German submarine U-440
| Career (Nazi Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-440 |
| Ordered: | 5 January 1940 |
| Builder: | Schichau-Werke, Danzig |
| Yard number: | 1491 |
| Laid down: | 1 October 1940 |
| Launched: | 8 November 1941 |
| Commissioned: | 24 January 1942 |
| Fate: | Sunk 31 May 1943 in the North Atlantic in position 45°38′N 13°04′W / 45.633°N 13.067°W, by depth charges from a RAF Sunderland. |
| General characteristics [1] | |
| Class and 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 × BBC GG UB 720/8 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: | 8,500 nmi (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 80 nmi (150 km; 92 mi) 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 & ratings |
| Armament: | 5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (4 bow, 1 stern) 14 × torpedoes 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun (220 rounds) Various AA guns |
| Service record[2] | |
|---|---|
| Part of: |
5th U-boat Flotilla (24 January 1942 - 31 August 1942) - Training 1st U-boat Flotilla (1 September 1942 - 31 May 1943) |
| Commanders: |
Kptlt. Hans Geissler (24 January 1942 - 19 May 1943) Oblt.z.S. Werner Schwaff (20 May 1943 - 31 May 1943) |
| Operations: |
1st patrol: 1 September 1942 - 21 September 1942 2nd patrol: 19 October 1942 - 13 November 1942 3rd patrol: 12 December 1942 - 26 January 1943 4th patrol: 27 February 1943 - 11 April 1943 5th patrol: 26 May 1943 - 31 May 1943 |
| Victories: | None |
German submarine U-440 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. She was laid down on 1 October 1940 by Schichau-Werke, Danzig as yard number 1491, launched on 8 November 1941 and commissioned on 24 January 1942 under Oberleutnant zur See Hans Geissler. On 20 May 1943, Geissler was replaced as commander by Oberleutnant zur See Werner Schwaff.
Service History
The boat's career began with training at 5th U-boat Flotilla on 24 January 1942, followed by active service on 1 September 1942 as part of the 1st Flotilla for the remainder of her service.
In 5 patrols she sank no ships.
Wolfpacks
U-440 took part in seven wolfpacks, namely
- Pfeil (12–14 September 1942)
- Streitaxt (29 October - 2 November 1942)
- Delphin (4–5 November 1942)
- Spitz (22–31 December 1942)
- Neuland (6–13 March 1943)
- Dränger (14–20 March 1943)
- Seewolf (21–29 March 1943)
Fate
U-440 was sunk on 31 May 1943 in the North Atlantic in position 45°38′N 13°04′W / 45.633°N 13.067°W, by depth charges from RAF Sunderland from 201 Squadron. All hands were lost.
References
- ↑ Gröner 1985, pp. 72-74.
- ↑ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-440". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 15 September 2014.
Bibliography
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German) IV (Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler). ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- Edwards, Bernard (1996). Dönitz and the Wolf Packs - The U-boats at War. pp. 112, 117, 175. ISBN 0-304-35203-9.
- Gröner, Erich (1985). U-Boote, Hilfskreuzer, Minenschiffe, Netzleger, Sperrbrecher. Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe 1815–1945 (in German) III (Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe). ISBN 3-7637-4802-4.
- Sharpe, Peter (1998). U-Boat Fact File. Great Britain: Midland Publishing. ISBN 1-85780-072-9.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-440". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.