Editing German submarine U-862

{{Short description|German World War II submarine}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=
|Ship caption=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=[[Nazi Germany]]
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Nazi Germany|naval}}
|Ship name=''U-862''
|Ship ordered=5 June 1941
|Ship builder=[[DeSchiMAG]] [[AG Weser]], [[Bremen]]
|Ship yard number=1068
|Ship laid down=15 August 1942
|Ship launched=8 June 1943
|Ship commissioned=7 October 1943
|Ship homeport=
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship fate=Taken over by Japan on 5 May 1945
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=Japan
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Empire of Japan|naval}}
|Ship name=''I-502''
|Ship acquired=5 May 1945
|Ship commissioned=15 July 1945
|Ship homeport=
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship fate=
*Surrendered in August 1945
*Scuttled on 15 February 1946
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=[[German Type IX submarine#Type IXD|Type IXD2]] [[submarine]]
|Ship displacement=
*{{convert|1610|t|LT|abbr=on|lk=on}} surfaced
*{{convert|1799|t|LT|abbr=on}} submerged
|Ship length=
*{{convert|87.58|m|ftin|abbr=on}} [[o/a]]
*{{convert|68.50|m|ftin|abbr=on}} [[pressure hull]]
|Ship beam=
*{{convert|7.50|m|ftin|abbr=on}} o/a
*{{convert|4.40|m|ftin|abbr=on}} pressure hull
|Ship height={{convert|10.20|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|5.40|m|ftin|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=
*{{convert|9000|PS|kW bhp|-1|abbr=on}} (diesels)
*{{convert|1000|PS|kW shp|-1|abbr=on}} (electric)
|Ship propulsion=
*2 shafts
*2 × [[diesel engine]]s
*2 × [[Motor-generator|electric motors]]
|Ship speed=
*{{convert|20.8|kn}} surfaced
*{{convert|6.9|kn}} submerged
|Ship range=
*{{convert|12,750|nmi|lk=in|abbr=on}} at {{convert|10|kn}} surfaced
*{{convert|57|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|4|kn}} submerged
|Ship test depth={{convert|230|m|ft|abbr=on}}
|Ship complement= 55 to 64
|Ship armament=
*6 × [[torpedo tube]]s (four bow, two stern)
*24 × {{convert|53.3|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo]]es
*1 × [[10.5 cm SK C/32 naval gun|{{convert|10.5|cm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}} SK C/32 deck gun]] (150 rounds)
*1 × [[3.7 cm Flak 18/36/37/43|{{convert|3.7|cm|in|abbr=on}} Flak M42]] AA gun 
*2 × [[2 cm Flak 30, Flak 38 and Flakvierling 38|{{convert|2|cm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}} C/30]] [[anti-aircraft gun]]s
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox service record
|is_ship=yes
|label=Service record (''Kriegsmarine'')<ref name="uboatnet">{{Cite web
 |url= http://uboat.net/boats/u862.htm
 |title=The Type IXD2 boat U-862
 |last=Helgason
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net
 |access-date=9 March 2010
}}</ref><ref name="patrols">{{Cite web
 |url= http://uboat.net/boats/patrols/u862.html
 |title=War Patrols by German U-boat U-862
 |last=Helgason
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net
 |access-date=9 March 2010
}}</ref>
|partof=
*[[4th U-boat Flotilla]]
*7 October 1943 – 30 April 1944
*[[12th U-boat Flotilla]]
*1 May – 30 September 1944
*[[33rd U-boat Flotilla]]
*1 October 1944 – 5 May 1945
|codes=M 52 685
|commanders=
*''[[Kptlt.]] / [[K.Kapt.]]'' [[Heinrich Timm]]
*7 October 1943 – 5 May 1945
|operations=*2 patrols:
*1st patrol:
*a. 3 June – 9 September 1944
*b. 5 – 7 November 1944
*2nd patrol:
*a. 18 November 1944 – 15 February 1945
*b. 18 – 20 February 1945
|victories=*7 merchant ships sunk <br/>({{GRT|42,374}})
}}
{{Infobox service record
|is_ship=yes
|label =Service record (IJN)<ref name="ijnsubsite">{{cite web
 |url=http://ijnsubsite.info/I-Sub%20Details/I-502.htm
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301084736/http://ijnsubsite.info/I-Sub%20Details/I-502.htm
 |url-status=usurped
 |archive-date=1 March 2017
 |title=I-502
 |website=IJN Submarine Service – Ijnsubsite.info
 |access-date=3 June 2023
}}</ref>
|partof=
*[[Southern Expeditionary Fleet (Imperial Japanese Navy)|1st Southern Expeditionary Fleet]]
*15 July – August 1945
|commanders=
*''[[Sa (rank)|Kaigun-shōsa]]'' Nobuaki Yamanaka 
*15 July – August 1945
|operations=None
|victories=None
}}
|}

{{Axis naval attacks on Australia}}

'''German submarine ''U-862''''' was a [[Type IX U-boat|Type IXD2]] [[U-boat]] of [[Nazi Germany]]'s ''[[Kriegsmarine]]'' during [[World War II]]. After Germany's surrender in May 1945, ''U-862'' put into [[Singapore]] and was taken over by the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] under the name '''''I-502'''''.<ref name="uboatnet"/>

''U-862'' was [[Keel laying|laid down]] on 15 August 1942 by [[DeSchiMAG]] [[AG Weser]] of [[Bremen]]. She was [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 7 October 1943 with ''[[Kapitänleutnant]]'' [[Heinrich Timm]] in command. Timm commanded ''U-862'' for her entire career in ''Kriegsmarine'' and received a promotion to ''[[Korvettenkapitän]]'' on 1 July 1944. ''U-862'' conducted two patrols, sinking seven ships totalling {{GRT|42,374}}.<ref name="uboatnet"/>

==Design==
[[German Type IX submarine#Type IXD|German Type IXD2 submarines]] were considerably larger than the original [[German Type IX submarine|Type IX]]s. ''U-862'' had a displacement of {{convert|1610|t|LT}} when at the surface and {{convert|1799|t|LT}} while submerged.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=74–75}} The U-boat had a total length of {{convert|87.58|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a [[pressure hull]] length of {{convert|68.50|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a [[beam (nautical)|beam]] of {{convert|7.50|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, a height of {{convert|10.20|m|ftin|abbr=on}}, and a [[draught (ship)|draught]] of {{convert|5.35|m|ftin|abbr=on}}. The submarine was powered by two [[MAN SE|MAN]] M 9 V 40/46 [[supercharged]] four-stroke, nine-cylinder [[diesel engine]]s plus two [[MWM GmbH|MWM]] RS34.5S six-cylinder four-stroke diesel engines for cruising, producing a total of {{convert|9000|PS|kW shp|-1}} for use while surfaced, two [[Siemens-Schuckert]] 2 GU 345/34 [[Motor–generator|double-acting electric motors]] producing a total of {{convert|1000|shp|PS kW|-1}} for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two {{convert|1.85|m|ft|abbr=on|0}} [[propeller]]s. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to {{convert|200|m}}.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=74–75}}

The submarine had a maximum surface speed of {{convert|20.8|kn}} and a maximum submerged speed of {{convert|6.9|kn}}.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=74–75}} When submerged, the boat could operate for {{convert|121|nmi}} at {{convert|2|kn}}; when surfaced, she could travel {{convert|12750|nmi}} at {{convert|10|kn}}. ''U-862'' was fitted with six {{convert|53.3|cm|in|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s (four fitted at the bow and two at the stern), 24 [[torpedo]]es, one [[10.5 cm SK C/32 naval gun|{{convert|10.5|cm|in|2|abbr=on}} SK C/32 naval gun]], 150 rounds, and a [[3.7 cm Flak 18/36/37/43|{{convert|3.7|cm|in|abbr=on}} Flak M42]] with 2575 rounds as well as two [[2 cm FlaK 30|{{convert|2|cm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}} C/30]] anti-aircraft guns with 8100 rounds. The boat had a [[Ship's company|complement]] of fifty-five.{{sfn|Gröner|1991|pp=74–75}}

==Service history==

===First patrol===
''U-862'' was one of the most travelled of all [[U-boat]]s. She sailed from Germany in May 1944 and eventually reached [[Penang]], in Japanese-controlled [[British Malaya|Malaya]], in September 1944. Penang was the base for the 33rd U-boat Flotilla, code-named ''[[Monsun Gruppe]]'' ("Monsoon Group").

On the way there, she launched a [[G7es torpedo|T5/G7es ''Zaunkönig I'']] [[acoustic torpedo|acoustic homing torpedo]] at a tanker. The Zaunkönig came around full circle to home in on ''U-862''. Only an emergency crash dive and staying silent saved the U-boat from her own torpedo. She also shot down an Allied [[Consolidated PBY Catalina]] aircraft H of [[No. 265 Squadron RAF]] on 20 August 1944 and then escaped an intense search for her. She sank several merchant ships in the [[Mozambique Channel]] between Africa and [[Madagascar]].

===Second patrol===
{{See also|Axis naval activity in Australian waters|Axis naval activity in New Zealand waters}}
''U-862'' departed for her second war patrol from [[Jakarta|Batavia]] in the Japanese-occupied [[Netherlands East Indies]] in December 1944. She sailed down the west coast of Australia, across the [[Great Australian Bight]], around the southern coast of [[Tasmania]] and then north towards [[Sydney]] where she sank the U.S.-registered [[Liberty ship]] {{SS|Robert J. Walker||2}} on 25 December 1944. She then travelled around New Zealand and entered the port of [[Napier, New Zealand|Napier]] at night undetected.<ref>According to ''U-Boat Far from Home'', ''U-862'' entered [[Gisborne, New Zealand|Gisborne Port]] – not Napier</ref> This has given birth to an urban legend in New Zealand, where it is said that the captain of ''U-862'' sent sailors ashore at night to steal fresh milk from a farm. This may arise from a joke made by Captain Timm to Air Vice Marshal Sir [[Rochford Hughes]] in the late 1950s.<ref>{{cite book|last=Stevens|first=David|title=U-Boat Far from Home|year=1997|publisher=Allen & Unwin|isbn=1-86448-267-2}}</ref> ''U-862'''s voyage to New Zealand was portrayed in a stage comedy ''U Boat Down Under'' which was written and directed by Peter Tait and performed at [[Downstage Theatre]], Wellington from 27 July to 5 August 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theatreview.org.nz/reviews/review.php?id=293|title=New Zealand Theatre: theatre reviews, performance reviews – Theatreview}}</ref>

''U-862'' then returned to the Indian Ocean. On 6 February 1945, about 1,520&nbsp;km (820&nbsp;nm) south-west of [[Fremantle]], ''U-862'' sank the U.S.-registered Liberty ship, {{SS|Peter Silvester||2}}, which was loaded with [[mule]]s bound for [[Burma]].

''U-862'' was also a trial boat for the FuMo 65 ''Hohentwiel'' [[radar]] system. This was cranked out of a casing on the port side of the conning tower and rose on a mast. The aerial was hand trained onto targets whilst the U-boat was on the surface. The radar had a range up to {{convert|7|nmi|abbr=on}} and was very effective where there was little risk from air attack on the U-boat.

===Transfer to Japan===
When Germany surrendered in May 1945, she put into [[Singapore]] and was taken over by the [[Imperial Japanese Navy]].<ref name=Giese>Giese, O., 1994, Shooting the War, Annapolis: United States Naval Institute, {{ISBN|1557503079}}</ref>{{rp|235}} On 15 July 1945 she became the IJN submarine ''I-502''. The ''I-502'' surrendered at Singapore in August 1945 and was scuttled in the [[Strait of Malacca]] at {{coord|03|05|N|100|38|E|dim:400000|display=inline,title}} on 15 February 1946.<ref name="uboatnet"/>

The German crew of ''U-862'' suffered no casualties, and some returned to Germany several years after the war. Others who were interned at [[Kinmel Camp]], [[Bodelwyddan]], North Wales, remained in Wales and settled in the neighbouring communities of [[Rhyl]], [[Rhuddlan]] and [[Prestatyn]], due to the risks of returning to the [[Soviet occupation zone|Soviet occupied areas]] of Germany after the war. Two of the crew are buried at the new cemetery at Rhuddlan, North Wales, on nearby plots.

==Summary of raiding history==
[[File:Myoko after surrender (3).jpg|thumb|U-boat (either [[German submarine U-181|''U-181'']] or ''U-862'') moored next to the [[Japanese cruiser Myōkō|Japanese cruiser ''Myōkō'']]]]
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin: 1em auto 1em auto;"|-
! width="110px"|Date
! width="100px"|Ship name
! width="120px"|Nationality
! width="25px" |Tonnage <br/>([[Gross Register Tonnage|GRT]])
! width="100px"|Fate<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://uboat.net/boats/successes/u862.html
 |title=Ships hit by U-862
 |last=Helgason
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net
 |access-date=13 February 2014
}}</ref>
|-
|align="right"|25 July 1944
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in July 1944#25 July|''Robin Goodfellow'']]
|align="left" |{{flagcountry|United States|1912}}
|align="right"|6,885
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|13 August 1944
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in August 1944#13 August|''Radbury'']]
|align="left" |{{flagcountry|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|3,614
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|16 August 1944
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in August 1944#16 August|''Empire Lancer'']]
|align="left" |{{flagcountry|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|7,037
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|18 August 1944
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in August 1944#18 August|''Nairung'']]
|align="left" |{{flagcountry|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|5,414
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|19 August 1944
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in August 1944#19 August|''Wayfarer'']]
|align="left" |{{flagcountry|United Kingdom|civil}}
|align="right"|5,068
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|24 December 1944
|align="left" |[[List of shipwrecks in December 1944#24 December|''Robert J. Walker'']]
|align="left" |{{flagcountry|United States|1912}}
|align="right"|7,180
|align="left" |Sunk
|-
|align="right"|6 February 1945
|align="left" |''[[SS Peter Silvester|Peter Silvester]]''
|align="left" |{{flagcountry|United States|1912}}
|align="right"|7,176
|align="left" |Sunk
|}

==See also==
* [[Axis naval activity in Australian waters]]
* [[Axis naval activity in New Zealand waters]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
*{{cite book | last1 = Busch | first1 = Rainer | last2 = Röll | first2 = Hans-Joachim | translator-last = Brooks | translator-first = Geoffrey | title = German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary | publisher = Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press | location = London, Annapolis, Md | year = 1999 | isbn = 1-55750-186-6 }}
*{{cite book |last1=Busch |first1=Rainer |last2=Röll |first2=Hans-Joachim |title=Der U-Boot-Krieg, 1939-1945: Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945|trans-title=German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945 |date=1999|volume=IV |publisher=Mittler|location=Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn |isbn=3-8132-0514-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vXKwAAAAIAAJ |language=de}}
*{{cite book |last1=Gröner |first1=Eric |last2=Jung |first2=Dieter |last3=Maass |first3=Martin |translator-last1=Thomas|translator-first1=Keith|translator-last2=Magowan|translator-first2=Rachel |title=German Warships 1815-1945: U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels |date=1991 |publisher=Conway Maritime Press |location=London |volume=2 |isbn=0-85177-593-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Udg-0AEACAAJ|ref=CITEREFGröner1991}}
*{{cite book|last=Shone|first=Gerald|year=2016|title=U-boat in New Zealand Waters|publisher=Pahiatua Publications|location=Auckland|isbn=978-0-473-35128-1}}

{{Refend}}

==External links==
* {{Cite web
 |url= http://uboat.net/boats/u862.htm
 |title= The Type IXD2 boat U-862
 |last=Helgason
 |first=Guðmundur
 |website=German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net
 |access-date= 7 December 2014
}}

{{German Type IXD submarines}}
{{German Type IX submarines}}
{{1946 shipwrecks}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:U0862}}
[[Category:German Type IX submarines]]
[[Category:World War II submarines of Germany]]
[[Category:Indian Ocean U-Boats]]
[[Category:Military attacks against Australia]]
[[Category:1943 ships]]
[[Category:U-boats commissioned in 1943]]
[[Category:Ships built in Bremen (state)]]
[[Category:Captured U-boats]]
[[Category:World War II submarines of Japan]]
[[Category:Foreign submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy]]
[[Category:U-boats scuttled in 1946]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1946]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Strait of Malacca]]