German submarine U-110 (1940)

U-110 was a Type IXB U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II. She was commissioned on 21 September 1940, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Fritz-Julius Lemp.

Service History:

U-110 conducted five patrols, sinking three ships for a total of 13,835 gross register tons (GRT) and damaging one other.

Capture:

U-110 is best known for her capture by the Royal Navy on 9 May 1941. While attacking Convoy OB 318 in the North Atlantic, she was depth-charged by the British destroyers HMS Bulldog, HMS Broadway, and the corvette HMS Aubretia. Heavily damaged, Lemp ordered the submarine to surface.

The crew abandoned ship, and Lemp was killed, likely while attempting to return to the U-boat. A boarding party from HMS Bulldog, led by Lieutenant David Balme, boarded U-110 and seized her Enigma machine and associated codebooks, along with other important documents. These materials proved invaluable to Allied codebreakers at Bletchley Park in their efforts to decipher German naval Enigma traffic.

Significance:

The capture of U-110 and its Enigma materials represented a major intelligence coup for the Allies. The captured Enigma machine and codebooks significantly shortened the time needed to break German naval codes, allowing the Allies to track U-boat movements, reroute convoys, and ultimately gain a strategic advantage in the Battle of the Atlantic.

Fate:

After being towed for a short distance, U-110 sank on 9 May 1941, while still attached to HMS Bulldog. The capture of the Enigma materials was kept secret at the time, with the sinking portrayed as a genuine loss to the attacking forces to avoid alerting the Germans to the fact that their codes had been compromised.

Commanding Officers:

• Kapitänleutnant Fritz-Julius Lemp (21 September 1940 – 9 May 1941)