German submarine U-410 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II, operating mainly in the Mediterranean. Her insignia was a sword & shield,[1] she did not suffer any casualties until she was sunk.
U-410 was first commanded by Kapitänleutnant Kurt Sturm during her working up/training period and on her first patrol before being commanded by Horst-Arno Fenski for her six combat patrols. U-410 sank seven merchantmen, a Landing ship, Tank (LST); and a light cruiser during the Second World War. For his successes, Fenski received the Knight's Cross.
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-410 had a displacement of 769t when at the surface and 871t while submerged. She had a total length of 67.1m (220.1feet), a pressure hull length of 50.5m (165.7feet), a beam of 6.2m (20.3feet), a height of 9.6m (31.5feet), and a draught of 4.74m (15.55feet). The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of NaNPS for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert GU 343/38–8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750PS for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23abbr=onNaNabbr=on propellers. 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-410 was fitted with five 53.30NaN0 torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.82NaN2 SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, a twin 2cm (01inches), on Platform I, a 3.7cm (01.5inches), on Platform II and two MG 15 machine guns on the bridge. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.
She carried two eight-man, one six-man and 58 one-man, rubber boats.
U-410 was ordered by the Kriegsmarine on 30 October 1939. She was laid down at the Danziger Werft yard in Danzig, on 9 January 1941 and launched on 14 October 1941. She was formally commissioned into the Kriegsmarine, on 23 February 1942.
U-410 departed Kiel on 27 August 1942 for her first patrol. The U-boat, under Kapitänleutnant Kurt Sturm, sank the British Newton Pine in mid-Atlantic. She then arrived in St. 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 ship Fort Battle River on 6 March 1943.[2] 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 defended Strait of Gibraltar. She arrived in La 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 the convoy UGS-14 off the Algerian coast. Firing three torpedoes in a 'spread', she hit and sank two American ships, John Bell and Richard Henderson on 26 August 1943. She then sailed to Toulon in France, arriving on 30 August.
The U-boat tried to disrupt the landings at Anzio, 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-runner after she was sunk by . The survivors were returned to St. Nazaire the next day.[3] Among the survivors were two Englishmen who received a special guard.
On 18 February 1944, (Capt. G.D. Belben, DSO, DSC, AM, RN), was leaving Naples to return to the Anzio area when she was torpedoed at 40.55°N 13.25°W by U-410. A torpedo struck the British cruiser in the aft engine room; sixteen minutes later, U-410 fired another torpedo that hit Penelope 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 when she was hit, the fastest ship ever successfully attacked by a submarine.[4]
On 20 February 1944 LST-348 (Landing Ship, Tank) was returning from Sicily, supporting Operation Shingle and roughly 40 miles South of Naples when she was spotted by U-410, who fired two torpedoes at around 02:00 hrs. Both hit the vessel on her port side, she sank 20 minutes later.[5]
On 11 March 1944, a USAAF during an air raid on the Port of Toulon, U-410 along with were so seriously damaged, they were declared no longer operational. Oberleutnant zur See Fenski and his crew transferred to, which was lost around 04:00 on 4 May 1944 in a battle with Allied warships. Three of the crew were killed as they scuttled the boat, but Fenski survived and spent two years in a US POW camp.[6]
| - | Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage[7] | Fate[8] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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 | 5,270 | Sunk | |||
| 20 February 1944 | 1,625 | Sunk |