German submarine U-82 (1941)

<th colspan="2" >Service record

Part of:
Identification codes:
Commanders:
Operations:
Victories:

German submarine U-82 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

Her keel was laid down on 15 May 1940 by Bremer Vulkan-Vegesacker Werft of Bremen as yard number 10. She was launched on 15 March 1941 and commissioned on 14 May with Oberleutnant zur See Siegfried Rollmann in command. U-82 conducted three patrols, sinking eight merchant ships for a total of Template:GRT, one warship of 1,190 tons and damaging another merchantman of Template:GRT.

Design

German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-82 had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of , a pressure hull length of , a beam of , a height of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two MAN M 6 V 40/46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two Brown, Boveri & Cie GG UB 720/8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to .

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . U-82 was fitted with five torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.

Service history

U-82 conducted three patrols whilst serving with the 3rd U-boat Flotilla from 14 May 1941 to 6 February 1942 when she was sunk. She was a member of four wolfpacks.

First patrol

The boat's first patrol began with her departure from Trondheim in Norway on 11 August 1941 after moving from Kiel in July. Her route took her across the Norwegian Sea and through the gap separating Iceland and the Faroe Islands toward the Atlantic Ocean.

She sank the Empire Hudson northeast of Greenland on 10 September 1941 followed by four more ships: the Bulysees, the Gypsum Queen, the Empire Crossbill and the Scania, all on the 11th.

U-82 then docked at Lorient on the French Atlantic coast on 5 July.

Second patrol

The boat sank two more ships on her second foray but when she returned to France she went to La Pallice on 19 November 1941.

Third patrol and loss

On her final patrol, U-82 sank Athelcrown, and Leiesten in mid-Atlantic. At the end of January she attacked and sank , a US-built, , south of Newfoundland. On 6 February 1942, while returning from patrol, she encountered convoy OS 18 north-east of the Azores. While attempting to attack she was sunk with all 45 of her crew by depth charges from the British sloop and the corvette .

Summary of raiding history

Date	Ship	Nationality	Tonnage	Fate
10 September 1941	Empire Hudson	Template:Flagcountry	7,465	Sunk
11 September 1941	Bulysses	Template:Flagcountry	7,519	Sunk
11 September 1941		Template:Flagcountry	5,463	Sunk
11 September 1941	Gypsum Queen	Template:Flagcountry	3,915	Sunk
11 September 1941	Scania	Template:Flagcountry	1,999	Damaged
21 October 1941	Treverbyn	Template:Flagcountry	5,281	Sunk
21 October 1941	Serbino	Template:Flagcountry	4,099	Sunk
22 January 1942	Athelcrown	Template:Flagcountry	11,999	Sunk
23 January 1942	Leisten	Template:Flagcountry	6,118	Sunk
31 January 1942	HMS Belmont	Template:Navy/core	1,190	Sunk