German submarine U-542
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-542 |
| Ordered: | 5 June 1941 |
| Builder: | Deutsche Werft, Hamburg |
| Yard number: | 363 |
| Laid down: | 12 June 1942 |
| Launched: | 19 January 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 7 April 1943 |
| Fate: | Sunk,28 November 1943 north of Madeira by a 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 (7 April–30 September 1943) 10th U-boat Flotilla (1 October–28 November 1943) |
| Commanders: |
Oblt.z.S. Christian Brandt Coester (7 April–28 November 1943) |
| Operations: | 21–28 November 1943 |
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-542 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 363 on 12 June 1942, launched on 19 January 1943 and commissioned on 7 April with Oberleutnant zur See Christian Brandt Coester in command.
U-542 began her service career with training as part of the 4th U-boat Flotilla from 7 April 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 three wolfpacks.
She was sunk in November 1943 north of Madeira by a British aircraft.
Operational career
Patrol and loss
The boat departed Kiel on 21 October 1943, moved through the North Sea, negotiated the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands and entered the Atlantic Ocean.
She was sunk on 28 November 1943 north of Madeira by depth charges dropped from a British Vickers Wellington of No. 179 Squadron RAF.[3]
Fifty-six men died; there were no survivors.[1]
Wolfpacks
U-542 took part in three wolfpacks, namely.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kemp 1997, p. 160.
- ↑ Gröner 1985, p. 105-7.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXC/40 boat U-542". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
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-542". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 7 December 2014.
- U-542 at Ubootwaffe
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