Date 23 April 1945 | Result United States victory | |
 | ||
none 54 killed,
1 wounded prisoner,
1 submarine sunk Similar World War II, Action of 10 Novembe, Second Battle of the Java, Action of 6 October 1944, Battle of Balikpapan | ||
The Action of 23 April 1945 was a submarine engagement of World War II that occurred in the Java Sea between Nazi Germany and the United States. It resulted in the last sinking of a German U-boat in Asian waters during the Pacific War and was one of only a few actions of the theater involving German forces.
Action
USS Besugo, under the command of Lieutenant Commander Herman Edward Miller, made radar contact with U-183 at about 01:00 off the southern coast of Borneo while patrolling the area. Underwater, the Americans fired a spread of torpedoes and one struck the U-boat which had a Japanese flag painted on the side. The German submarine sank quickly at position 04°50′S 112°52′E with 54 men still aboard, including Kapitänleutnant (Lieutenant Commander) Fritz Schneewind. Afterward, the Americans surfaced and rescued one wounded German warrant officer and took him prisoner.