German submarine U-473

German submarine U-473 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II.

She carried out two patrols. She caused a warship to be declared a total loss..

She was sunk by British warships west southwest of Ireland, in May 1944.

Service history
The submarine was laid down on 1 December 1941 at the Deutsche Werke in Kiel as 'werk' 304, launched on 17 April 1943 and commissioned on 16 June under the command of Kapitänleutnant Heinz Sternberg.

She served with the 5th U-boat Flotilla from 16 June 1943 for training and the 9th U-boat Flotilla from 1 January 1944 for operations.

1st patrol
U-473's first patrol was preceded by a short journey from Kiel in Germany to Bergen in Norway. The patrol itself began when the boat departed Bergen on 27 March 1944. She passed through the 'gap' separating Iceland and the Faroe Islands and out into the Atlantic Ocean. She docked at Lorient in occupied France on 18 April.

2nd patrol and loss
The U-boat departed Lorient on 24 April 1944 for her second foray. On the 28th, she was attacked by a Handley Page Halifax of No. 58 Squadron RAF. No damage was inflicted on U-473 but the aircraft was hit five times before only just returning to base.

She was attacked again by a Polish-manned Vickers Wellington of 304 Squadron a day later. The boat was not damaged in this inconclusive encounter, but kept the aircraft at a respectful distance for an hour.

U-473 torpedoed the American destroyer USS Donnell on 3 May 1944. The warship did not sink; the U-boat dived deep to evade other convoy escorts and sustained slight damage from their depth charges.

The boat's luck ran out on 6 May when she was sunk by depth charges (some 345 of them), from the British sloops HMS Starling, Wren and Wild Goose. U-473 had been abandoned; the deserted U-boat, still running at high speed, headed straight for Starling which was obliged to take evasive action. Two explosions, possibly scuttling charges, finished the submarine off.

Twenty-three men went down with U-473; there were thirty survivors.