| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-209 |
| Ordered | 16 October 1939 |
| Builder | Germaniawerft,Kiel |
| Yard number | 638 |
| Laid down | 28 November 1940 |
| Launched | 28 August 1941 |
| Commissioned | 11 October 1941 |
| Fate | Missing since 7 May 1943, possible diving accident |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Type VIICsubmarine |
| 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[1][2] | |
| Part of: |
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| Identification codes: | M 30 549 |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: |
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| Victories: | |
German submarineU-209 was aType VIICU-boat of theKriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine waslaid down on 28 November 1940 by theFriedrich Krupp Germaniawerft yard atKiel as yard number 638,launched on 28 August 1941 andcommissioned on 11 October under the command ofKapitänleutnant Heinrich Brodda.
She was lost in May 1943, possibly due to a diving accident.
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorterType VIIB submarines.U-209 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[3] She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in), apressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), abeam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and adraught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by twoGermaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylindersuperchargeddiesel 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, twoAEG GU 460/8–27double-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).[3] When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).U-209 was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in)torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteentorpedoes, one8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had acomplement of between forty-four and sixty.[3]
U-209 began her service career as part of the6th U-boat Flotilla for training, she then commenced operations with the same organization on 1 March 1942. She was reassigned to the11th flotilla on 1 July 1942. She was with the1st flotilla until her loss on 7 May 1943. She carried out a total of seven patrols and was a member of ninewolfpacks.
She made the short journey from Kiel to the German island ofHelgoland and then departed on her first patrol on 15 March 1942. She headed north, into theNorwegian Sea, then east. The boat was attacked by the armed trawlerHMS Blackfly on the 28th; but conditions were so bad that the ship could not use her armament because it was frozen.Depth charges were little better, at least one malfunctioned.
The submarine also came under attack from two minesweepers,HMS Hussar (J826) andGossamer in theBarents Sea on the 29th.U-209 escaped.
The boat's second sortie began in the Norwegian port ofKirkenes in the far north of the country. She patrolled the vicinity ofBear Island,[4] then sailed south and southwest, before docking inBergen, also in Norway.
Her third and fourth patrols, in June and July 1942, covered theNorwegian Sea and the passage between Bear Island andSvalbard, it saw her depart Bergen and return to Kirkenes.
The boat attacked a smallSoviet convoy on 17 August 1942, nearMateev Island in the eastern Barents Sea. She sank theKomiles, theKomsomolets [ru],[a]SH-500 andP-4, (two tugs and two barges), with her gun. One more tugNord managed to escape. The P-4 barge was carrying some 300 detained people who worked at the Norilstroi (seeNorillag) and almost all drowned.
Patrol number six, at 35 days, was her longest. It took her northwest of Bear Island.
By now the boat had returned to Kiel, from where she departed for the last time on 6 April 1943. She was attacked by a BritishB-17 Flying Fortress ofNo. 220 Squadron RAF southeast of Iceland, on the 16th, sustaining damage to herperiscope. She was also attacked by a CanadianPBY Catalina (known as a Canso) ofNo. 5 Squadron RCAF on 4 May. The damage incurred included her radio transmitter, so a message toBdu (U-boat headquarters), was sent viaU-954.U-209 was recalled, but she was never heard from again; her loss might be explained by a diving accident. Whatever the reason, forty-six men died; there were no survivors.
U-209 was originally thought to have been sunk by the frigateHMS Jed and the sloopHMS Sennen on 19 May 1943. This attack was responsible for the demise ofU-954.U-209 was nicknamed "Brno" by the south Moravian town in where the crew took a holiday in February 1943. They were invited bySS-Sturmbannführer Konrad Nussbaum, chief of BrnoKripo, whose son was one of the crew.Brno municipality received as a gift a model of the submarine (photos exist) but the model itself was probably lost after the end of World War II.
U-209 took part in ninewolfpacks, namely:
| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) | Fate[5] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 August 1942 | Komiles |  Soviet Union | 136 | Sunk |
| 17 August 1942 | Komsomolets | Soviet Union | 220 | Total loss |
| 17 August 1942 | P-4 | Soviet Union | 500 | Sunk |
| 17 August 1942 | Sh-500 | Soviet Union | 500 | Sunk |
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in May 1943 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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