German submarine U-422

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History
Nazi Germany
NameU-422
Ordered10 April 1941
Builder
Danzig
Yard number123
Laid down11 February 1942
Launched10 October 1942
Commissioned10 February 1943
FateSunk by an American aircraft north of the Azores on 4 October 1943[1]
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[2]
Part of:
Identification codes: M 50 330
Commanders:
  • Oblt.z.S.
    Wolfgang Poeschel
  • 10 February – 4 October 1943
Operations:
  • 1 patrol:
  • 8 September – 4 October 1943
Victories: None

German submarine U-422 was a

.

She carried out one patrol. She was a member of one wolfpack. She did not sink or damage any ships.

She was sunk by an American aircraft north of the Azores on 4 October 1943.[1][2]

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).

anti-aircraft guns. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.[3]

Service history

The submarine was

Danzig (now Gdansk), as yard number 123, launched on 10 October and commissioned on 10 February 1943 under the command of Oberleutnant zur See
Wolfgang Poeschel.

She served with the 8th U-boat Flotilla from 10 February 1943 and the 1st flotilla from 1 August 1943.

Patrol and loss

The boat's only patrol was preceded by a trip from Kiel in Germany to Bergen in Norway. U-422 then left Bergen on 8 September 1943 and headed for the Atlantic Ocean via the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. U-422 was depth charged and strafed by what was reported as a Handley Page Halifax on the 23rd. Three men were wounded, two of them seriously. Medical assistance could only be given when the submarine rendezvoused with U-460, a 'milch cow' supply vessel.

On 4 October, she was attacked and sunk by a

F4F Wildcat. Both aircraft had come from the escort carrier USS Card
.

Forty-nine men went down with the U-boat; there were no survivors.

Wolfpacks

U-422 took part in one wolfpack, namely:

References

  1. ^ a b Kemp 1999, p. 148.
  2. ^ a b Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-422". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.

Bibliography

External links