German World War II submarine
German submarine "U-602" was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's "Kriegsmarine" for service during World War II.
She was laid down on 8 February 1941 by Blohm &amp; Voss, Hamburg as yard number 578, launched on 30 October 1941 and commissioned on 29 December 1941 under "Oberleutnant zur See" Philipp Schüler.
Design.
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. "U-602" 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 Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two Brown, Boveri &amp; 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-602" 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.
The boat's career began with training at 5th U-boat Flotilla on 29 December 1941, followed by active service on 1 October 1942 as part of the 7th Flotilla. She later transferred for operations in the Mediterranean with 29th Flotilla for the remainder of her service.
In four patrols she was credited with the total loss of one warship (1,540 tons).
Wolfpacks.
"U-602" took part in two wolfpacks, namely:
Fate.
"U-602" went missing in the Mediterranean. She left the Military port of Toulon on 11 April 1943, and sent the last radio message on 19 April 1943 at position . All hands were lost.
Previously recorded fate.
"U-602" was originally thought to have been sunk on April 23, 1943 at position by depth charges from a British Hudson aircraft of RAF 500/N. This attack was actually against , inflicting no damage.
References.
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