German submarine U-409 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine in World War II. She was laid down on 26 October 1940 by Danziger Werft, Danzig as yard number 110, launched on 23 September 1941 and commissioned on 21 January 1942 under Oberleutnant zur See Hanns-Ferdinand Massmann.
| History | |
|---|---|
 Nazi Germany | |
| Name | U-409 |
| Ordered | 30 October 1939 |
| Builder | Danziger Werft, Danzig |
| Yard number | 110 |
| Laid down | 26 October 1940 |
| Launched | 23 September 1941 |
| Commissioned | 21 January 1942 |
| Fate | Sunk on 12 July 1943 in the Mediterranean in position 37°12′N 04°00′E / 37.200°N 4.000°E, by depth charges from HMS Inconstant. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Type VIIC submarine |
| Displacement | |
| Length |
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| Beam |
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| 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 | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
| Armament |
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| Service record[1] | |
| Part of: |
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| Identification codes: | M 24 443 |
| Commanders: |
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| Operations: |
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| Victories: | |
Design
editGerman Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-409 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged.[2] She had a total length of 67.10 m (220 ft 2 in), a pressure hull length of 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in), a beam of 6.20 m (20 ft 4 in), a height of 9.60 m (31 ft 6 in), and a draught of 4.74 m (15 ft 7 in). The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel 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, two Siemens-Schuckert GU 343/38–8 double-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).[2]
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).[2] 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-409 was fitted with five 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one 8.8 cm (3.46 in) SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and a 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.[2]
Service history
editThe boat's career began with training at 5th U-boat Flotilla on 21 January 1942, followed by active service on 1 September 1942 as part of the 9th Flotilla. The following year, she transferred to 29th Flotilla for operations in the Mediterranean.
In six patrols she sank four merchant ships, for a total of 24,961 gross register tons (GRT), 1 merchant ship damaged 7,519 GRT, and one warship sunk whilst being transported.
Wolfpacks
editU-409 took part in six wolfpacks, namely:
- Vorwärts (25 August – 2 September 1942)
- Streitaxt (20 October – 1 November 1942)
- Raufbold (11 – 18 December 1942)
- Sturmbock (21 – 26 February 1943)
- Wildfang (26 February – 5 March 1943)
- Westmark (6 – 11 March 1943)
Fate
editU-409 was sunk on 12 July 1943 in the Mediterranean NE of Algiers, in position 37°12′N 04°00′E / 37.200°N 4.000°E, by depth charges from the Royal Navy destroyer HMS Inconstant.
Summary of raiding history
edit| Date | Ship Name | Nationality | Tonnage[Note 1] | Fate[3] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 October 1942 | Bullmouth |  United Kingdom
|
7,519 | Damaged |
| 30 October 1942 | Silverwillow | United Kingdom
|
6,373 | Sunk |
| 9 March 1943 | Malantic |  United States
|
3,837 | Sunk |
| 9 March 1943 | Rosewood | United Kingdom
|
5,989 | Sunk |
| 4 July 1943 | City of Venice | United Kingdom
|
8,762 | Sunk |
| 4 July 1943 | HMS LCE-14[Note 2] |  Royal Navy
|
10 | Sunk |
See also
editReferences
editNotes
edit- ^ Merchant ship tonnages are in gross register tons. Military vessels are listed by tons displacement.
- ^ Being carried aboard City of Venice
Citations
edit- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-409". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-409". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 2 November 2014.
Bibliography
edit- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). German U-boat commanders of World War II : a biographical dictionary. Translated by Brooks, Geoffrey. London, Annapolis, Md: Greenhill Books, Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-186-6.
- Edwards, Bernard (1996). Dönitz and the Wolf Packs - The U-boats at War. Cassell. pp. 117, 123, 171. ISBN 0-304-35203-9.
- Gröner, Erich; Jung, Dieter; Maass, Martin (1991). U-boats and Mine Warfare Vessels. German Warships 1815–1945. Vol. 2. Translated by Thomas, Keith; Magowan, Rachel. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-593-4.
- Sharpe, Peter (1998). U-Boat Fact File. Great Britain: Midland Publishing. ISBN 1-85780-072-9.
External links
edit- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-409". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.