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, 30 July 1943. 55 dead |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Type IXA submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
|
| Beam |
|
| Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed |
|
| Range |
|
| Test depth | 230 m (750 ft) |
| Complement | 4 officers, 44 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
| Service record | |
| Part of: |
|
| Identification codes: | M 24 266 |
| Commanders: |
|
| Operations: |
|
| Victories: | |
German submarine U-43 was a Type IXA U-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.