| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-410 |
| Ordered | 30 October 1939 |
| Builder | Danziger Werft,Danzig |
| Yard number | 111 |
| Laid down | 9 January 1941 |
| Launched | 14 October 1941 |
| Commissioned | 23 February 1942 |
| Fate | Sunk on 11 March 1944 by US aircraft[1] |
| 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 |
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| 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 43 581 |
| Commanders: | |
| Operations: |
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| Victories: | |
German submarineU-410 was aType VIICU-boat built forNazi Germany'sKriegsmarine duringWorld War II, operating mainly in theMediterranean. Her insignia was a sword & shield,[3] she did not suffer any casualties until she was sunk.
U-410 was first commanded byKapitänleutnant Kurt Sturm during her working up/training period and on her first patrol before being commanded byHorst-Arno Fenski for her six combat patrols.U-410 sank seven merchantmen, aLanding ship, Tank (LST); and alight cruiser during the Second World War. For his successes, Fenski received theKnight's Cross.
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorterType VIIB submarines.U-410 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[4] 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, twoSiemens-Schuckert GU 343/38–8double-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).[4]
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).[4] 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-410 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, atwin 2 cm (0.79 in), on Platform I, a3.7 cm (1.5 in), on Platform II and twoMG 15 machine guns on the bridge. The boat had acomplement of between forty-four and sixty.[4]
She carried two eight-man, one six-man and 58 one-man, rubber boats.
U-410 was ordered by theKriegsmarine on 30 October 1939. She waslaid down at theDanziger Werft yard inDanzig, on 9 January 1941 andlaunched on 14 October 1941. She was formallycommissioned into theKriegsmarine, on 23 February 1942.
U-410 departedKiel on 27 August 1942 for her first patrol. The U-boat, underKapitänleutnant Kurt Sturm, sank the BritishNewton Pine in mid-Atlantic. She then arrived inSt. Nazaire in France on 28 October 1942, after 63 days at sea.
Her second outing was not so productive; after 33 days she returned to her French base empty-handed.
Her third foray was more productive and included the sinking of the British shipFort Battle River on 6 March 1943.[5] She also damaged another British vessel in the same engagement,Fort Paskoyac. Both of these ships were attacked southwest of Portugal. The U-boat returned to St. Nazaire on 27 March 1943.
Her fourth sortie included transiting the heavily defendedStrait of Gibraltar. She arrived inLa Spezia in Italy on 13 May 1943, having left St. Nazaire on 26 April.
U-410 left La Spezia on 7 August 1943 and attacked theconvoy UGS-14 off the Algerian coast. Firing three torpedoes in a 'spread', she hit and sank two American ships,John Bell andRichard Henderson on 26 August 1943. She then sailed toToulon in France, arriving on 30 August.
The U-boat tried to disrupt the landings atAnzio, sinking a British light cruiser and an American LST (see below).
U-410 was part of the following "wolfpacks":
| Name | From | To | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lohs | 13 September 1942 | 22 September 1942 | |
| Blitz | 22 September 1942 | 26 September 1942 | |
| Tiger | 26 September 1942 | 29 September 1942 | |
| Letzte Ritter | 29 September 1942 | 1 October 1942 | |
| Wotan | 5 October 1942 | 17 October 1942 | |
| Raufbold | 11 December 1942 | 20 December 1942 | |
| Robbe | 16 February 1943 | 13 March 1943 |
On 2 January 1943,U-410 rescued 80 survivors from the German blockade-runnerMV Rhakotis after she was sunk byHMS Scylla. The survivors were returned to St. Nazaire the next day.[6] Among the survivors were two Englishmen who received a special guard.
On 18 February 1944,HMS Penelope (Capt. G.D. Belben, DSO, DSC, AM, RN), was leavingNaples to return to theAnzio area when she was torpedoed at40°33′N13°15′E / 40.55°N 13.25°E /40.55; 13.25 byU-410. A torpedo struck the British cruiser in the aft engine room; sixteen minutes later,U-410 fired another torpedo that hitPenelope in her boiler room, causing her immediate sinking. 415 of the crew, including the captain, went down with the ship. There were 206 survivors.The cruiser was making 26 knots (48 km/h; 30 mph) when she was hit, the fastest ship ever successfully attacked by a submarine.[7]
On 20 February 1944LST-348 (Landing Ship, Tank) was returning fromSicily, supportingOperation Shingle and roughly 40 miles South ofNaples when she was spotted byU-410, who fired twotorpedoes at around 02:00 hrs. Both hit the vessel on her port side, she sank 20 minutes later.[8]
On 11 March 1944,U-410 along withU-380 were seriously damaged and subsequently declared non-operational.[1]Oberleutnant zur See Fenski and his crew transferred toU-371, which was lost around 04:00 on 4 May 1944 in abattle with Allied warships. Three of the crew were killed as theyscuttled the boat, but Fenski survived and spent two years in a US POW camp.[9]
| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 1] | Fate[10] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 October 1942 | Newton Pine |  United Kingdom | 4,212 | Sunk |
| 6 March 1943 | Fort Battle River | United Kingdom | 7,133 | Sunk |
| 6 March 1943 | Fort Paskoyac | United Kingdom | 7,134 | Damaged |
| 26 August 1943 | John Bell |  United States | 7,242 | Sunk |
| 26 August 1943 | Richard Henderson | United States | 7,194 | Sunk |
| 26 September 1943 | Christian Michelsen |  Norway | 7,176 | Sunk |
| 1 October 1943 | Empire Commerce | United Kingdom | 3,722 | Total loss |
| 1 October 1943 | Fort Howe | United Kingdom | 7,133 | Sunk |
| 15 February 1944 | Fort St. Nicholas | United Kingdom | 7,154 | Sunk |
| 18 February 1944 | HMS Penelope |  Royal Navy | 5,270 | Sunk |
| 20 February 1944 | USS LST-348 | United States Navy | 1,625 | Sunk |
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in March 1944 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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