Action of 10 April 1940

The Action of 10 April 1940 was a small naval engagement that took place off Stavanger, Norway between 9-10 April 1940 between the Royal Navy submarine and the Kriegsmarine Type II U-boat U-4.
The action began when the HMS Thistle spotted U-4 cruising on the surface with a periscope. At 16.04 hours on 9 April 1940 HMS Thistle under the command of Lt. Wilfrid Frederick Haselfoot fired a spread of six torpedoes all of which missed. HMS Thistle later reports the unsuccessful engagement via radio and that the submarine has only two torpedoes left.
U-4 observed one torpedoe passing ten meters ahead and evaded further underwater attacks by crash diving. The U-boat crew later heard three explosions of the
off-track torpedoes at the end of their run. Afterwards U-4 found HMS Thistle on the surface recharging it's batteries.
At 02.13 hours on the morning of 10 April 1940, U-4 fired a spread of two torpedoes at its attacker. The first, which was the G7a torpedo missed.
The G7e torpedo found it's mark..blowing up the submarine with all hands near Skudenes.

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