| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-441 |
| Ordered | 5 January 1940 |
| Builder | Schichau-Werke,Danzig |
| Yard number | 1492 |
| Laid down | 15 October 1940 |
| Launched | 13 December 1941 |
| Commissioned | 21 February 1942 |
| Fate | Sunk on 30 June 1944[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type VIICsubmarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
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| Beam |
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| Height | 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in) |
| Draught | 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in) |
| Installed power |
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| Propulsion |
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| Speed |
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| Range | |
| Test depth |
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| Complement |
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| Armament |
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| Service record[1][2] | |
| Part of: |
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| Identification codes: | M 25 534 |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: |
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| Victories: | 1 merchant ship sunk (7,051 GRT) |
German submarineU-441 was aType VIICU-boat ofNazi Germany'sKriegsmarine duringWorld War II, which served for a short time as an anti-aircraft submarine under the designationU-flak 1.
The submarine waslaid down on 15 October 1940 at theSchichau-Werke inDanzig as yard number 1492,launched on 13 December 1941 andcommissioned on 21 February 1942, under the command ofKapitänleutnant Klaus Hartmann.
U-441 first served with the5th U-boat Flotilla, a training unit, and then operationally with the1st flotilla from 1 October 1942. She was lost on 30 June 1944.[1]
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorterType VIIB submarines.U-441 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[3] She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in), apressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), abeam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and adraught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by twoGermaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylindersuperchargeddiesel engines producing a total of 2,800 to 3,200 metric horsepower (2,060 to 2,350 kW; 2,760 to 3,160 shp) for use while surfaced, twoAEG GU 460/8–27double-acting electric motors producing a total of 750 metric horsepower (550 kW; 740 shp) for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two 1.23 m (4 ft)propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to 230 metres (750 ft).[3]
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of 17.7 knots (32.8 km/h; 20.4 mph) and a maximum submerged speed of 7.6 knots (14.1 km/h; 8.7 mph).[3] When submerged, the boat could operate for 80 nautical miles (150 km; 92 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph); when surfaced, she could travel 8,500 nautical miles (15,700 km; 9,800 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph).U-441 was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in)torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteentorpedoes, one8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and an anti-aircraft gun. The boat had acomplement of between forty-four and sixty.[3]
Her first patrol took her fromKiel, Germany toBrest in occupied France, viaTrondheim in Norway and the mid-Atlantic, between 17 September and 7 November 1942, spending 38 days at sea.[4][5]
Her second patrol, sailing from Brest (where she was based for the rest of her career), on 7 December 1942, again took her out into the mid-Atlantic where on 27 December she sank the Dutch 7,051 GRT cargo shipSoekaboemi, part ofConvoy ON 154. The ship had been wrecked and abandoned after being struck by a torpedo fromU-356 hours before.[6] The U-boat returned to Brest on 22 January 1943.[7]
U-441 departed on 27 February 1943 for another Atlantic patrol, but had no success. On 20 March the boat was attacked by aSunderland aircraft west of Ireland and slightly damaged. She returned to Brest on 11 April after 44 days at sea.[8]
In April–May 1943, in recognition of the air threat,U-441 was converted into the first of fourU-flak boats, which were designed to be surface escorts for attack U-boats operating from the French Atlantic bases and intended to lure unsuspecting aircraft into a deadly trap. The U-flak boats had greatly increased anti-aircraft firepower,U-441 was fitted with additional gun platforms forward and aft of the conning tower, which served as a base for two four-barrelledFlakvierling 20 mm flak guns and one3.7 cm (1.5 in) Flak M42 weapon, as well as a number ofMG 42 machine guns.U-441 was re-designatedU-flak 1. The increased anti-aircraft capability required additional personnel, so crew numbers were increased from 44 to 48 men to 67.[1]
AsKptlt. Klaus Hartmann was seriously ill,U-flak 1 sailed from Brest on 22 May 1943 under the command ofKptlt. Götz von Hartmann, formerly ofU-563. It was not long before the new configuration was put to the test. At 20:50 on the 24th, the flak boat was attacked by a Sunderland of228 squadron RAF in theBay of Biscay. Despite being hit by heavy anti-aircraft fire, the aircraft managed to drop fivedepth charges before it crashed into the sea; the attack wounded one crewman and extensively damagedU-Flak 1 which returned to base the next day.[9]
Her second patrol as a U-flak boat began on 8 July 1943. On the 12th the boat was strafed by threeBeaufighter aircraft fromNo. 248 Squadron RAF. Ten men were killed and thirteen others wounded, including all of the officers.Marine-Stabsarzt Dr. Paul Pfaffinger, an experienced U-boat doctor took command, and brought the boat safely back to Brest, subsequently being awarded theGerman Cross in Gold. By this time the U-flak boats were considered a failure andU-flak 1 was converted back to her original configuration and reverted toU-441.
WithKptlt. Klaus Hartmann returning to command theU-441, she made three unsuccessful patrols between October 1943 and May 1944.[10] The only incident of note was when she was unsuccessfully attacked by an unknown aircraft on 2 March 1944.[11][12]
U-441 sailed from Brest for the final time on 6 June 1944, ("D-Day"), and headed into theEnglish Channel. There, on 7 June she was involved in the shooting down of a CanadianVickers Wellington, although other U-boats, such asU-413 orU-740, are also mentioned in the sources. The submarine did not establish radio contact after 8 June and was lost with all hands thereafter, but her fate is not sure.[13] Probably she was one of two U-boats sunk on 8 June by depth charges dropped from aLiberator of224 Squadron RAF, piloted by Kenneth Owen Moore.[13] Earlier publications connected sinkingU-441 with PolishWellington Mk XIV from304 Squadron, piloted by Leopold Antoniewicz, which was credited with sinking a submarine on 18 June in the approximate position49°03′N04°48′W / 49.050°N 4.800°W /49.050; -4.800.[13] There also exists a version, that she was sunk on 30 June, 30 nautical miles (56 km; 35 mi) offUshant, in the approximate position48°27′N05°47′W / 48.450°N 5.783°W /48.450; -5.783, by depth charges dropped from aLiberator of224 Squadron, RAF.[1]
U-441 took part in 13wolfpacks, namely:
| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage (GRT) | Fate[14] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 December 1942 | Soekaboemi |  Netherlands | 7,051 | Sunk |
