German submarine U-441

Career
Name: U-441
Ordered: 5 January 1940
Builder: Schichau-Werke, Danzig
Yard number: 1492
Laid down: 15 October 1940
Launched: 13 December 1941
Commissioned: 21 February 1942
Fate: Sunk, 8 June 1944
General characteristics
Type: Type VIIC submarine
Displacement: 769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced
871 t (857 long tons) submerged
Length: 67.1 m (220 ft 2 in) o/a
50.5 m (165 ft 8 in) pressure hull
Beam: 6.2 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a
4.7 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Draft: 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in)
Propulsion: 2 × supercharged Germaniawerft 6-cylinder 4-stroke M6V 40/46 diesel engines, totalling 2,800–3,200 bhp (2,100–2,400 kW). Max rpm: 470-490
2 × electric motors, totalling 750 shp (560 kW) and max rpm: 296.
Speed: 17.7 knots (20.4 mph; 32.8 km/h) surfaced
7.6 knots (8.7 mph; 14.1 km/h) submerged
Range: 15,170 km (8,190 nmi) at 10 kn (19 km/h) surfaced
150 km (81 nmi) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h) submerged
Test depth: 230 m (750 ft)
Crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft)
Complement: As U-441 : 44–52 officers & ratings
As U-flak 1 : 67 officers & ratings
Armament: As U-441
• 5 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 1 stern)
• 14 × G7e torpedoes or 26 TMA mines
• 1 × C35 88mm gun/L45 deck gun (220 rounds)
• Various AA guns
As U-Flak 1
• 2 × quad Flakvierling 38 20 mm guns
• 1 × 3.7 cm gun
• Additional MG 42 machine guns
Service record[1][2]
Part of: 5th U-boat Flotilla
(21 February–30 September 1942)
1st U-boat Flotilla
(1 October 1942–8 June 1944)
Commanders: Kptlt. Klaus Hartmann
(21 February 1942–15 May 1943)
(6 August 1943–8 June 1944)
Kptlt. Götz von Hartmann
(16 May 1943–5 August 1943)
Operations: 1st patrol: 17 September–7 November 1942
2nd patrol: 7 December 1942–22 January 1943
3rd patrol: 27 February–11 April 1943
4th patrol: 22–25 May 1943
5th patrol: 8–13 July 1943
6th patrol: 17 October–8 November 1943
7th patrol: 18 January–14 March 1944
8th patrol: 20–27 May 1944
9th patrol: 6–8 Jun 1944
Victories: 1 commercial ship sunk (7,051 GRT)

German submarine U-441 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II, which served for a short time as an anti-aircraft submarine under the designation U-flak 1.

The submarine was laid down on 15 October 1940 at the Schichau-Werke at Danzig, launched on 13 December 1941, and commissioned on 21 February 1942 under the command of Kapitänleutnant Klaus Hartmann.

U-441 first served with 5th U-boat Flotilla, a training unit, and then operationally with 1st U-boat Flotilla from 1 October 1942.

Contents

Service history

1st patrol

Her first patrol took her from Kiel, Germany to Brest, France, via Trondheim, Norway and the mid-Atlantic, between 17 September and 7 November 1942.[3][4]

2nd patrol

Her second patrol, sailing from Brest on 7 December 1942, again took her out into the mid-Atlantic where on 27 December she sank the Dutch 7,051 ton cargo ship Soekaboemi, part of Convoy ON 154, which had been wrecked and abandoned after being struck by a torpedo from U-356 hours before.[5] The U-boat returned to Brest on 22 January 1943.[6]

3rd patrol

U-441 departed on 27 February 1943 for another Atlantic patrol, but had no success. On 20 March the boat was attacked by a Sunderland aircraft west of Ireland and slightly damaged. She returned to Brest on 11 April after 44 days at sea.[7]

4th patrol

In April–May 1943 U-441 was rebuilt as the first of four U-flak boats, designed to be surface escorts for attack U-boats operating from the French Atlantic bases, intended to lure unsuspecting aircraft to a deadly trap. The U-flak boats had greatly increased anti-aircraft fire-power and U-441 was fitted with an additional gun platforms forward and aft of the conning tower, which served as a base for two four-barrelled Flakvierling 20 mm flak guns and one 3.7 cm Flak gun, as well as a number of MG 42 machine guns. U-441 was redesignated U-flak 1. The increase in anti-aircraft weapons required additional personnel, so crew was increased from 44-48 men to 67.[1]

As Kptlt. Klaus Hartmann was seriously ill, U-flak 1 sailed from Brest on 22 May 1943 under the command of Kptlt. Götz von Hartmann, formerly of U-563. At 20:50 on the 24th, the flak boat was attacked by a Sunderland aircraft of No. 228 Squadron RAF. Despite being hit by heavy anti-aircraft fire the aircraft managed to drop five depth charges before it crashed into the sea, extensively damaging U-Flak 1 which returned to base the next day.[8]

5th patrol

Her second patrol as a U-flak boat began on 8 July 1943. On the 12th the boat was strafed by three Beaufighter aircraft from No. 248 Squadron RAF. Ten men were killed and thirteen more wounded, including all of the officers. Marine-Stabsarzt Dr. Paul Pfaffinger, an experienced U-boat doctor took command, and brought the boat safely back to Brest, subsequently being awarded with the Deutsche Kreuz in Gold. By this time the U-flak boats were considered a failure and U-flak 1 was converted back to her original configuration and reverted to U-441.

6th-8th patrol

With Kptlt. Klaus Hartmann returning to command the U-441 she made three unsuccessful patrols between October 1943 and May 1944.[9][10][11]

9th patrol

U-441 sailed from Brest for the final time on 6 June 1944, "D-Day", and headed into the English Channel. There on 8 June she was sunk with all hands, 30 miles off Ushant, in approximate position , by depth charges dropped by a Liberator of No. 224 Squadron RAF.

References

Notes
  1. ^ a b "The Type VIIC boat U-441 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/u441.htm. Retrieved 2010-01-15. 
  2. ^ "War Patrols by German U-boat U-441 - Boats - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/u441.html. Retrieved 2010-01-15. 
  3. ^ "Patrol of U-boat U-441 from 17 Sep 1942 to 27 Sep 1942 - U-boat patrols - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_803.html. Retrieved 2010-01-15. 
  4. ^ "Patrol of U-boat U-441 from 1 Oct 1942 to 7 Nov 1942 - U-boat patrols - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_804.html. Retrieved 2010-01-15. 
  5. ^ "Soekaboemi (Steam merchant) - Ships hit by U-boats - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/allies/merchants/ships/2537.html. Retrieved 2010-01-15. 
  6. ^ "Patrol of U-boat U-441 from 13 Dec 1942 to 22 Jan 1943 - U-boat patrols - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_806.html. Retrieved 2010-01-15. 
  7. ^ "Patrol of U-boat U-441 from 27 Feb 1943 to 11 Apr 1943 - U-boat patrols - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_807.html. Retrieved 2010-01-15. 
  8. ^ "Patrol of U-boat U-441 from 22 May 1943 to 25 May 1943 - U-boat patrols - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_808.html. Retrieved 2010-01-15. 
  9. ^ "Patrol of U-boat U-441 from 17 Oct 1943 to 8 Nov 1943 - U-boat patrols - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_810.html. Retrieved 2010-01-15. 
  10. ^ "Patrol of U-boat U-441 from 18 Jan 1944 to 14 Mar 1944 - U-boat patrols - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_811.html. Retrieved 2010-01-15. 
  11. ^ "Patrol of U-boat U-441 from 20 May 1944 to 27 May 1944 - U-boat patrols - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/patrol_813.html. Retrieved 2010-01-15. 
Bibliography

External links

See also