German submarine U-457

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History
Nazi Germany
NameU-457
Ordered16 January 1940
BuilderDeutsche Werke, Kiel
Yard number288
Laid down26 October 1940
Launched4 October 1941
Commissioned5 November 1941
FateSunk northeast of the North Cape by a British warship on 16 September 1942[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 36 700
Commanders:
  • K.Kapt.
    Karl Brandenburg
  • 5 November 1941 – 16 September 1942
Operations:
  • 3 patrols:
  • 1st patrol:
  • a. 28 June – 16 July 1942
  • b. 18 – 20 July 1942
  • 2nd patrol:
  • 8 August – 7 September 1942
  • 3rd patrol:
  • 10 – 16 September 1942
Victories:
  • 2 merchant ships sunk
    (15,593 GRT)
  • 1 merchant ship damaged
    (8,939 GRT)

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

North Cape by a British warship on 16 September 1942.[1]

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

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

Bear Island on 4 July. The ship, from the ill-fated convoy PQ 17, had already been hit by an aerial torpedo in the Barents Sea
. A 'coup de grace' torpedo from the British submarine P-614 failed to sink the ship; but one from U-457 succeeded.

The boat then went on to sink the

RFA Aldersdale on 7 July 1942; after the merchantman, also a member of PQ 17, had been bombed. U-457 came across the abandoned tanker and after firing 75 rounds from her deck gun
, finished the wreck off with a single torpedo.

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

HMS Impulsive.[4]

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

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

Citations

  1. ^ a b Kemp 1999, p. 90.
  2. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-457". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
  4. ^ Blair 2000, p. 20.
  5. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-457". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 27 December 2014.

Bibliography

External links