''Uj-2210'' was an auxiliary warship of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

's ''

Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official branches, along with the a ...

'' that was in service during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. She served as a submarine chaser (''U-Jäger'') under

Otto Pollmann The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes, links=no) and its variants were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The decoration was awarded for a wide ...

, Germany’s most decorated

anti-submarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are t ...

officer. ''Uj-2210'' was sunk in the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...

in May 1944.

Early history

''Uj-2210'' was built as the French trawler ''Marcella'' in 1933 at the ACL/

CAP A cap is a flat headgear, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal se ...

shipyards at

St Nazaire Saint-Nazaire (; ; Gallo: ''Saint-Nazère/Saint-Nazaer'') is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France, in traditional Brittany. The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. T ...

. With a Gross Register Tonnage of 1152 tons she was an ocean-going trawler and was employed in France’s deep sea fishery. The outbreak of the Second World War and the

Fall of France The Battle of France (french: bataille de France) (10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign ('), the French Campaign (german: Frankreichfeldzug, ) and the Fall of France, was the German invasion of France during the Second World ...

found ''Marcella'' in the Mediterranean, where she remained until 1942.

Service history

In November 1942 Germany invaded

Vichy France Vichy France (french: Régime de Vichy; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was the fascist French state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II. Officially independent, but with half of its ter ...

, and ''Marcella'' was seized by the ''Kriegsmarine'' for conversion as an anti-submarine

naval trawler Naval trawlers are vessels built along the lines of a fishing trawler but fitted out for naval purposes; they were widely used during the First and Second World Wars. Some—known in the Royal Navy as "Admiralty trawlers"— were purpose-built to ...

. On completion she was commissioned by Lt.

and in the 15 months under his command, claimed 14 Allied submarines destroyed, although only one of these, () can be substantiated. Pollmann was awarded the

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight' ...

for his efforts. Pollmann and ''Uj-2210'' were credited with the sinking of HMS ''Tigris'' in a post-war evaluation. On 27 February 1943 ''Uj-2210'' was escorting a convoy south east of

Capri Capri ( , ; ; ) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. The main town of Capri that is located on the island shares the name. It has been ...

and made an attack on a submarine contact. This produced signs of a successful attack (oil and an air bubble): ''Tigris'' failed to return to base on 6 March and ''Uj-2210''’s contact and attack was deemed the most likely to have been responsible for her loss. Following Pollmann’s promotion and departure, ''Uj-2210'' continued anti-submarine activities, but with no further success reported.

Fate

On 28 May 1944, while in the

Ligurian Sea The Ligurian Sea ( it, Mar Ligure; french: Mer Ligurienne; lij, Mâ Ligure) is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea. It lies between the Italian Riviera (Liguria) and the island of Corsica. The sea is thought to have been named after the ancient L ...

, ''Uj-2210'' was spotted and attacked by American motor-torpedo-boats. She was hit by a torpedo and sank off

Deiva Marina Deiva Marina is a small Italian ''comune'' in the province of La Spezia (region of Liguria), located about east of the city of Genoa on the Riviera di Levante. It is a quiet touristic resort, with clean seawater and a seashore surrounded by g ...

, breaking in two.

Wreck

The wreck of ''Uj-2210'' lies at a depth of and is a popular (though dangerous) wreck site for sport divers. The stern is resting on the sea bottom, while the stem of the ship is standing vertical, rising from the sea bottom. However the wreck is in a fishing ground and is surrounded by discarded fishing nets, making any approach hazardous, while the depth requires specialized breathing arrangements.

Notes

References

External links

''Uj-2210'' at wrecksite.eu
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uj-2210 World War II patrol vessels of Germany 1933 ships Auxiliary ships of the Kriegsmarine Ships built in France World War II shipwrecks in the Mediterranean Sea Maritime incidents in May 1944