German submarine U-470
History | |
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Nazi Germany | |
Name | U-470 |
Ordered | 20 January 1941 |
Builder | Deutsche Werke, Kiel |
Yard number | 301 |
Laid down | 11 October 1941 |
Launched | 8 August 1942 |
Commissioned | 7 January 1943 |
Fate | Sunk by aircraft on 16 October 1943[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 | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 49 435 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: | None |
German submarine U-470 was a
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
Built by the Deutsche Werke shipyards in Kiel, U-470 took a long time to complete, not being ready for initial working-up operations until a year after her construction began. She was given to Oberleutnant zur See Günther-Paul Grave, a highly experienced submarine officer, who led her through her training and mechanical trials and readied the boat for her active career, a difficult six month process.[3]
War Patrol
U-470's only war patrol was an unlucky affair.
Fate
Over the course of the next several hours, the Liberators attacked the submarine with nearly 30 depth charges. Eventually damage was so severe that an abandon ship order was given. It came too late, as U-470 quickly sank with 46 hands including the captain. Two survivors were picked up. Initially there was a reported 15 survivors in the water, but many of them did not find buoyancy supports and drowned over the next few hours.
Wolfpacks
U-470 took part in one wolfpack, namely:
- Schlieffen (14 – 16 October 1943)
References
- ^ Kemp 1999, p. 150.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-470". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "War Patrols by German U-boat U-470". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 25 August 2009.
Bibliography
- 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). Der U-Boot-Krieg, 1939-1945: Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945] (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Gröner, Eric; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). German Warships 1815-1945: U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
- Sharpe, Peter (1998). U-Boat Fact File. Great Britain: Midland Publishing. ISBN 1-85780-072-9.
- 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-470". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 28 December 2014.
- Hofmann, Markus. "U 470". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 28 December 2014.