German submarine U - 202 German submarine " U - 202 " was a Type VIIC U - boat of the " Kriegsmarine " during World War II . The submarine was laid down on 18 March 1940 by the Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft yard at Kiel as ' werk ' 631 , launched on 10 February 1941 , and commissioned on 22 March under the command of " Kapitänleutnant " Hans - Heinz Linder . She sank nine ships totalling 34 , 615 GRT and damaged four more totalling 35 , 427 GRT . She was sunk on 2 June 1943 in the North Atlantic by depth charge s and gunfire from a British warship . 18 men died , there were 30 survivors . Operational career . Part of the 1st U - boat Flotilla , " U - 202 " conducted nine patrols in the North Atlantic , the last three under the command of " Kptlt . " Günter Poser ; she was a member of ten wolfpack s . 1st , 2nd and 3rd patrols . " U - 202 " s first patrol began when she left Kiel on 17 June 1941 ; it passed without incident and concluded with her entry into Brest in France on 23 July after 37 days at sea . She had more success on her second outing ; departing Brest on 11 August , attacking and sinking two ships east of Greenland and south of Iceland before returning to Brest on 17 September 1941 . Her third patrol , beginning on 16 October , which was also successful , saw the destruction of the British - registered and the " Gretavale " northeast of Newfoundland . She returned to her French base on 13 November , after a voyage of 29 days . 4th , 5th and 6th patrols . The submarine ' s fourth sortie was towards the Moroccan coast . " U - 202 " left Brest on 13 December 1941 . She returned empty - handed on 27 December . Her fifth patrol produced better results , damaging the British ships " Athelviscount " about east southeast of Halifax on 22 March 1942 and sinking the " Loch Don " about north northeast of Bermuda on 1 April . This patrol was from 1 March to 26 April , a total of 57 days . Her sixth foray , commencing on 27 May , was also successful . On 12 June she landed four saboteurs at Amagansett , New York , on Long Island , as part of Operation " Pastorius " . The Argentinian " Rio Tercero " went to the bottom about off New York on 22 June , followed by the American " City of Birmingham " about east of Cape Hatteras , North Carolina on 1 July . The U - boat reached Brest on 25 July , after 60 days . 7th , 8th and 9th patrols . The boat ' s seventh patrol took in the northern coast of South America , leaving Brest on 6 September 1942 . Things did not go well ; " U - 202 " was attacked by British aircraft on 8 September while still in the Bay of Biscay and again on 29 September southeast of Trinidad . Although damaged , the U - boat continued her patrol , sinking two ships before returning to base on 25 October . She sank one ship and damaged three others after commencing her eighth patrol on 12 January 1943 . She was attacked south of the Azores on 23 February . The U - boat returned to Brest on 26 March after 74 days away . Her ninth and final sortie began on 29 April 1943 and came to an end when she was sunk on 2 June 1943 . Sinking . " U - 202 " was detected by ' HF / DF ' ( radio detection equipment ) of ships in the Second Support Group ( headed by the British sloop HMS " Starling " commanded by Captain FJ Walker RN ) , when she transmitted a daily report . On closing the range , the surface ships found the U - boat with ASDIC ( sonar ) and attacked . Despite much evasive action , the submarine could not shake off her pursuers . After many hours , " U - 202 " was forced to the surface where she was engaged by " Starling " s guns . A volley of depth charges followed which seemed to lift the U - boat out of the water before she sank . It was a text - book attack that pleased Walker enough to signal ' splice the mainbrace ' ( issue rum ) in celebration . Portrayal in media . At least three books have been written about the 1942 raid , the 1959 book " Eight Spies against America " by John Dasch , the 1961 book " They Came to Kill " by Eugene Rachlis , and the 2004 book " Saboteurs : The Nazi Raid on America , " by Michael Dobbs .