German submarine U-402

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
History
Nazi Germany
NameU-402
Ordered23 September 1939
Builder
Danzig
Yard number103
Laid down22 April 1940
Launched28 December 1940
Commissioned21 May 1941
FateSunk on 13 October 1943 by
Mark 24 FIDO Torpedo from Grumman TBF Avenger aircraft of USS Card
General characteristics
Class and type
Type VIIC submarine
Displacement
Length
  • 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in)
    o/a
  • 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in)
    pressure hull
Beam
  • 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a
  • 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught4.74 m (15 ft 7 in)
Installed power
  • 2,800–3,200 PS (2,100–2,400 kW; 2,800–3,200 bhp) (diesels)
  • 750 PS (550 kW; 740 shp) (electric)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced
  • 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged
Range
  • 8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
  • 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth
  • 230 m (750 ft)
  • Crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft)
Complement4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
Armament
Service record
Part of:
Identification codes: M 43 571
Commanders:
  • Siegfried Freiherr von Forstner
  • 21 May 1941 – 13 October 1943
Operations:
  • 8 patrols:
  • 1st patrol:
  • 26 October – 9 December 1941
  • 2nd patrol:
  • 11 January – 11 February 1942
  • 3rd patrol:
  • 26 March – 20 May 1942
  • 4th patrol:
  • 16 June – 5 August 1942
  • 5th patrol:
  • 4 October – 20 November 1942
  • 6th patrol:
  • 14 January – 23 February 1943
  • 7th patrol:
  • 21 April – 26 May 1943
  • 8th patrol:
  • 4 September – 13 October 1943
Victories:
  • 14 merchant ships sunk
    (70,434 GRT)
  • 1 auxiliary warship sunk
    (602 GRT)
  • 3 merchant ships damaged
    (28,682 GRT)

German submarine U-402 was a

Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during World War II
.

She was

Siegfried Freiherr von Forstner in command.[2]

The boat commenced her career with the 3rd U-boat Flotilla on 21 May 1941 carrying-out training before moving on to operations on 1 October 1941. U-402 carried out eight combat patrols, sinking 14 merchantmen and one auxiliary warship for a total of 71,036 gross register tons (GRT) during the Second World War. She also damaged three other ships. The submarine was a member of twelve wolfpacks.

For his numerous successes, von Forstner received the Knight's Cross.

Design

supercharged diesel engines producing a total of 2,800 to 3,200 metric horsepower (2,060 to 2,350 kW; 2,760 to 3,160 shp) for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert GU 343/38–8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 metric horsepower (550 kW; 740 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m (4 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).[3]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph).

2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.[3]

Service history

First and second patrols

No ships were sunk during the first patrol which lasted from 26 October to 9 December 1941. U-402 followed the Norwegian coast from

St. Nazaire in France, after 45 uneventful days.[4]

On her second patrol, U-402 damaged the 11,951 GRT troopship Llangibby Castle off the Bay of Biscay on 16 January 1942, but the troopship was able to make repairs in the Azores.[5] U-402 returned to St. Nazaire on 11 February 1942.

Third and fourth patrols

For her third sortie, U-402 headed for the US east coast, sinking a total of three ships, two of which were the 5,284 GRT Soviet freighter

PBY Catalina in mid-Atlantic on 29 April 1942.[4]

The boat returned to the US eastern seaboard for her fourth patrol, but success eluded her. She returned to France, having been depth charged by patrol bombers off Cape Hatteras in mid-July and suffering a battery explosion.[7] U-402 limped back to France, but this time to La Pallice, on 5 August 1942.

Fifth and sixth patrols

It was a different story on her fifth patrol; the boat attacked over 20,000 GRT of shipping, including the torpedoing of five ships from convoy SC 107 which involved the sinking of the British 4,945 GRT Empire Antelope on 2 November 1942[8] and a sister, Empire Sunrise, a few hours earlier.

She also had plenty of success when she attacked seven ships from convoy SC 118 on her sixth patrol. including the USS Henry R. Mallory.[9]

Seventh and eighth patrols

Her seventh outing saw her sinking two ships from convoy SC 129. Retribution was swift; one of the escorts, HMS Gentian depth charged the boat causing severe damage, which included a tear 3 metres long in a ballast tank, which forced it to return to La Pallice on 26 May.[10][11]

Her eighth and final patrol was marked with a paucity of targets and an ever-increasing frequency of air attacks; one of which involved a

RAF Portreath on one engine.[12]

Loss

U-402 had departed La Pallice on 4 September 1943. On the 13 October she was sunk by a

Mark 24 FIDO Torpedo dropped by Grumman TBF Avenger aircraft from the escort carrier USS Card.[2][13]

Wolfpacks

U-402 took part in twelve wolfpacks, namely:[4]

  • Störtebecker (17 – 19 November 1941)
  • Benecke (19 – 25 November 1941)
  • Letzte Ritter (25 November – 4 December 1941)
  • Panther (10 – 20 October 1942)
  • Veilchen (20 October – 5 November 1942)
  • Landsknecht (19 – 28 January 1943)
  • Pfeil (1 – 8 February 1943)
  • Amsel 1 (3 – 6 May 1943)
  • Elbe (7 – 10 May 1943)
  • Elbe 2 (10 – 12 May 1943)
  • Leuthen
    (15 – 24 September 1943)
  • Rossbach
    (24 September – 6 October 1943)

Summary of raiding history

Date Ship Name Nationality Tonnage[Note 1] Fate[14]
16 May 1941 Llangibby Castle  United Kingdom 11,951 Damaged
13 April 1942 Empire Progress  United Kingdom 5,249 Sunk
30 April 1942 Ashkhabad  Soviet Union 5,284 Sunk
2 May 1942 USS Cythera  United States Navy 602 Sunk
2 November 1942 Dalcroy  United Kingdom 4,558 Sunk
2 November 1942 Empire Antelope  United Kingdom 4,945 Sunk
2 November 1942
Empire Leopard
  United Kingdom 5,676 Sunk
2 November 1942 Empire Sunrise  United Kingdom 7,459 Damaged
2 November 1942 Rinos  Greece 4,649 Sunk
7 February 1943 Afrika  United Kingdom 8,597 Sunk
7 February 1943 Daghild  Norway 9,272 Damaged
7 February 1943 USS Henry R. Mallory  United States Navy 6,063 Sunk
7 February 1943
Kalliopi
 		 Greece 4,965 Sunk
7 February 1943 Robert E. Hopkins  United States 6,625 Sunk
7 February 1943 Toward  United Kingdom 1,571 Sunk
8 February 1943 Newton Ash  United Kingdom 4,625[15] Sunk
11 May 1943 Antigone  United Kingdom 4,545 Sunk
11 May 1943 Grado  Norway 3,082 Sunk

References

Notes

  1. gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement
    .

Citations

  1. ^ Lenton 1976, p. 180.
  2. ^ a b Kemp 1999, p. 150.
  3. ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
  4. ^ a b c Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-402". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.
  5. ^ Blair 1996, pp. 489–492.
  6. ^ Blair 1996, p. 544.
  7. ^ Waters 1966, p. 99.
  8. ^ "Empire – A". Mariners. Retrieved 21 November 2008.
  9. ^ Missingmarines
  10. ^ Blair 1998, p. 329.
  11. ^ "U-Boat Killer". 1979.
  12. ^ "The Type VIIC U-boat U-402 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net".
  13. ^ Waters 1966, p. 105.
  14. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U402". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 25 January 2014.
  15. ^ Hague 2000, p. 137.

Bibliography

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=German_submarine_U-402&oldid=1212423133"