German submarine U-400
| Career |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-400 |
| Ordered: | 25 August 1941 |
| Builder: | Howaldtswerke, Kiel |
| Yard number: | 32 |
| Laid down: | 18 November 1942 |
| Launched: | 8 January 1944 |
| Commissioned: | 18 March 1944 |
| Fate: | Sunk, 15 December 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 F46 diesel engines, totalling 2,800–3,200 bhp (2,100–2,400 kW). Max rpm: 470-490 2 × GL RP 137/c electric motors, totalling 750 shp (560 kW) and max rpm: 296. |
| Speed: |
17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) surfaced 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph) submerged |
| Range: |
15,170 km (8,190 nmi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 150 km (81 nmi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged |
| Test depth: |
230 m (750 ft) Crush depth: 250–295 m (820–968 ft) |
| Complement: | 44–52 officers and ratings |
| Armament: |
5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern) 14 × G7e torpedoes or 26 TMA mines 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun (220 rounds) Various AA guns |
| Service record[1][2] | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
5th U-boat Flotilla (18 March–31 October 1944) 11th U-boat Flotilla (1 November–15 December 1944) |
| Commanders: |
Kptlt. Horst Creutz (18 March–15 December 1944) |
| Operations: |
a. 15–16 November 1944 b. 18 November–15 December 1944 |
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-400 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the German Navy (Kriegsmarine) during World War II.
The submarine was laid down on 18 November 1942 at the Howaldtswerke yard in Kiel as 'werk' 32, launched on 8 January 1944 and commissioned on 18 March under the command of Kapitänleutnant Horst Creutz.[1]
Service history
After training with the 5th U-boat Flotilla, U-400 was attached to the 11th U-boat Flotilla for front-line service on 1 November 1944.[1]
The U-boat sailed from Horten in Norway for her first war patrol on 15 November 1944, and headed for the waters off Land's End.[2] Despite repeated requests for reports by the German U-boat Command, none were received. The U-boat was eventually listed as "missing" at the end of January 1945. After the war, the Allies attributed the loss of U-400 to a depth charge attack by the frigate HMS Nyasaland on 17 December 1944, about 30 nautical miles (56 km) SE of Kinsale, Ireland.[3]
Discovery
The wreck of U-400 was finally identified by nautical archaeologist Innes McCartney and historian Axel Niestle in 2006, about 10 miles (16 km) north-west of Padstow, Cornwall, at position 50°39.9′N 5°5′W / 50.6650°N 5.083°WCoordinates: 50°39.9′N 5°5′W / 50.6650°N 5.083°W[1] close to the wrecks of two other U-boats, U-325 and U-1021. All three submarines were sunk in the Bristol Channel by a deep-trap minefield.[1]
The U-boat sunk by Nyasaland is now believed to have been U-772.[4]
Previously recorded fate
U-400 was noted as sunk in mid-December 1944 in the British minefield 'HX A1' off the Cornish coast.
References
- Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 "The Type VIIC boat U-400 - German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net". uboat.net. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "War Patrols by German U-boat U-400 - Boats - uboat.net". uboat.net. Retrieved 10 September 2012.
- ↑ "The loss of U-325, U-400 and U-1021". www.uboat.net. Retrieved 2010-01-13.
- ↑ "War Mystery Solved". www.cix.co.uk. Retrieved 2010-01-13.
- Bibliography
External links
- U-400 at u-boot-archiv.de (German)
See also
- List of German U-boats
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