German submarine U-445
History | |
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Name | U-445 |
Ordered | 6 August 1940 |
Builder | Danzig |
Yard number | 1505 |
Laid down | 9 April 1941 |
Launched | 19 March 1942 |
Commissioned | 30 May 1942 |
Fate | Sunk in the Bay of Biscay by a British warship on 24 August 1944[1] |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Type VIIC submarine |
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 | 4 officers, 40–56 enlisted |
Armament |
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Service record[2] | |
Part of: |
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Identification codes: | M 06 411 |
Commanders: |
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Operations: |
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Victories: | None |
German submarine U-445 was a
.She carried out nine patrols. She sank no ships.
She was a member of six wolfpacks.
She was sunk in the Bay of Biscay by a British warship on 24 August 1944.[1]
Design
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).
Service history
The submarine was
She served with the 8th U-boat Flotilla from 30 May 1942 for training and the 6th flotilla from 1 November 1942 for operations.
First patrol
U-432's first patrol was preceded by the short journey from
Second and third patrols
Her second sortie was carried out north of the Azores and west of Gibraltar.
The submarine's third patrol was relatively uneventful.
Fourth and fifth patrols
The boat's fourth patrol was, at 68 days, her longest. It took her to the west coast of Africa. The most southerly point, between South America and Africa, was reached on 12 August 1943.
She was attacked on patrol number five by a Handley Page Halifax of No. 58 Squadron RAF in the western Bay of Biscay on 2 January 1944. No damage was sustained.
Sixth patrol
She fired at what her crew thought was a destroyer west of Ireland on 14 February 1944. Retaliation was swift; the Third Support Group caused severe damage, but the U-boat escaped.
Seventh and eighth patrols
U-445's seventh outing was relatively short, from 6–15 June 1944. She did not leave the Bay of Biscay, but she did move to La Pallice, south of St. Nazaire.
Her eighth patrol was also brief and entailed another move; this time to Lorient.
Ninth patrol and loss
U-445 was sunk in the Bay of Biscay by depth charges dropped by the British frigate HMS Louis on 24 August 1944.
Fifty-two men died; there were no survivors.
Wolfpacks
U-445 took part in six wolfpacks, namely:
- Drachen (22 November – 3 December 1942)
- Panzer (3 – 9 December 1942)
- Büffel (9 – 15 December 1942)
- Ungestüm (15 – 25 December 1942)
- Robbe (16 February – 13 March 1943)
- Igel 2 (6 – 14 February 1944)
References
- ^ a b Kemp 1999, p. 215.
- ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-445". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
- ^ a b c d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
Bibliography
- 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.
- Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945 [German U-boat losses from September 1939 to May 1945]. Der U-Boot-Krieg (in German). Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2.
- 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.
- Kemp, Paul (1999). U-Boats Destroyed – German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. London: Arms & Armour. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
External links
- Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-445". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.