German submarine U-40 (1939)
- German submarine U-40 (1939)
Unterseeboot 40 (U-40) was a German IX U-boat of the Kriegsmarine.
Her keel was laid down July 1, 1937, by AG Weser of Bremen. She was commissioned February 11, 1939 with Kapitänleutnant Werner von Schmidt in command.
"U-40" conducted two patrols, as part of the 6. Unterseebootsflottille. During its short time in the war, she sank no ships. "U-40" was sunk on October 13, 1939.
1st Patrol
U-40 left her home port of Wilhelmshaven on August 19, 1939, for its first patrol at sea. For nearly four weeks "U-40" operated off the coast of Gibraltar, before returning home to port on September 18 of that same year.
2nd Patrol
"U-40" would once again leave Wilhelmshaven, this time under the command of Kapitänleutnant Wolfgang Barten, on October 10, 1939. This patrol was to conduct operations off the coasts of Portugal and Spain.
Fate
On October 13, 1939, "'U-40" was sunk by British mines. "U-40" was to operate as part of the first pack of U-boats in World War II; however, because it left port late, Barten decided to take a shortcut to its designated meeting point, southwest of Ireland. This shortcut was the English Channel, which was filled with British naval mines. Choosing to make the voyage nearly three and a half hours after high tide, the mines were not at their lowest point. The boat struck a mine and sunk immediately to the sea floor. However, nine crew members were able to exit through the aft escape hatch. Using escape equipment provided to them, they were able to ascend to the surface; however, one of the nine died on his journey to the surface. Once on the surface five died from the exposure to the harsh elements of the English Channel. Nearly ten hours after the sinking, three men were rescued and taken as Prisoner of War by the HMS Boreas (H77).
External links
* [http://www.uboat.net/boats/u40.htm uboat.net webpage for "U-40"]
* [http://www.ubootwaffe.net/ops/boat.cgi?boat=40 ubootwaffe.net webpage about "U-40"]
* [http://www.u-boot-archiv.de/dieboote/u0040.html u-boot-archiv.de webpage for "U-40"]
"See Also: List of U-boats"
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