German submarine U-457
History | |
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Nazi Germany | |
Name | U-457 |
Ordered | 16 January 1940 |
Builder | Deutsche Werke, Kiel |
Yard number | 288 |
Laid down | 26 October 1940 |
Launched | 4 October 1941 |
Commissioned | 5 November 1941 |
Fate | Sunk northeast of the North Cape by a British warship on 16 September 1942[1] |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type VIIC submarine |
Displacement | |
Length |
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Beam |
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Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
Draught | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
Installed power |
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Propulsion |
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Speed |
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Range | |
Test depth |
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Complement | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
Armament |
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Service record[2] | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 36 700 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: |
German submarine U-457 was a
.She carried out three patrols, on which she sank two ships and damaged one more.
She was sunk northeast of the
Design
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).
Service history
The submarine was laid down on 26 October 1940 in the Deutsche Werke, Kiel as yard number 288, launched on 4 October 1941 and commissioned on 5 November under the command of Korvettenkapitän Karl Brandenburg.
She served with the 6th U-boat Flotilla from 5 November 1941 for training and the 11th flotilla from 1 July 1942 for operations.
First patrol
U-457's first patrol was preceded by two short journeys from Kiel to Trondheim in Norway. The patrol itself commenced with her departure from Trondheim on 28 June 1942.
She sank the Christopher Newport 35 nautical miles (65 km; 40 mi) east of
The boat then went on to sink the
Second patrol
Her second foray was relatively uneventful – starting in Narvik on 8 August 1942 and finishing in Trondheim on 7 September.
Third patrol and loss
The submarine damaged the
Forty-five men died in U-457; there were no survivors.
Wolfpacks
U-457 took part in two wolfpacks, namely:
- Eisteufel (30 June – 12 July 1942)
- Trägertod (12 – 16 September 1942)
Summary of raiding history
Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 1] | Fate[5] |
---|---|---|---|---|
4 July 1942 | Christopher Newport | United States | 7,191 | Sunk |
7 July 1942 | RFA Aldersdale |
Royal Fleet Auxiliary | 8,402 | Sunk |
14 September 1942 | Atheltemplar | United Kingdom | 8,939 | Damaged |
References
Notes
- gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.
Citations
- ^ a b Kemp 1999, p. 90.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-457". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
- ^ Blair 2000, p. 20.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-457". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 27 December 2014.
Bibliography
- Blair, Clay (2000) [1998]. Hitler's U-Boat War: The Hunted 1942–1945. Vol. 2. ISBN 0-304-35261-6.
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
- Kemp, Paul (1999). U-Boats Destroyed – German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-457". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 27 December 2014.