German submarine U-540
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-540 |
| Ordered: | 5 June 1941 |
| Builder: | Deutsche Werft, Hamburg |
| Yard number: | 361 |
| Laid down: | 12 May 1942 |
| Launched: | 18 December 1942 |
| Commissioned: | 10 March 1943 |
| Fate: | Sunk, October 1943 east of Cape Farewell (Greenland) by two British aircraft[1] |
| General characteristics [2] | |
| Class and type: | Type IXC/40 submarine |
| Displacement: | 1,144 t (1,126 long tons) surfaced 1,257 t (1,237 long tons) submerged |
| Length: | 76.76 m (251 ft 10 in) o/a 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in) pressure hull |
| Beam: | 6.86 m (22 ft 6 in) o/a 4.44 m (14 ft 7 in) pressure hull |
| Height: | 9.6 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draft: | 4.67 m (15 ft 4 in) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged 9-cylinder diesel engines, 4,400 hp (3,281 kW) 2 × SSW GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors, 1,000 hp (746 kW) |
| Speed: | 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) surfaced 7.3 knots (13.5 km/h; 8.4 mph) submerged |
| Range: | 13,850 nmi (25,650 km; 15,940 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 63 nautical miles (117 km; 72 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged |
| Test depth: | 230 m (750 ft) |
| Complement: | 4 officers, 44 enlisted |
| Armament: |
|
| Service record | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
4th U-boat Flotilla (10 March–30 September 1943) 10th U-boat Flotilla (1–17 October 1943) |
| Commanders: |
Kptlt. Lorenz Kasch (10 March–17 October 1943) |
| Operations: | 4–17 October 1943 |
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-540 was a Type IXC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
She was laid down at the Deutsche Werft (yard) in Hamburg as yard number 361 on 12 May 1942, launched on 18 December and commissioned on 10 March 1943 with Kapitänleutnant Lorenz Kasch in command.
U-540 began her service career with training as part of the 4th U-boat Flotilla from 10 March 1943. She was re-assigned to the 10th flotilla for operations on 1 October.
She carried out one patrol and did not sink any ships. She was a member of one wolfpack.
She was sunk in October 1943 east of Cape Farewell (Greenland) by British aircraft.
Operational career
Patrol and loss
The boat departed Kiel on 10 April 1943, moved through the North Sea, negotiated the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands and entered the Atlantic Ocean.
She was sunk on 17 October 1943 east of Cape Farewell (Greenland) by depth charges dropped from two British Liberators of No. 59 Squadron RAF and 120 Squadron.
Fifty-five men died; there were no survivors.[1]
Wolfpacks
U-540 took part in one wolfpack, namely.
- Schlieffen (16–17 October 1943)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kemp 1997, pp. 151-152.
- ↑ Gröner 1985, p. 105-7.
Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German) IV (Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler). ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Gröner, Erich (1985). U-Boote, Hilfskreuzer, Minenschiffe, Netzleger, Sperrbrecher. Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815-1945 (in German) III (Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe). ISBN 3-7637-4802-4.
- Kemp, Paul (1997). U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-540". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
- U-540 at Ubootwaffe
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