German submarine U-210
Encyclopedia
The German submarine U-210 was a Type VIIC U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
that served with the Kriegsmarine
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
during World War II. Laid down on 15 March 1941 as 'werk 639' at F. Krupp Germaniawerft in Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, she was launched on 23 December 1941 and commissioned on 21 February 1942.
Service History
U-210 undertook a single war patrol, departing Kiel on 18 July 1942 under the command of Rudolf Lemcke and heading for the north central Atlantic ocean. The patrol was uneventful until 6 August 1942 when Convoy SC 94 was located. Despite heavy fog, U-210 was spotted on radar by the Canadian destroyer . The U-boat nearly escaped into the fog but the destroyer suddenly reappeared a mere 50 yards away as U-210 crossed its bow. Both ships opened fire; while the range was too close for the destroyer's main guns, machine gun fire shot up the bridge and conning tower preventing use of the deck gun. As the destroyer passed astern, a shell from her rear battery hit the conning towerConning tower
A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armored, from which an officer can con the vessel; i.e., give directions to the helmsman. It is usually located as high on the ship as practical, to give the conning team good visibility....
killing the entire bridge crew; fifty caliber machine gun fire silenced the submarine's flak gun. The senior surviving officer of U-210 ordered her to dive, but the forced a slow straight course which allowed Assiniboine to ram her just abaft the conning tower as she dove. This resulted in the submarine's electric motors failing and damage to the propellers. The ballast tanks were blown and the attacking destroyer rammed again as U-210 surfaced; a pattern of shallow depth charges were dropped at the same time. As the submarine sank Assiniboine, hit her with another 4.7 inch shell. 37 survivors were pulled from the water and became prisoners of war. Six men of her crew died during this battle.
External links
See also
- List of German U-boats