Unterseeboot 4 (1935)
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| U-4 | |
|---|---|
| Country | Nazi Germany |
| Branch | Kriegsmarine |
| Type | IIA |
| Fieldpost number | M 13 167 |
| Shipyard | Deutsche Werke, Kiel |
| Yard number | 239 |
| Ordered | February 2, 1935 |
| Laid down | February 11, 1935 |
| Launched | July 31, 1935 |
| Commissioned | August 17, 1935 |
| Career | |
| Patrols | 4 |
| Flotillas | U-Bootschulflottille 21. Unterseebootsflottille |
| Commanders | Hannes Weingärtner Hans-Wilhelm von Dresky Harro von Klot-Heydenfeldt Hans-Peter Hinsch Heinz-Otto Schultze Hans-Jürgen Zetzsche Hinrich-Oscar Bernbeck Wolfgang Leimkühler Friedrich-Wilhelm Marienfeld Joachim Düppe Paul Sander Herbert Mumm Hubert Rieger |
| Successes | |
| 3 ships sunk for a total of 5.133 GRT 1 warship sunk for a total of 1.090 tons |
|
| Fate | |
| Stricken August 1, 1944 Gotenhafen, later scrapped in 1945. | |
Unterseeboot 4 or U-4 was a submarine (or U-boat) of the Kriegsmarine during the Second World War. She was one of the longest lasting German submarines of the period, primarily since half of her lifepan was spent on training duties in the Baltic Sea.
Commissioned on the August 17, 1935, she was a Type IIA boat and was one of the first batch to be constructed following the repeal of the terms of the Treaty of Versailles which ended the First World War and stated that Germany was not permitted to possess submarines. Built at the Deutsche Werke in Kiel, she was a highly demanding command before the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. Once the war was begun however, she rapidly became obsolete. Before she was superseded however, she made four combat patrols, mainly in support of the Norwegian Campaign.
Contents |
[edit] War Patrols
The U-4 departed Wilhelmshaven for her first patrol on the September 4, 1939 in the aftermath of the declaration of war. Given her small size, she only covered the area to the south of Norway and into the North Sea, and returned unsuccessful on the September 14. A second patrol later in the month yielded greater dividends, when she spotted and sank three neutral vessels heading to Britain through the North Sea and sank them on consecutive days.
Her later two patrols were both in support of the German invasion of Norway. It was during this operation that she was able to sink the British submarine HMS Thistle. The engagement was a lengthy one, as the two submarines were both small coastal craft with poor endurance, and so when Thistle attacked and missed U-4 on the April 9, it gave U-4 a chance to evade and hunt her attacker, finally catching and sinking her as she recharged her batteries on the surface a day later.
[edit] The Baltic
Once Norway was subdued, it became increasingly obvious that U-4 and her sisters were not capable of either outfighting or outrunning enemy craft, and neither did they possess the range and endurance necessary to have a major impact on allied shipping. In response, on July 1, 1940, these boats were relegated to the 21. Unterseebootsflottille, and served until 1944 as training craft in the Baltic Sea, and although some of her sisters later saw action against the Soviets, U-4 did not, eventually being retired from all service at Gotenhafen on the August 1, 1944, and then scrapped for parts sometime in 1945.
[edit] Raiding career
| Date | Ship | Nationality | Tonnage | Fate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 September 1939 | SS Martti | Finnish | 2,262 | Sunk |
| 23 September 1939 | SS Walma | Finnish | 1,361 | Sunk |
| 24 September 1939 | SS Gertrud Bratt | Swedish | 1,510 | Sunk |
| 10 April 1940 | HMS Thistle | British | 1,090 | Sunk |
[edit] References
- Sharpe, Peter, U-Boat Fact File, Midland Pubishing, Great Britain: 1998. ISBN 1-85780-072-9.
See Also: List of U-boats
For ships with similar names, see Unterseeboot 4
