World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseGerman Navy torpedo boat T10 was commissioned into service in Aug 1940. In Sep 1940, she began escorting duties in the Baltic Sea. In Nov 1940, she and her sister torpedo boats were sent to intercept an Allied convoy originating in Norway sailing toward Kinnaird Head, Scotland, United Kingdom, but the operation was aborted after the German boats entered a British minefield that Germany had not previously detected; torpedo boat T6 struck a mine and was lost. Between Mar and Jul 1941, she underwent a refit at Kiel, Germany. She was decommissioned and placed in reserve in Aug 1941. She was recommissioned in May 1942. In Jul 1942, she was transferred to France, where she was attached to the 3rd Torpedo Boat Flotilla, with which unit she laid mines and performed escort duties. In Oct 1942, she was badly damaged during an attempt to escort auxiliary cruiser Komet out to the Atlantic Ocean; she was struck by six shells from a British force of five destroyers and eight torpedo boats, one of which detonated one of T10's own depth charges, killing 11 and wounding 11. Komet was sunk in the English Channel near the tip of the Cotentin Peninsula. She returned to Germany in Dec 1942 and was decommissioned for repairs. In May 1943, she was recommissioned. She briefly served with the Torpedo School as a training boat before becoming the senior officer's boat of the 25th Submarine Flotilla in Jul 1943. In Sep 1943, she was again assigned to the Torpedo School. Between Feb and Apr 1944, she underwent a refit, upon which completion she was assigned to the 2nd Torpedo Boat Flotilla, operating in the Baltic Sea. She participated in the failed attempt to capture Narvi (Nerva) Island in the Gulf of Finland in Jun 1944. On 28 Nov 1944, she was damaged by a Soviet air raid on Liepāja, Latvia (German: Libau), and then again by a near-miss on 15 Dec. She was at Gotenhafen, Germany (now Gdynia, Poland) for repairs when the port city was attacked by British bombers on 18 Dec 1944. While in drydock, she sustained fatal damage in her hull, leading to her sinking early in the morning of 19 Dec 1944. No attempts to refloat her inside the drydock were made by the Germans.

Motor Torpedo Boat T10 Interactive Map

T10 Operational Timeline