Type | VIIC | ||||||||||||||||
| Ordered | 30 Oct 1939 | ||||||||||||||||
| Laid down | 4 Jul 1940 | Deutsche Werke AG, Kiel (werk 284) | |||||||||||||||
| Launched | 30 Apr 1941 | ||||||||||||||||
| Commissioned | 26 Jun 1941 | Kptlt. Gert Hetschko | |||||||||||||||
| Commanders |
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| Career 17 patrols |
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| Successes | 9 ships sunk, total tonnage 23,289 GRT 1 warship sunk, total tonnage 835 tons 2 ships damaged, total tonnage 16,610 GRT 1 warship a total loss, total tonnage 1,705 tons | ||||||||||||||||
| Fate | Sunk 21 May, 1944 in the Ionian Sea north-east of Cape Spartivento, in position 38.13N, 16.30E, by depth charges from the British destroyers HMS Termagent and HMS Tenacious and the escort destroyer HMS Liddesdale. 1 dead and 51 survivors. | ||||||||||||||||
Attacks on this boat
12 Dec 1942
The U-453 sustained so much damage during a depth charge attack that she was forced to return to base in the Mediterranean.
24 Apr 1943
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down:British Hudson (500 Sqdn RAF/N, pilot W/O R. Obee)
At 00.12 hours, the boat was illuminated by the Hudson with flares after obtaining a radar contact off Oran and subsequently attacked. AA fire hit the aircraft (misidentified as Hampden) during its inital strafing run and killed the pilot. No depth charges were dropped as the front gunner struggled to save the Hudson from crashing. The navigator then flew the aircraft to their base at Tafaraoui, but the four remaining crewmen bailed out and let it crash because they could not land the Hudson safely.This aircraft was formerly credited with sinking U-602, but was in fact against U-453 inflicting no damage.
(Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)4 Feb 1944
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down:South African Ventura 565 (17 Sqdn SAAF/Y, pilot Lt A. de Jong)
At 19.44 hours, the boat was attacked by the Ventura (misidentified as Mosquito) south of Cyprus. The aircraft made a first attack assisted by Leigh Light and dropped four bombs in a second attack, but the port engine caught fire after being hit by AA fire and it was seen by the Germans to crash into the sea about 1000 meters away, killing all four crewmen. The bombs missed on the port side and did not damage the U-boat. (Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)
3 recorded attacks on this boat.
Men lost from the boat
13 Oct 1942
1 man was killed and 3 wounded on U-453 in an accident during handling the machine gun. [Matrosengefreiter Horst Saupe + on 13th Oct., Steuermannsgefreiter Helmut Lorenz died 2 months later]
24 Feb 1944
During test firing with the machine gun at the base in Salamis, Greece were two men killed (not crew members).
Related: For more info on such losses see - Men lost from U-boats -
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