German submarine U - 410 German submarine " U - 410 " was a Type VIIC U - boat built for the Nazi German Kriegsmarine for service during World War II , operating mainly in the Mediterranean . Her Insignia was a Sword & Shield , she did not suffer any casualties until she was sunk . " U - 410 " was first commanded by " Kapitänleutnant " Kurt Sturm during her working up / training period and on her first patrol before being commanded by Horst - Arno Fenski for her six combat patrols . U - 410 sank eight merchantmen , a Landing ship , Tank ( LST ) ; and a light cruiser during the Second World War . For his successes , Fenski received the Knights Cross . Construction and Design . " U - 410 " was ordered by the " Kriegsmarine " on 30 October 1939 . She was laid down at the Danziger Werft yard in Danzig , on 9 January 1941 and launched on 14 October 1941 . She was formally commissioned into the " Kriegsmarine " , on 23 February 1942 . Like all type VIIC submarines , " U - 410 " carried five torpedo tube s ( four located in the bow , one in the stern ) and a C35 88mm / L45 deck gun with 220 rounds . Anti - Aircraft ( AA ) protection consisted of a twin 20 - mm , on Platform I , a 37 - mm , on Platform II and 2 MG 15 machine gun ’ s on the bridge . Two supercharged Germaniawerft 6 - cylinder 4 - stroke M6V 40 / 46 diesel engines with a total of . Her maximum rpm was 490 . She was also equipped with two electric motors totaling with a maximum rpm of 296 . This power - train enabled " U - 380 " to achieve a top speed of while on the surface and when submerged . She had a range of at when surfaced and at when submerged . Her test depth was ; her crush depth was . She carried 2 eight - man , 1 six - man and 58 one - man , rubber boats . " U - 410 " departed Kiel on 27 August 1942 for her first patrol . The U - boat , under " Kapitänleutnant " Kurt Sturm , sank the British " Newton Pine " in mid - Atlantic . She then arrived in St . Nazaire in France on 28 October 1942 , after 63 days at sea . Patrol history . Her second outing was not so productive ; after 33 days she returned to her French base empty - handed . Her third foray was more productive and included the sinking of the British ship , the " Fort Battle River " on 6 March 1943 . She also damaged another British vessel in the same engagement , the " Fort Paskoyac " . Both of these ships were attacked southwest of Portugal . The U - boat returned to St . Nazaire on 27 March 1943 . Her fourth sortie included transiting the heavily defended Strait of Gibraltar . She arrived in La Spezia in Italy on 13 May 1943 , having left St . Nazaire on 26 April . " U - 410 " left La Spezia on 7 August 1943 and attacked the convoy UGS - 14 off the Algerian coast . Firing three torpedoes in a ' spread ' , she hit and sank two American ships , the " John Bell " and the " Richard Henderson " on 26 August 1943 . She then sailed to Toulon in France , arriving on 30 August . The U - boat tried to disrupt the landings at Anzio , sinking a British light cruiser and an American LST ( see below ) . Combat History . Wolf Packs . " U - 410 " was part of the following " wolf packs " : Rescue of survivors from MV Rhakotis . On 2 Jan 1943 , " U - 410 " rescued 80 survivors from the German blockade - runner MV " Rhakotis " after she was sunk by HMS Scylla . The survivors were returned to St . Nazaire the next day . Among the survivors were two Englishmen who received a special guard . Sinking of " Penelope " . On 18 February 1944 , HMS " Penelope " ( Capt . G . D . Belben , DSO , DSC , AM , RN ) , was leaving Naples to return to the Anzio area when she was torpedoed at by " U - 410 " . A torpedo struck the British cruiser in the aft engine room ; sixteen minutes later , " U - 410 " fired another torpedo that hit " Penelope " in her boiler room , causing her immediate sinking . 415 of the crew , including the captain , went down with the ship . There were 206 survivors . The remarkable point of the attack by " U - 410 " was that the cruiser was making when she was hit . As far as can be ascertained , in the history of submarine attacks during World War II , no other ship running at such speed was ever successfully attacked . Sinking of USS LST - 348 . On 20 February 1944 LST - 348 ( Landing Ship , Tank ) was returning from Sicily , supporting Operation Shingle and roughly 40 miles South of Naples when she was spotted by " U - 410 " , who fired two torpedoes at around 02 : 00 hrs . Both hit the vessel on her port side , she sank 20 minutes later . Loss . On 11 March 1944 , a USAAF during an air raid on the Port of Toulon , U - 410 along with U - 380 were so seriously damaged , they were declared " no longer operational " . " Oberleutnant zur See " Fenski and his crew transferred to U - 371 , which was lost around 04 : 00 on 4 May 1944 in a battle with Allied warships . The Engineering Officer and a control room petty officer were killed , as they scuttled their boat , but Fenski and his remaining crew survived and spent 2 years in a US POW camp .