German submarine U-140 (1940)

History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-140
Ordered	25 September 1939
Builder	Deutsche Werke, Kiel
Yard number	269
Laid down	16 November 1939
Launched	28 June 1940
Commissioned	7 August 1940
Fate	Scuttled on 5 May 1945 at Wilhelmshaven
General characteristics
Class and type	Type IID coastal submarine
Displacement	314 t (309 long tons) surfaced 364 t (358 long tons) submerged
Length	43.97 m (144 ft 3 in) o/a 29.80 m (97 ft 9 in) pressure hull
Beam	4.92 m (16 ft 2 in) (o/a) 4.00 m (13 ft 1 in) (pressure hull)
Height	8.40 m (27 ft 7 in)
Draught	3.93 m (12 ft 11 in)
Installed power	700 PS (510 kW; 690 bhp) (diesels) 410 PS (300 kW; 400 shp) (electric)
Propulsion	2 shafts 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Speed	12.7 knots (23.5 km/h; 14.6 mph) surfaced 7.4 knots (13.7 km/h; 8.5 mph) submerged
Range	3,450 nmi (6,390 km; 3,970 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) surfaced 56 nmi (104 km; 64 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth	80 m (260 ft)
Complement	3 officers, 22 men
Armament	3 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes 5 × torpedoes or up to 12 TMA or 18 TMB mines 1 × 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun
Service record
Part of:	1st U-boat Flotilla 7 August - 31 December 1940 22nd U-boat Flotilla 1 January 1941 - 31 March 1945 31st U-boat Flotilla 1 April - 5 May 1945
Identification codes:	M 05 988
Commanders:	Oblt.z.S. Hans-Peter Hinsch 7 August 1940 - 6 April 1941 Oblt.z.S. Hans-Jürgen Hellriegel 7 April - 9 December 1941 Oblt.z.S. / Kptlt. Klaus Popp 10 December 1941 - 1 September 1942 Lt.z.S. / Oblt.z.S. Albrecht Markert 2 September 1942 - 31 July 1944 Oblt.z.S. Herbert Zeissier 1 August - 19 November 1944 Oblt.z.S. Wolfgang Scherfling 20 November 1944 - 5 May 1945
Operations:	3 patrols: 1st patrol: a. 20 November - 17 December 1940 b. 19–20 December 1940 2nd patrol: 19 - 30 June 1941 3rd patrol: 7 - 24 July 1941
Victories:	3 merchant ships sunk (12,410 GRT) 1 warship sunk (206 tons)

German submarine U-140 was a Type IID U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She carried out three combat patrol. Built at the Kiel shipyards during 1939 and 1940, as a Type IID U-boat, she was too small for major operational work in the Atlantic Ocean, which was now required by the Kriegsmarine as the Battle of the Atlantic expanded.