German submarine U-42 (1939)

German submarine U-42 was a Type IXA U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine that operated during World War II.

U-42 was ordered by the Kriegsmarine in November 1936. Her keel was laid down in December 1937; she was launched in February 1939 and commissioned in July 1939.

U-42 had a very short career, being sunk while still on her first war patrol. During her service with the Kriegsmarine, the boat conducted only one training patrol and one war patrol. Over the latter she damaged one enemy vessel of. Both her patrols were as part of the 6th U-boat Flotilla.

U-42 was sunk southwest of Ireland on 13 October 1939. Out of a crew of 46, 20 survived and 26 went down with the submarine.

Construction
U-42 was ordered by the Kriegsmarine on 21 November 1936 (as part of Plan Z). Her keel was laid down on 21 December 1937 by AG Weser of Bremen as Werk 947. She was launched on 16 February 1939 and commissioned on 15 July of that same year under the command of Kapitänleutnant Rolf Dau.

Like all other Type IXA U-boats, U-42 had two MAN M9V40/46 supercharged 9-cylinder diesel engines that put out 4400 hp, as well as two SSW GU345/34 double-acting electric motors that produced 1000 hp and allowed her to travel at up to 18.2 kn while surfaced and 7.7 kn submerged. She had a range of 19425 nmi at 10 kn while on the surface and 144 nmi at 4 kn while submerged. U-42 had six torpedo tubes (four in the bow and two in the stern). She also carried a total of twenty-two 533 mm torpedoes and had a Utof 105 mm/45 deck gun with 110 rounds. She was equipped with 2 cm FlaK 30 anti-aircraft guns. U-42 had a crew of 46 men. However, she could hold up to 56 crew members at any given time. After being commissioned and deployed, U-42 was stationed in the German city of Wilhelmshaven. It was to be her home port for the rest of her fairly short career.

Patrol
Following training exercises with the 6th Flotilla from 16 July 1939 to 1 October 1939, U-42 was moved into active service with the 6th Flotilla, ready for operations. The day after her training exercises ended, she left Wilhelmshaven on 2 October. On a 12 day journey, U-42 traveled into the North Sea and circumnavigated the British Isles. She then entered the North Atlantic in search of any Allied convoys. During this operation, one enemy ship was damaged, the 4,803 ton British steam freighter SS Stonepool, which had become separated from Convoy OB 17 while sailing from Liverpool, England to North America. This was to be the boat's first and only attack on any Allied merchant vessel.

Fate
While still on her first war patrol, U-42 was sunk on 13 October 1939 by depth charges from the British destroyers HMS Imogen (D44) and HMS Ilex (D61). This attack took place off the southwest coast of neutral Ireland. Of the 46 man crew, 26 were killed in the depth charge attack, 20 crew members survived and were made prisoners of war by the British. The youngest crew member aboard U-42 was Rudolf Nuggel who was born on 22 December 1919 and was among the 26 dead. He was 19 years old with his 20th birthday just over two months away. The captain, Rolf Dau, was the oldest known crew member of U-42. He was born on 1 April 1906 and was 33 years old at the time of the boat's sinking; he survived. U-42 was the fifth U-boat to be lost in World War II.