Amerstmr5,184 GRT
Built in 1925, owned by the Eastern SS Company and operated by the Alcoa SS Company, this ship under Master William C. Heath, carried 47 tons of general cargo and personal effects. She mounted a single 3-inch gun, drew a little more than 16 feet and was making good speed when hit. She had departed Port of Spain, Trinidad headed for Tampa, Florida but could not obtain a pilot. She was then directed to New Orleans and went under escort from PC 566. Lookouts saw a torpedo path just a couple hundred yards off the ship. No time to evade, The explosion destroyed the #3 hold and blew through B and C decks, Wrecking the engines, radio equipment and steering gear. PC 566 began dropping depth charges until the ship went down, stern first, in about fifteen minutes. One of the 8 officers, nine of the crew of 122 men, and fifteen of the 268 passengers died. Almost all of the passengers were survivors of other sinkings returning to the USA. None of the 6 Armed Guards were lost. The survivors were picked up by their escort PC 566 along with SC 519 and the tug UNDERWRITER, and taken to Venice, LA.

More U-166

U-166 Profile and History
Official US Coast Guard Reports of the Action: Introduction
US Coast Guard Report: July 31, 1942
US Coast Guard Report: August 1, 1942
Report: July 24, 1942 Sinking of the SS Oneida
Report: August 5, 1942 Sinking of the SS Oneida
Report: Summary of Statements from M/S Gertrude Survivors
Report: August 13, 1942 Sinking of the SS Robert E. Lee