| Career (Nazi Germany) | |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-413 |
| Ordered: | 15 August 1940 |
| Builder: | Danziger Werft AG, Danzig |
| Yard number: | 114 |
| Laid down: | April 25, 1941 |
| Launched: | 15 January 1942 |
| Commissioned: | June 3, 1942 |
| Fate: | Sunk on 20 August 1944 in the English Channel, by depth charges. 45 dead and 1 survivor |
| 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: | 44–52 officers & ratings |
| Armament: | • 5 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 1 stern) • 14 × torpedoes or 26 TMA mines • 1 × C35 88mm gun/L45 deck gun (220 rounds) • Various AA guns |
| Service record | |
| Part of: | Kriegsmarine 8th U-boat Flotilla (Training) 1942-06-03 - 1942-10-31 1st U-boat Flotilla (Front Boat) |
| Identification codes: | M 03 918 |
| Commanders: | Kapitänleutnant Gustav Poel 1942-06-03 — 1944-04-19 Oberleutnant Dietrich Sachse |
| Operations: | 8 patrols |
| Victories: | 5 ships sunk for a total of 36.885 gross register tons (GRT) 1 warship sunk for a total of 1.100 gross register tons (GRT) |
U-413 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for the German Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. She was commissioned in mid 1942, with Oberleutnant zur See Gustav Poel in command. Poel commanded her (receiving promotion to Kapitänleutnant) until April 19, 1944, when he was relieved by Oberleutnant Dietrich Sachse who commanded her until her loss.
Contents |
U-413 conducted eight patrols in World War II, sinking six ships totalling 37,985 tons.
At 8:44 am, the ship, under the command of Henry Richard Leepman-Shaw in convoy MKF-1X was hit by one of two torpedoes fired, about 200 miles northwest of Cape Espichel, Portugal. The U-boat hit her again at 8:57 am, causing the ship to sink about one hour later. The master, 61 crew members and 34 service personnel died. 201 crew members, 29 gunners and five naval and 131 service personnel were rescued by HMS Achates, HMS Vansittart, HMCS Louisburg, and the British MV Leinster. The ship had been in convoy Convoy KMF-1 for Operation Torch (the invasion of North Africa).
U-413 did not suffer any casualties until August 20, 1944, when she was sunk in the English Channel by depth charges from the British escort destroyer HMS Wensleydale and the destroyers HMS Forester and HMS Vidette. 45 of her crew were killed; there was one survivor.
The wreck of U-413 was located and identified by marine archaeologist Innes McCartney in 2000 close to the official sinking position.
Neal Stephenson's novel Cryptonomicon features a fictitious U-413, a milchkuh.