one of the port engines on fire. The plane crashed in the sea and exploded on impact approx. 600m (656 yds) from the submarine, all 11 aircrew were killed in the crash. The U-993 arrived in Lorient on 22 April 1944 without further incident, after a patrol of 31 days. U-993 left Lorient for her second patrol on 6 June 1944 and patrolled the Atlantic Ocean, but she stayed close to the French coast. She arrived in Brest on 14 June 1944 after a patrol of 9 days. The submarine left Brest for her third and last patrol on 17 August 1944 under the command of a new commander, Oberleutnant zur See Karl-Heinz Steinmetz. The submarine was also fitted with a Schnorchel underwater-breathing apparatus in August 1944. She patrolled the North Atlantic and sailed West off the coast of Ireland and north of the Faroe Islands. On 12 September 1944, a crew member died of jaundice in the North Atlantic. The submarine arrived Bergen on 18 September 1944 after a patrol of 33 days. In total, U-993 spend 76 days at sea. Sinking On 4 October 1944, U-993 was stationed in the Laksevaag shipyard at Bergen, Norway. At 9.30am, 47 Lancaster Bomber and 93 Halifax bomber of 6 RCAF and 8 RAF Group threw a total of 603 bombs which each weight 1000 pounds on the port of Bergen. Seven bombs hit the submarine bunker, but focused on the thick reinforced concrete slabs resulted in almost no damage. Only the electrical wiring was destroyed and the repair yards were severely damaged. However, U-993 and both capsized and sank in a floating dock outside the bunker and and were so badly damaged that they had to be decommissioned. Twenty of the Allied machinery had received specific objective instructions for damaging and/or destroying unprotected submarines in the port. One man died on U-993 and another man died the following day of his injuries; the survivor count is unknown. The submarine was later salvaged and decommissioned. After the war in May 1945, the submarine was captured by British forces and broken up. References Bibliography German Type VIIC submarines U-boats commissioned in 1943 World War II submarines of Germany Ships built in Hamburg 1943 ships Maritime incidents in October 1944 Shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean