German submarine U-404
| Career (Germany) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | U-404 |
| Ordered: | 23 September 1939 |
| Builder: | Danziger Werft, Danzig |
| Laid down: | 4 June 1940 |
| Launched: | 4 June 1941 |
| Commissioned: | 6 August 1941 |
| Fate: | Sunk on 28 July 1943 by B-24 Liberator aircraft of the RAF and the USAF |
| 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 | |
German submarine U-404 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for the German Kriegsmarine for service during World War II.
U-404 carried out seven combat patrols during the Second World War as part of the 6th U-boat flotilla. KrvKpt. Otto von Bülow commanded her for the majority of her career, sinking 14 merchantmen and one warship (HMS Veteran). She also damaged two other ships while under the command of Bülow. For his numerous successes, Bülow received the Iron Cross.
On 20 July 1943, Oblt. Adolf Schönberg took command of the U-404 and eight days later it had been sunk by depth charges dropped in alternate successive attacks from a B-24 Liberator aircraft of RAF squadron 224 and two similar planes from the USAF. All hands, a total of 51 men, were lost in the attack. All planes were damaged with AA-fire, but all successfully reached their bases, although the British planes crew had to throw away its guns and equipment to reach base.
[edit] References
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