German submarine U-40 (1938)
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German submarine ''U-40'' was a Type IXA U-boat of Nazi Germany's ''
Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...
'' that operated during World War II. ''U-40'' was built in
Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...
by
DeSchiMAG Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau Aktiengesellschaft (abbreviated Deschimag) was a cooperation of eight German shipyards in the period 1926 to 1945. The leading company was the shipyard AG Weser in Bremen. History The Deschimag was founded in 19 ...
AG Weser as yard number 945. She was launched in November 1938 and commissioned in February 1939. ''U-40'' conducted two war patrols during her career. Both of which were part of the
6th U-boat Flotilla The 6th U-boat Flotilla (German ''6. Unterseebootsflottille''), also known as Hundius Flotilla, was a front-line unit of Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine'' before and during World War II. Formed on 1 October 1938 in Kiel under the command of ''Kor ...
. During her short time in the war, she sank no ships. ''U-40'' was sunk on 13 October 1939 by a mine in the English Channel.


Construction

''U-40'' was ordered by the ''Kriegsmarine'' on 29 July 1936 (as part of Plan Z and in violation of the Treaty of Versailles). Her kneel was laid down on 1 July 1937. ''U-40'' was launched on 9 November 1938 and commissioned on 11 February 1939 under the command of ''Kapitänleutnant'' Werner von Schmidt.


Design

As one of the eight original
German Type IX submarines German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...
, later designated IXA, ''U-40'' had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. The U-boat had a total length of , a pressure hull length of , a
beam Beam may refer to: Streams of particles or energy *Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy **Laser beam *Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles **Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...
of , a height of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46
supercharged In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement. The current categorisation is that a supercharger is a form of forced induct ...
four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two
propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...
s. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to . The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . ''U-40'' was fitted with six torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 torpedoes, one SK C/32 naval gun, 180 rounds, and a SK C/30 as well as a C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of forty-eight.


Service history

After being commissioned and deployed, ''U-40'' was stationed in the German port city of Wilhelmshaven, which to be her home for the rest of her fairly short career.


Patrols

''U-40'' left Wilhelmshaven on 19 August 1939, before World War II began, for her first patrol. For nearly four weeks she operated off the coast of
Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...
, before returning home on 18 September that same year. ''U-40'' would once again leave Wilhelmshaven, this time under the command of ''Kapitänleutnant'' Wolfgang Barten, on 10 October 1939. During this patrol, she was to conduct
joint operations Joint operations can mean: * Joint warfare, the basis of modern military doctrine **More loosely, Combined arms, an element of joint warfare * Literal operations on joints of the body, see Orthopedic surgery * '' Joint Operations: Typhoon Rising,'' ...
off the coasts of Portugal and Spain.


Fate

On 13 October 1939, ''U-40'' was sunk by a British
mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging * Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun ...
at . She was to operate as part of the first pack of U-boats in World War II; however, because she left port late, Barten decided to take a shortcut to the U-boat's designated meeting point, southwest of Ireland. This shortcut was through the English Channel, which was festooned with many British naval
mine Mine, mines, miners or mining may refer to: Extraction or digging * Miner, a person engaged in mining or digging *Mining, extraction of mineral resources from the ground through a mine Grammar *Mine, a first-person English possessive pronoun ...
s. 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 one of these devices and sank immediately to the sea floor. Nevertheless, nine crew members were able to exit through the aft escape hatch. Using escape equipment, they were able to reach the surface; one of the nine died on his journey. Once there, five more died from exposure to the harsh elements of the English Channel. Nearly ten hours after the sinking, the remaining three men were rescued and taken prisoner by .


References


Bibliography

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External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:U0040 German Type IX submarines U-boats commissioned in 1939 U-boats sunk in 1939 World War II submarines of Germany World War II shipwrecks in the English Channel Wreck diving sites in the United Kingdom 1938 ships U-boats sunk by mines Ships built in Bremen (state) Maritime incidents in October 1939