View source for German submarine U-110 (1940)

{{Short description|German World War II submarine}}
{{other ships|German submarine U-110}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox ship
|section1={{Infobox ship/image
 |image=U-110 and HMS Bulldog.jpg
 |image_caption=''U-110'' and {{HMS|Bulldog|H91|6}}
 }}

|section2={{Infobox ship/career
 |hide_header=
 |country=[[Nazi Germany]]
 |flag={{shipboxflag|Nazi Germany|naval}}
 |name=''U-110''
 |ordered=24 May 1938	
 |builder=[[DeSchiMAG]] [[AG Weser]], [[Bremen]]
 |yard_number=973
 |laid_down=1 February 1940
 |launched=25 August 1940
 |commissioned=21 November 1940
 |homeport=[[Lorient]], France
 |motto=
 |nickname=
 |identification=
 |fate=Captured, 9 May 1941, sunk the following day
 |notes=
 }}

|section3={{Infobox ship/characteristics
 |hide_header=
 |header_caption=
 |class=[[Type IXB submarine]]
 |displacement=
*{{convert|1051|t|LT|abbr=on|lk=on}} surfaced
*{{convert|1178|t|LT|abbr=on}} submerged
 |length=
*{{convert|76.50|m|ft|abbr=on|0}} [[o/a]]
*{{convert|58.75|m|ftin|abbr=on}} [[pressure hull]]
 |beam=
*{{convert|6.76|m|ftin|abbr=on}} overall
*{{convert|4.40|m|ftin|abbr=on}} pressure hull
 |draught={{convert|4.70|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
 |power=
*{{convert|4400|PS|kW bhp|abbr=on}} (diesels)
*{{convert|1000|PS|kW bhp|-1|abbr=on}} (electric)
 |propulsion=
*2 shafts
*2 × [[diesel engine]]s
*2 × [[Motor-generator|electric motors]]
 |speed=
*{{convert|18.2|kn|lk=in}} surfaced
*{{convert|7.3|kn}} submerged
 |range=
*{{convert|12000|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|10|kn}} surfaced
*{{convert|64|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|4|kn}} submerged
 |test_depth={{convert|230|m|ft|abbr=on}}
 |complement=48 to 56 officers and ratings
 |time_to_activate=
 |sensors=
 |EW=
 |armament=
*6 × [[torpedo tube]]s (4 bow, 2 stern)
*22 × {{convert|53.3|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo]]es
*1 × [[10.5&nbsp;cm SK C/32 naval gun|{{convert|10.5|cm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}} SK C/32]] [[deck gun]] (180 rounds)
*1 × [[3.7&nbsp;cm SK C/30|{{convert|3.7|cm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}} SK C/30]] AA gun
*1 × twin [[2 cm FlaK 30]] AA guns
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
 |notes=
 }}

|section4={{Infobox ship/service record
 |header_caption=
 |partof=
*[[2nd U-boat Flotilla]]
*21 November 1940 – 9 May 1941
 |codes=M 23 130
 |commanders=
*''[[Kptlt.]]'' [[Fritz-Julius Lemp]]
*21 November 1940 – 9 May 1941
 |operations=*2 patrols:
             *1st patrol:
             *9 – 29 March 1941
             *2nd patrol:
             *15 April – 9 May 1941
 |victories=
*3 merchant ships sunk <br />({{GRT|10,149}})
*2 merchant ships damaged <br />({{GRT|8,675}})
 }}
}}

'''German submarine ''U-110''''' was a [[Type IX submarine#Type IXB|Type IXB]] [[U-boat]] of [[Nazi Germany]]'s ''[[Kriegsmarine]]'' that operated during [[World War II]]. She was captured by the [[Royal Navy]] on 9 May 1941 and provided a number of secret cipher documents to the British. ''U-110''{{'}}s capture, later given the code name "Operation Primrose", was one of the biggest secrets of the war, remaining so for seven months. President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] was only told of the capture by [[Winston Churchill]] in January 1942.

==Design==
[[Type IXB submarine]]s were slightly larger than the original [[Type IXA submarine|Type IX submarines]], later designated IXA. ''U-110'' had a displacement of {{convert|1051|t|LT}} when at the surface and {{convert|1178|t|LT}} while submerged.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|p=68}} The U-boat had a total length of {{convert|76.50|m|ftin|abbr=on|0}}, a [[pressure hull]] length of {{convert|58.75|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|6.76|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a height of {{convert|9.60|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, and a [[draught (ship)|draught]] of {{convert|4.70|m|ftin|abbr=on}}. The submarine was powered by two [[MAN SE|MAN]] M 9 V 40/46 [[supercharged]] four-stroke, nine-cylinder [[diesel engine]]s producing a total of {{convert|4400|PS|kW shp|-1}} for use while surfaced, two [[Siemens-Schuckert]] 2 GU 345/34 [[Motor–generator|double-acting electric motors]] producing a total of {{convert|1000|PS|kW shp|-1}} for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two {{convert|1.92|m|ft|abbr=on|0}} [[propeller]]s. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to {{convert|230|m}}.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|p=68}}

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of {{convert|18.2|kn}} and a maximum submerged speed of {{convert|7.3|kn}}.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|p=68}} When submerged, the boat could operate for {{convert|64|nmi}} at {{convert|4|kn}}; when surfaced, she could travel {{convert|12000|nmi}} at {{convert|10|kn}}. ''U-110'' was fitted with six {{convert|53.3|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 22 [[torpedo]]es, one [[10.5&nbsp;cm SK C/32 naval gun|{{convert|10.5|cm|in|2|abbr=on}} SK C/32 naval gun]], 180 rounds, and a [[3.7&nbsp;cm SK C/30|{{convert|3.7|cm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}} SK C/30]] as well as a [[2 cm FlaK 30|{{convert|2|cm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}} C/30]] anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a [[Ship's company|complement]] of forty-eight.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|p=68}}

==Service history==

''U-110''{{'}}s keel was laid down 1 February 1940 by [[DeSchiMAG]] [[AG Weser]], of [[Bremen]], Germany as yard number 973. She was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 25 August 1940 and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 21 November with ''[[Kapitänleutnant]]'' [[Fritz-Julius Lemp]] in command.

The boat was part of the [[2nd U-boat Flotilla]] from her commissioning date until her loss. Lemp commanded ''U-110'' for her entire career. In an earlier boat ({{GS|U-30|1936|2}}), he was responsible for the sinking of the passenger liner [[SS Athenia (1922)|''SS Athenia'']] on the first day of the war. The circumstances were such that he was considered for [[court-martial]]. He continued, however, to be one of the most successful and rebellious commanders of his day.<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yLnEK-kBcQEC&pg=PT81|first=Hugh|last=Sebag-Montefiore|title=Enigma: The Battle for the Code|publisher=Hachette UK|year=2011|isbn=9781780221236|chapter=13 – Operation Primrose}}</ref>

==Operational career==

===First patrol===
''U-110'' set out on her first patrol from [[Kiel]] on 9 March 1941. Her route to the Atlantic Ocean took her through the [[GIUK gap|gap]] between the [[Faroe Islands|Faroe]] and [[Shetland Islands]]. Her first victim was ''Erodona'' which she damaged south of [[Iceland]] on 16 March. She also damaged ''Siremalm'' on the 23rd. This ship only escaped after she was hit by a [[torpedo]] which failed to detonate, (although it left a large dent) and the U-boat's 105&nbsp;mm [[deck gun]] crew forgot to remove the [[tampion]] in the muzzle before engaging their target. The resulting explosion on firing the first round wounded three men and compelled the boat to fire on the merchantman with the smaller 37 and 20&nbsp;mm armament. Despite being hit, ''Siremalm'' successfully fled the scene, zig-zagging as she went.

''U-110'' arrived in Lorient on the French Atlantic coast on 29 March, having cut the patrol short due to damage from the exploding gun.

===Second patrol and capture===
The boat departed Lorient on 15 April 1941. On the 27th, she sank ''Henri Mory'' about {{convert|330|nmi}} west northwest of [[Blasket Islands]], Ireland.

Her next quarry were the ships of [[convoy OB 318]] east of [[Cape Farewell, Greenland|Cape Farewell]] (Greenland). She successfully attacked and sank ''Esmond'' and ''Bengore Head'', but the escort vessels responded. The British corvette {{HMS|Aubrietia|K96|6}} located the U-boat with [[ASDIC]] (sonar). ''Aubrietia'' and British destroyer {{HMS|Broadway|H90|2}} then proceeded to drop [[depth charge]]s, forcing ''U-110'' to surface.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uboatarchive.net/U-110A/U-110GreenockReportU-110.htm|title=U-boat Archive – U-110 – Greenock Report – Attacks on U-110|access-date=3 October 2014}}</ref>

===Operation ''Primrose'' (9 May 1941)===

''U-110'' survived the attack, but was seriously damaged. {{HMS|Bulldog|H91|6}} and ''Broadway'' remained in contact after ''Aubrietia''{{'}}s last attack. ''Broadway'' shaped course to ram, but fired two depth charges beneath the U-boat instead, in an endeavour to make the crew abandon ship before scuttling her.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.uboatarchive.net/U-110A/U-110GreenockReport.htm|title=U-boat Archive – U-110 – Greenock Report – Attacks on U-110|access-date=3 October 2014}}</ref> Lemp announced "Last stop, everybody out", meaning "Abandon ship". As the crew turned out onto the U-boat's deck they came under fire from ''Bulldog'' and ''Broadway'' with casualties from gunfire and drowning. The British had believed that the German deck gun was to be used and ceased fire when they realised that the U-boat was being abandoned and the crew wanted to surrender.

Lemp realised that ''U-110'' was not sinking and attempted to swim back to it to destroy the secret material, and was never seen again. A German eyewitness testified that he was shot in the water by a British sailor, but his fate is not confirmed. Including Lemp, 15 men were killed in the action, and 32 were captured. Radio Officer Georg Högel and the rest of the crew were held at ''Camp 23'' ([[Monteith POW camp]] at [[Iroquois Falls, Northern Ontario]], Canada), which is now the [[Monteith Correctional Complex]].

''Bulldog''{{'}}s [[boarding (attack)|boarding]] party, led by Sub-Lieutenant David Balme, got onto ''U-110'' and stripped it of everything portable, including her [[Kurzsignale]] code book and [[Enigma machine]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/774427.stm|title=Capturing the real ''U-571'', BBC|access-date=3 October 2014}}</ref> William Stewart Pollock, a former radio operator in the Royal Navy and on loan to ''Bulldog'', was on the second boat to board ''U-110''. He retrieved the Enigma machine and books as they looked out of place in the radio room. ''U-110'' was taken in tow back toward Britain, but was intentionally sunk en route to prevent its capture from being revealed.

The documents captured from ''U-110'' helped [[Bletchley Park]] codebreakers solve ''[[Reservehandverfahren]]'', a reserve German hand cipher.<!-- and more...-->

==Wolfpacks==
''U-110'' took part in one [[Wolfpack (naval tactic)|wolfpack]], [[Wolfpack West|West]] (9 May 1941).
==Modern-day connections==
The 2000 film ''[[U-571 (film)|U-571]]'' was partially inspired by the capture of ''U-110''.

In 2007, the submarine's chronometer was featured on the BBC programme ''[[Antiques Roadshow]]'', from [[Alnwick Castle]], in the possession of the grandson of the captain of the ship which captured her.{{cn|date=October 2025}}

==Summary of raiding history==
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"
|-
!Date !! Ship !! Nationality !! Tonnage !! Fate<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://uboat.net/boats/successes/u110.html
 |title=Ships hit by U-110
 |last=Helgason
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net
 |access-date=3 October 2014
}}</ref> 
|-
|align="right"|16 March 1941
|align="left" |''[[List of shipwrecks in March 1941#16 March|Erodona]]''
|align="left" |{{flagcountry|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|6,207
|Damaged
|-
|align="right"|23 March 1941
|align="left" |''[[List of shipwrecks in March 1941#23 March|Siremalm]]''
|align="left" |{{flagcountry|Norway}}
|align="right"|2,468
|Damaged
|-
|align="right"|27 April 1941
|align="left" |''[[List of shipwrecks in April 1941#27 April|Henri Mory]]''
|align="left" |{{flagcountry|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|2,564
|Sunk
|-
|align="right"|9 May 1941
|align="left" |''[[List of shipwrecks in May 1941#9 May|Bengore Head]]''
|align="left" |{{flagcountry|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|2,609
|Sunk
|-
|align="right"|9 May 1941
|align="left" |''[[List of shipwrecks in May 1941#9 May|Esmond]]''
|align="left" |{{flagcountry|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|4,976
|Sunk
|}


===Other captured U-boats===
* {{GS|U-505||2}}
* ''U-570'', later {{HMS|Graph}}
* {{GS|U-744||2}}
* {{GS|U-1024||2}}

== See also ==

* ''[[German submarine U-559|U-559]]''

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite book | last1 = Busch | first1 = Rainer | last2 = Röll | first2 = Hans-Joachim | translator-last = Brooks | translator-first = Geoffrey | title = German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary | publisher = Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press | location = London, Annapolis, Md | year = 1999 | isbn = 1-55750-186-6 }}
*{{cite book
|last1=Busch
|first1=Rainer
|last2=Röll
|first2=Hans-Joachim
|title=Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945
|trans-title=German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945
|series=Der U-Boot-Krieg
|volume=IV
|publisher=Mittler
|location=Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn
|year=1999
|isbn=3-8132-0514-2
|language=de
}}
*{{cite book
|last1=Gröner
|first1=Erich
|last2=Jung
|first2=Dieter
|last3=Maass
|first3=Martin
|translator-last1=Thomas
|translator-first1=Keith
|translator-last2=Magowan
|translator-first2=Rachel
|year=1991
|title=German Warships 1815–1945, U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels
|volume=2
|location=London
|publisher=Conway Maritime Press
|isbn=0-85177-593-4
|ref=CITEREFGröner1991
}}
* [[Hugh Sebag-Montefiore]], ''Enigma: The Battle for the Code'', 2000, {{ISBN|0-7538-1130-8}}.

{{Refend}}

==External links==
*[http://www.iwm.org.uk/upload/package/10/enigma/enigma12.htm Enigma and Operation Primrose] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608171007/http://www.iwm.org.uk/upload/package/10/enigma/enigma12.htm |date=8 June 2011 }}
*{{Cite web
 |url=http://uboat.net/boats/u110.htm
 |title=The Type IXB boat U-110
 |last=Helgason
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net
 |access-date=6 December 2014
}}
*{{cite web
|url=http://www.u-boot-archiv.de/dieboote/u0110.html
|title=''U 110''
|last=Hofmann
|first=Markus
|website=Deutsche U-Boote 1935–1945 – u-boot-archiv.de
|language=de
|access-date=2 February 2015
}}

{{German Type IXB submarines}}
{{May 1941 shipwrecks}}
{{coord|60|22|N|33|12|W|display=title|type:landmark_source:dewiki}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:U0110}}
[[Category:1940 ships]]
[[Category:Captured U-boats]]
[[Category:Enigma machine]]
[[Category:German Type IX submarines]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in May 1941]]
[[Category:Naval ships of Germany captured by the United Kingdom during World War II]]
[[Category:Ships built in Bremen (state)]]
[[Category:U-boats commissioned in 1940]]
[[Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean]]
[[Category:World War II submarines of Germany]]