German submarine U-432

German submarine U-432 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

History
Nazi Germany
Name: U-432
Ordered: 5 June 1941
Builder: Schichau-Werke, Danzig
Yard number: 1473
Laid down: 14 January 1940
Launched: 3 February 1941
Commissioned: 26 April 1941
Fate: Sunk in mid-Atlantic by a French ship, March 1943[1]
General characteristics
Class and type: Type VIIC submarine
Displacement:
  • 769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced
  • 871 t (857 long tons) submerged
Length:
Beam:
  • 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a
  • 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height: 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught: 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in)
Installed power:
  • 2,800–3,200 PS (2,100–2,400 kW; 2,800–3,200 bhp) (diesels)
  • 750 PS (550 kW; 740 shp) (electric)
Propulsion:
Speed:
  • 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced
  • 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged
Range:
  • 8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
  • 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth:
  • 230 m (750 ft)
  • Crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft)
Complement: 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
Armament:
Service record[2]
Part of:
  • 3rd U-boat Flotilla
  • 26 April – 1 October 1941
  • 3rd U-boat Flotilla
  • 1 August 1941 – 11 March 1943
Commanders:
  • Kptlt. Heinz-Otto Schultze
  • 26 April 1941 – 15 January 1943
  • Kptlt. Hermann Eckhardt
  • 16 January – 11 March 1943
Operations:
  • 1st patrol: 25 August – 19 September 1941
  • 2nd patrol: 11 October – 2 November 1941
  • 3rd patrol: 10–23 December 1941
  • 4th patrol: 21 January – 16 March 1942
  • 5th patrol: 30 April – 2 July 1942
  • 6th patrol: 15 August – 4 October 1942
  • 7th patrol: *20 November – 5 January 1943
  • 8th patrol: 14 February – 11 March 1943
Victories:
  • 20 ships sunk, total 67,991 GRT;
  • one warship sunk – 1,340 tons;
  • two ships damaged, total l15,666 GRT

She carried out eight patrols.

She sank 20 ships and one warship. Two ships were damaged.

She was a member of seven wolfpacks.

She was sunk by a French warship in mid-Atlantic, in March 1943.

Design

German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-432 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[3] She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in), a pressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), a beam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of 2,800 to 3,200 metric horsepower (2,060 to 2,350 kW; 2,760 to 3,160 shp) for use while surfaced, two AEG GU 460/8–27 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 metric horsepower (550 kW; 740 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m (4 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).[3]

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph).[3] When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph). U-432 was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.[3]

Service history

The submarine was laid down on 14 January 1940 at Schichau-Werke in Danzig (now Gdansk) as yard number 1473, launched on 3 February 1941 and commissioned on 26 April 1941 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Heinz-Otto Schultze.

She served with the 3rd U-boat Flotilla from 26 April 1941 for training and stayed with that organization from 1 August for operations until her loss.

1st patrol

U-432's first patrol was preceded by short 'hops' from Kiel in Germany to Horten Naval Base then Trondheim in Norway. Her first patrol proper began with her departure from Trondheim on 25 August 1941 and headed for the Atlantic Ocean via the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands.

The boat sank the Winterwijk on 10 September east of Greenland. She went on to sink the Stargad close-by on the same date. The next day she sank the Garm northeast of the previous successes.

She docked at Brest in occupied France on 19 September.

2nd and 3rd patrols

On her second foray, she sank the Ulea on 28 October 1941 east-northeast of the Azores. She finished the patrol in St. Nazaire on 2 November 1941.

The boat's third sortie commenced with her departure from St. Nazaire on 10 December 1941. This was not only the shortest patrol of her career but the only time she returned to France, (this time to La Pallice where she would be based for the rest of her time), without success, on the 23rd.

4th patrol

Her fourth patrol was carried out on the eastern seaboard of Canada and the United States, where she sank a number of ships, including the-then neutral Brazilian vessels Buarque and the Olinda on 15 and 18 February 1942 respectively. She also sent the Miraflores and the Azolea City to the bottom on the 19th and 21st.

5th patrol

U-432 had departed La Pallice on 30 April 1942. On 2 May, she was slightly damaged in an air attack on 2 May west of the Bay of Biscay. She returned to her earlier hunting grounds across the Atlantic where she sank ships such as the Zurichmoor (on the 23rd) and the Malayan Prince on 9 June.

On 30 May, she torpedoed and sank the "Liverpool Packet" off the south-eastern tip of Nova Scotia. Of her 21 crew, two were killed when the torpedo struck. U-432 approached the 19 survivors, who had taken to lifeboats, and Schultze gave them directions to the nearest land. After 20 hours rowing, they succeeded in reaching Seal Island, off Cape Sable, Nova Scotia.[4]

6th patrol

The submarine encountered some resistance when she came across the Pennmar off Cape Farewell (Greenland) on 24 September 1942. A torpedo fired from the starboard quarter was avoided by evasive action. On surfacing, the U-boat was engaged by Pennmar's 4 in gun. U-432 submerged again and fired a spread of four torpedoes, one of which hit and sank the American ship.

7th patrol

For her seventh effort, the boat headed towards Africa. She sank the Poitou off Morocco on 17 December 1942.

8th patrol and loss

U-432 sank HMS Harvester on 11 March 1943 after the British destroyer was badly damaged while ramming U-444. The French corvette Aconit came to Harvester's assistance. She depth charged and sank the U-boat in mid-Atlantic.

Twenty-six men went down with U-432; there were 20 survivors.

Wolfpacks

U-432 took part in seven wolfpacks, namely.

  • Markgraf (28 August – 14 September 1941)
  • Reissewolf (21–28 October 1941)
  • Pfadfinder (21–27 May 1942)
  • Lohs (23 August – 22 September 1942)
  • Sturmbock (23–26 February 1943)
  • Wildfang (26 February – 5 March 1943)
  • Westmark (6–11 March 1943)

Summary of raiding history
Date Name Nationality Tonnage[Note 1] Fate[5]
10 September 1941 Muneric  United Kingdom 5,229 Sunk
10 September 1941 Stargard  Norway 1,113 Sunk
10 September 1941 Winterswijk  Netherlands 3,205 Sunk
11 September 1941 Garm  Sweden 1,231 Sunk
17 October 1941 Barfonn  Norway 9,739 Sunk
17 October 1941 Bold Venture  Panama 3,222 Sunk
17 October 1941 Evros  Greece 5,283 Sunk
28 October 1941 Ulea  United Kingdom 1,574 Sunk
15 February 1942 Buarque  Brazil 5,172 Sunk
18 February 1942 Olinda  Brazil 4,053 Sunk
19 February 1942 Miraflores  United Kingdom 2,158 Sunk
21 February 1942 Azalea City  United States 5,529 Sunk
27 February 1942 Marore  United States 8,215 Sunk
17 May 1942 Foam  United States 324 Sunk
23 May 1942 Zurichmoor  United Kingdom 4,455 Sunk
31 May 1942 Liverpool Packet  Canada 1,188 Sunk
3 June 1942 Aeolus  United States 41 Sunk
3 June 1942 Ben and Josephine  United States 102 Sunk
9 June 1942 Kronprinsen  Norway 7,073 Damaged
9 June 1942 Malayan Prince  United Kingdom 8,593 Damaged
24 September 1942 Pennmar  United States 5,868 Sunk
17 December 1942 Poitou  Free France 310 Sunk
11 March 1943 HMS Harvester  Royal Navy 1,340 Sunk

References

Notes
  1. Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.

Citations
  1. Kemp 1999, p. 106.
  2. Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-432". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  3. Gröner 1991, pp. 43-46.
  4. CBC News: "War off our shore: Documentary looks at WW II U-boat attack in Maritimes." February 18, 2017 https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/liverpool-packet-sinking-u-boat-1.3987633
  5. Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-432". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.

Bibliography
  • 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. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
  • 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). IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
  • Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
  • Kemp, Paul (1999). U-Boats Destroyed - German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.

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