German submarine U-140 was a Type IIDU-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She carried out three combat patrol. Built at the Kiel shipyards during 1939 and 1940, as a Type IID U-boat, she was too small for major operational work in the Atlantic Ocean, which was now required by the Kriegsmarine as the Battle of the Atlantic expanded.
German Type IID submarines were enlarged versions of the original Type IIs. U-140 had a displacement of 314 tonnes (309 long tons) when at the surface and 364 tonnes (358 long tons) while submerged. Officially, the standard tonnage was 250 long tons (250 t), however.[1] The U-boat had a total length of 43.97 m (144 ft 3 in), a pressure hull length of 29.80 m (97 ft 9 in), a beam of 4.92 m (16 ft 2 in), a height of 8.40 m (27 ft 7 in), and a draught of 3.93 m (12 ft 11 in). The submarine was powered by two MWM RS 127 S four-stroke, six-cylinder diesel engines of 700 metric horsepower (510 kW; 690 shp) for cruising, two Siemens-Schuckert PG VV 322/36 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 410 metric horsepower (300 kW; 400 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 0.85 m (3 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 80–150 metres (260–490 ft).[1]
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 12.7 knots (23.5 km/h; 14.6 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.4 knots (13.7 km/h; 8.5 mph).[1] When submerged, the boat could operate for 35–42 nautical miles (65–78 km; 40–48 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 3,800 nautical miles (7,000 km; 4,400 mi) at 8 knots (15 km/h; 9.2 mph). U-140 was fitted with three 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes at the bow, five torpedoes or up to twelve Type A torpedo mines, and a 2 cm (0.79 in) anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of 25.[1]
War patroledit
U-140 carried out three raiding patrols, first under her first captain, Hans-Peter Hinsch. He took her round the north of Scotland in December 1940 following her work-up program, and it was here that she sank her first victim, twelve days into the voyage. Six days later north of Ireland, on 8 December she sank the steel 3-mast barque Penang of neutral Finland, inbound from Stenhouse Bay, South Australia to Cobh in neutral Ireland with a cargo of grain. The Penang and her 18 crew were all lost at 55°15′N10°09′W / 55.25°N 10.15°W / 55.25; -10.15.[2] Later that day she heard the British freighter Ashcrest broadcast that she needed assistance as her rudder was broken, at 54°35′N09°20′W / 54.583°N 9.333°W / 54.583; -9.333. U-140 sank Ashcrest with the loss of the entire crew of 37.[3]
She then headed home towards retirement. U-140 was docked, her crew transferred and she was converted into a training boat, designed to operate solely in the Baltic Sea, training submariners for the main U-boat force.
Training boatedit
It was during this onerous yet necessary duty that her new captain, Hans-Jürgen Hellriegel, found himself facing a small Soviet submarine on the surface, well into the Baltic, a month after the invasion of the Soviet Union. In a careful attack, U-140 torpedoed and sank her rival with his scratch crew of new recruits. Orders had been pushing U-140 further into the Baltic during the preceding months, with the hope that she might achieve just such a victory.
Following this excitement, U-140 returned to training duties, which she continued for the remainder of the war without further incident, save in the final months, when she was transferred to Wilhelmshaven in a general shipment of equipment and personnel to the West. It was there, on the 5 May 1945 in Jade Bay, that U-140 was scuttled by her crew to prevent her seizure by the advancing British forces. Post-war she was raised and scrapped.
^Helgason, Guðmundur. "Penang". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
^Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ashcrest". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 29 April 2010.
^Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-140". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 9 December 2014.
Bibliographyedit
Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN1-55750-186-6.
Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN3-8132-0514-2.
Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN0-85177-593-4.
Sharpe, Peter (1998). U-Boat Fact File. Midland Publishing. ISBN1-85780-072-9.
External linksedit
Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IID boat U-140". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 6 December 2014.
Hofmann, Markus. "U 140". Deutsche U-Boote 1935-1945 - u-boot-archiv.de (in German). Retrieved 30 January 2015.
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For other ships with the same name see German submarine U 140 German submarine U 140 was a Type IID U boat of Nazi Germany s Kriegsmarine during World War II She carried out three combat patrol Built at the Kiel shipyards during 1939 and 1940 as a Type IID U boat she was too small for major operational work in the Atlantic Ocean which was now required by the Kriegsmarine as the Battle of the Atlantic expanded HistoryNazi GermanyNameU 140Ordered25 September 1939BuilderDeutsche Werke KielYard number269Laid down16 November 1939Launched28 June 1940Commissioned7 August 1940FateScuttled on 5 May 1945 at WilhelmshavenGeneral characteristicsClass and typeType IID coastal submarineDisplacement314 t 309 long tons surfaced 364 t 358 long tons submergedLength43 97 m 144 ft 3 in o a 29 80 m 97 ft 9 in pressure hullBeam4 92 m 16 ft 2 in o a 4 00 m 13 ft 1 in pressure hull Height8 40 m 27 ft 7 in Draught3 93 m 12 ft 11 in Installed power700 PS 510 kW 690 bhp diesels 410 PS 300 kW 400 shp electric Propulsion2 shafts 2 diesel engines 2 electric motorsSpeed12 7 knots 23 5 km h 14 6 mph surfaced 7 4 knots 13 7 km h 8 5 mph submergedRange3 450 nmi 6 390 km 3 970 mi at 12 knots 22 km h 14 mph surfaced 56 nmi 104 km 64 mi at 4 knots 7 4 km h 4 6 mph submergedTest depth80 m 260 ft Complement3 officers 22 menArmament3 53 3 cm 21 in torpedo tubes 5 torpedoes or up to 12 TMA or 18 TMB mines 1 2 cm 0 79 in C 30 anti aircraft gunService recordPart of 1st U boat Flotilla 7 August 31 December 1940 22nd U boat Flotilla 1 January 1941 31 March 1945 31st U boat Flotilla 1 April 5 May 1945Identification codes M 05 988Commanders Oblt z S Kptlt Hans Peter Hinsch 7 August 1940 6 April 1941 Oblt z S Hans Jurgen Hellriegel 7 April 9 December 1941 Kptlt Klaus Popp 10 December 1941 1 September 1942 Lt z S Oblt z S Albrecht Markert 2 September 1942 31 July 1944 Oblt z S Herbert Zeissier 1 August 19 November 1944 Oblt z S Wolfgang Scherfling 20 November 1944 5 May 1945Operations 3 patrols 1st patrol a 20 November 17 December 1940 b 19 20 December 1940 2nd patrol 19 30 June 1941 3rd patrol 7 24 July 1941Victories 3 merchant ships sunk 12 410 GRT 1 warship sunk 206 tons Contents 1 Design 2 War patrol 3 Training boat 4 Summary of raiding history 5 References 5 1 Notes 5 2 Citations 6 Bibliography 7 External linksDesign editGerman Type IID submarines were enlarged versions of the original Type IIs U 140 had a displacement of 314 tonnes 309 long tons when at the surface and 364 tonnes 358 long tons while submerged Officially the standard tonnage was 250 long tons 250 t however 1 The U boat had a total length of 43 97 m 144 ft 3 in a pressure hull length of 29 80 m 97 ft 9 in a beam of 4 92 m 16 ft 2 in a height of 8 40 m 27 ft 7 in and a draught of 3 93 m 12 ft 11 in The submarine was powered by two MWM RS 127 S four stroke six cylinder diesel engines of 700 metric horsepower 510 kW 690 shp for cruising two Siemens Schuckert PG VV 322 36 double acting electric motors producing a total of 410 metric horsepower 300 kW 400 shp for use while submerged She had two shafts and two 0 85 m 3 ft propellers The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 80 150 metres 260 490 ft 1 The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 12 7 knots 23 5 km h 14 6 mph and a maximum submerged speed of 7 4 knots 13 7 km h 8 5 mph 1 When submerged the boat could operate for 35 42 nautical miles 65 78 km 40 48 mi at 4 knots 7 4 km h 4 6 mph when surfaced she could travel 3 800 nautical miles 7 000 km 4 400 mi at 8 knots 15 km h 9 2 mph U 140 was fitted with three 53 3 cm 21 in torpedo tubes at the bow five torpedoes or up to twelve Type A torpedo mines and a 2 cm 0 79 in anti aircraft gun The boat had a complement of 25 1 War patrol editU 140 carried out three raiding patrols first under her first captain Hans Peter Hinsch He took her round the north of Scotland in December 1940 following her work up program and it was here that she sank her first victim twelve days into the voyage Six days later north of Ireland on 8 December she sank the steel 3 mast barque Penang of neutral Finland inbound from Stenhouse Bay South Australia to Cobh in neutral Ireland with a cargo of grain The Penang and her 18 crew were all lost at 55 15 N 10 09 W 55 25 N 10 15 W 55 25 10 15 2 Later that day she heard the British freighter Ashcrest broadcast that she needed assistance as her rudder was broken at 54 35 N 09 20 W 54 583 N 9 333 W 54 583 9 333 U 140 sank Ashcrest with the loss of the entire crew of 37 3 She then headed home towards retirement U 140 was docked her crew transferred and she was converted into a training boat designed to operate solely in the Baltic Sea training submariners for the main U boat force Training boat editIt was during this onerous yet necessary duty that her new captain Hans Jurgen Hellriegel found himself facing a small Soviet submarine on the surface well into the Baltic a month after the invasion of the Soviet Union In a careful attack U 140 torpedoed and sank her rival with his scratch crew of new recruits Orders had been pushing U 140 further into the Baltic during the preceding months with the hope that she might achieve just such a victory Following this excitement U 140 returned to training duties which she continued for the remainder of the war without further incident save in the final months when she was transferred to Wilhelmshaven in a general shipment of equipment and personnel to the West It was there on the 5 May 1945 in Jade Bay that U 140 was scuttled by her crew to prevent her seizure by the advancing British forces Post war she was raised and scrapped Summary of raiding history editDate Ship Nationality Tonnage Note 1 Fate 4 2 December 1940 Victoria City nbsp United Kingdom 4 739 Sunk8 December 1940 Penang nbsp Finland 2 019 Sunk8 December 1940 Ashcrest nbsp United Kingdom 5 652 Sunk21 July 1941 M 94 nbsp Soviet Navy 206 SunkReferences editNotes edit Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons Military vessels are listed by tons displacement Citations edit a b c d Groner 1991 pp 39 40 Helgason Gudmundur Penang German U boats of WWII uboat net Retrieved 29 April 2010 Helgason Gudmundur Ashcrest German U boats of WWII uboat net Retrieved 29 April 2010 Helgason Gudmundur Ships hit by U 140 German U boats of WWII uboat net Retrieved 9 December 2014 Bibliography editBusch Rainer Roll Hans Joachim 1999 German U boat commanders of World War II a biographical dictionary Translated by Brooks Geoffrey London Annapolis Md Greenhill Books Naval Institute Press ISBN 1 55750 186 6 Busch Rainer Roll Hans Joachim 1999 Deutsche U Boot Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 German U boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945 Der U Boot Krieg in German Vol IV Hamburg Berlin Bonn Mittler ISBN 3 8132 0514 2 Groner Erich Jung Dieter Maass Martin 1991 U boats and Mine Warfare Vessels German Warships 1815 1945 Vol 2 Translated by Thomas Keith Magowan Rachel London Conway Maritime Press ISBN 0 85177 593 4 Sharpe Peter 1998 U Boat Fact File Midland Publishing ISBN 1 85780 072 9 External links editHelgason Gudmundur The Type IID boat U 140 German U boats of WWII uboat net Retrieved 6 December 2014 Hofmann Markus U 140 Deutsche U Boote 1935 1945 u boot archiv de in German Retrieved 30 January 2015 Portals nbsp Military of Germany nbsp World War II Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title German submarine U 140 1940 amp oldid 1187944937, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
