German submarine U-43 (1939)

U-37, (an identical U-boat to U-43) at Lorient in 1940
History
Nazi Germany
Name:	U-43
Ordered:	21 November 1936
Builder:	AG Weser, Bremen
Yard number:	948
Laid down:	15 August 1938
Launched:	23 May 1939
Commissioned:	26 August 1939
Fate:	Sunk south-west of the Azores by an American aircraft, July 1943. 55 dead
General characteristics
Class and type:	Type IXA submarine
Displacement:	1,032 t (1,016 long tons) surfaced 1,153 t (1,135 long tons) submerged
Length:	76.50 m (251 ft) o/a 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in) pressure hull
Beam:	6.51 m (21 ft 4 in) o/a 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height:	9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught:	4.70 m (15 ft 5 in)
Installed power:	4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels) 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric)
Propulsion:	2 shafts 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Range:	10,500 nmi (19,400 km; 12,100 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 65–78 nmi (120–144 km; 75–90 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth:	230 m (750 ft)
Complement:	4 officers, 44 enlisted
Armament:	6 × torpedo tubes (4 bow, 2 stern) 22 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedoes 1 × 10.5 cm (4.1 in) deck gun (180 rounds) 1 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) AA gun 1 × twin 2 cm FlaK 30 AA guns
Service record
Part of:	6th U-boat Flotilla 26 August–31 December 1939 2nd U-boat Flotilla 1 January 1940 – 30 July 1943
Identification codes:	M 24 266
Commanders:	Kptlt. Wilhelm Ambrosius 26 August 1939 – 20 October 1940 Kptlt. Wolfgang Lüth 21 October 1940 – 11 April 1942 Oblt.z.S. Hans-Joachim Schwantke 19 March 1942 – 30 July 1943
Operations:	Fourteen: 1st patrol: 6 November – 14 December 1939 2nd patrol: 13 March – 6 April 1940 3rd patrol: 12–23 April 1940 4th patrol: 13 May – 22 July 1940 5th patrol: 15 September – 18 October 1940 6th patrol: 10 November – 17 December 1940 7th patrol: 11 May – 1 July 1941 8th patrol: 2 August – 23 September 1941 9th patrol: 10 November – 16 December 1941 10th patrol: 30 December 1941 – 22 January 1942 11th patrol: 4 July – 15 August 1942 12th patrol: 23 September – 9 December 1942 13th patrol: 9 January – 31 March 1943 14th patrol: 13–30 July 1943
Victories:	21 commercial ships sunk (117,036 GRT) one commercial ship damaged (10,350 GRT) one commercial ship a total loss (9,131 GRT)

German submarine U-43 was a Type IXAU-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. The keel for U-43 was laid down in August 1938 at Bremen; she was launched in May 1939 and commissioned in August.

Between November 1939 and July 1943, the U-boat conducted 14 combat patrols, sinking 21 merchant ships for a total of 117,036 gross register tons (GRT), damaging one ship of 10,350 GRT and another of 9,131 GRT - enough for it to be declared a total loss.

U-43 was sunk on 30 July 1943 southwest of the Azores by a torpedo dropped by a United States Navy aircraft; all 55 hands were lost.

U-43 was ordered for the Kriegsmarine on 21 November 1936 (as part of Plan Z and in violation of the Treaty of Versailles). Her keel was laid down on 15 August 1938 by AG Weser, Bremen as yard number 946. She was launched on 23 May 1939 and commissioned on 26 August of that same year under the command of Korvettenkapitän Wilhelm Ambrosius.

As one of the eight original German Type IX submarines, later designated IXA, U-43 had a displacement of 1,032 tonnes (1,016 long tons) when at the surface and 1,153 tonnes (1,135 long tons) while submerged. The U-boat had a total length of 76.50 m (251 ft), a pressure hull length of 58.75 m (192 ft 9 in), a beam of 6.51 m (21 ft 4 in), a height of 9.40 m (30 ft 10 in), and a draught of 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in). The submarine was powered by two MAN M 9 V 40/46 supercharged four-stroke, nine-cylinder diesel engines producing a total of 4,400 metric horsepower (3,240 kW; 4,340 shp) for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert 2 GU 345/34 double-acting electric motors producing a total of 1,000 metric horsepower (740 kW; 990 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.92 m (6 ft) propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).