German submarine U-427

Career (Nazi Germany)
Name: U-427
Ordered: 5 June 1941
Builder: Danziger Werft, Danzig
Yard number: 128
Laid down: 27 July 1942
Launched: 6 February 1943
Commissioned: 2 June 1943
Fate: Surrendered, 8 May 1945
Sunk, 21 December 1945
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: 4.72 m (15 ft 6 in)
Propulsion: 2 × supercharged Germaniawerft, 6-cylinder, 4-stroke M6V 40/46 diesels totalling 2,800–3,200 hp (2,100–2,400 kW). Max rpm: 470-490
2 × electric motors, totalling 750 shp (560 kW)
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)
Calculated 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
• 1 × C35 88 mm gun/L45 deck gun (220 rounds)
Service record[1][2]
Part of: 8th U-boat Flotilla
(2 June 1943–1 June 1944)
7th U-boat Flotilla
(1 June–31 July 1944)
11th U-boat Flotilla
(1 August–4 November 1944)
13th U-boat Flotilla
(5 November 1944–28 February 1945)
14th U-boat Flotilla
(1 March–8 May 1945)
Commanders: Oblt. Graf Carl-Gabriel von Gudenus
(2 June 1943–8 May 1945)
Operations: 1st patrol: 25 September–1 October 1944
2nd patrol: 30 October–14 November 1944
3rd patrol: 4 December 1944–24 February 1945
4th patrol: 9–20 April 1945
5th patrol: 21 April–2 May 1945
Victories: None

German submarine U-427 was a Type VIIC U boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II.

Built by Danziger Werft, Danzig, the U-boat was laid down on 27 July 1942, and launched on 6 February 1943, with a crew of 53 under their Austrian commander Oberleutnant Graf Carl-Gabriel von Gudenus. It survived until the end of the war. Ironically, most U-boats achieved notoriety for the number of kills they achieved, or the total tonnage of the vessels they sank, but in the case of U-427 fame was achieved of a different sort.[3]

From its first voyage, on 20 June 1944, until the end of the war, U-427 never destroyed any of its targets. It fired torpedoes at two vessels, HMCS Haida and HMCS Iroquois on 29 April 1945, missing both, but it was for its ability to survive under unusual circumstances that U-427 became known. In April 1945, leading up to, during, and after those two attacks, U-427 survived 678 depth charge attempts. On 2 May 1945, U-427 returned to its base at Kilbotn, Norway, where it remained for the few remaining days before Germany's surrender.[3][4][5]

U-427 surrendered at Narvik, Norway, on 8 May 1945, and was transferred to Loch Eriboll, Scotland, on 19 May, and later to Loch Ryan as part of "Operation Deadlight" where it was sunk on 21 December 1945 at .

References

Notes
  1. ^ "The Type VIIC boat U-427 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/u427.htm. Retrieved 2009-12-05. 
  2. ^ "War Patrols by German U-boat U-427 - Boats - uboat.net". www.uboat.net. http://www.uboat.net/boats/patrols/u427.html. Retrieved 2009-12-05. 
  3. ^ a b U-Boat Operations: U-427, ubootwaffe.net
  4. ^ Ship details: U-427, ubootwaffe.net
  5. ^ Ship details: HMCS Iroquois, ubootwaffe.net
Bibliography