German submarine U-408

German World War II submarine

History

Nazi Germany
Name	U-408
Ordered	16 October 1939
Builder	Danziger Werft, Danzig
Yard number	109
Laid down	30 September 1940
Launched	16 July 1941
Commissioned	19 November 1941
Fate	Sunk by a US aircraft on 5 November 1942, north of Iceland^[1]
General characteristics
Class and type	Type VIIC submarine
Displacement	769 tonnes (757 long tons) surfaced 871 t (857 long tons) submerged
Length	67.10 m (220 ft 2 in) o/a 50.50 m (165 ft 8 in) pressure hull
Beam	6.20 m (20 ft 4 in) o/a 4.70 m (15 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height	9.60 m (31 ft 6 in)
Draught	4.74 m (15 ft 7 in)
Installed power	2,800–3,200 PS (2,100–2,400 kW; 2,800–3,200 bhp) (diesels) 750 PS (550 kW; 740 shp) (electric)
Propulsion	2 shafts 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors.
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	4 officers, 40–56 enlisted
Armament	5 × 53.3 cm (21 in) torpedo tubes (four bow, one stern) 14 × torpedoes 1 × 8.8 cm (3.46 in) deck gun (220 rounds) 1 x 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 AA gun
Service record^[2]
Part of:	5th U-boat Flotilla 19 November 1941 – 30 April 1942 9th U-boat Flotilla 1 May – 30 June 1942 11th U-boat Flotilla 1 July – 5 November 1942
Identification codes:	M 47 966
Commanders:	K.Kapt. Reinhard von Hymmen 19 November 1941 – 5 November 1942
Operations:	3 patrols: 1st patrol: a. 7 June – 16 July 1942 b. 18 – 20 July 1942 c. 3 – 5 September 1942 2nd patrol: 10 – 26 September 1943 3rd patrol: 31 October – 5 November 1942
Victories:	3 merchant ships sunk (19,689 GRT)

German submarine U-408 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

She carried out three patrols. She sank three ships.

She was a member of two wolfpacks.

She was sunk by a US aircraft north of Iceland on 5 November 1942.

Design

German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-408 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), 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).^[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-408 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.^[3]

Service history

The submarine was laid down on 30 September 1940 at the Danziger Werft at Danzig (now Gdansk) as yard number 109, launched on 16 July 1941 and commissioned on 19 November under the command of Korvettenkapitän Reinhard von Hymmen.

She served with the 5th U-boat Flotilla from 19 November 1941 for training and the 9th flotilla from 1 May 1942 for operations. She was reassigned to the 11th flotilla on 1 July 1942 and served with that organization until her loss.

First patrol

U-408's first patrol was preceded by a move from Kiel in Germany to Skjomenfjord in Norway. She left there for her first patrol on 7 June, sailing through the north Norwegian Sea into the Barents Sea. She returned to Skjomenfjord on 16 July 1942.

Second patrol

The boat set-out on her second foray on 10 September 1942. She sank Stalingrad on the 13th, 100 nmi (190 km; 120 mi) southwest of Spitsbergen. She also sank Oliver Ellsworth with the same spread of torpedoes. The master of the Soviet ship, A. Sakharov, was awarded the George Cross after acting as pilot for his convoy and spending 40 minutes in the freezing water.

The next day she sank Atheltemplar south-west of Bear Island.

Third patrol and loss

The submarine's third and last sortie began from Narvik on 31 October 1942. On 5 November she was sunk by a US PBY Catalina from VP-84 north of Iceland. Her previous track was from the east, towards the Denmark Strait, (which separates Greenland from Iceland).

Forty-five men died in U-408; there were no survivors.

Wolfpacks

U-408 took part in two wolfpacks, namely:

Eisteufel (21 June – 10 July 1942)
Trägertod (12 – 22 September 1942)

Summary of raiding history

Date	Ship Name	Nationality	Tonnage (GRT)	Fate^[4]
13 September 1942	Oliver Ellsworth	United States	7,191	Sunk
13 September 1942	Stalingrad	Soviet Union	3,559	Sunk
14 September 1942	Atheltemplar	United Kingdom	8,939	Sunk

References

^ Kemp 1999, p. 95.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type VIIC boat U-408". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 13 September 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Gröner 1991, pp. 43–46.
^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Ships hit by U-408". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.

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-408". German U-boats of WWII – uboat.net. Retrieved 26 December 2014.

German Type VII submarines

Type VIIA

U-27
U-28
U-29
U-30
U-31
U-32
U-33
U-34
U-35
U-36

Type VIIB

U-45
U-46
U-47
U-48
U-49
U-50
U-51
U-52
U-53
U-54
U-55
U-73
U-74
U-75
U-76
U-83
U-84
U-85
U-86
U-87
U-99
U-100
U-101
U-102

Type VIIC

U-69
U-70
U-71
U-72
U-77
U-78
U-79
U-80
U-81
U-82
U-88
U-89
U-90
U-91
U-92
U-93
U-94
U-95
U-96
U-97
U-98
U-132
U-133
U-134
U-135
U-136
U-201
U-202
U-203
U-204
U-205
U-206
U-207
U-208
U-209
U-210
U-211
U-212
U-221
U-222
U-223
U-224
U-225
U-226
U-227
U-228
U-229
U-230
U-231
U-232
U-235
U-236
U-237
U-238
U-239
U-240
U-241
U-242
U-243
U-244
U-245
U-246
U-247
U-248
U-249
U-250
U-251
U-252
U-253
U-254
U-255
U-256
U-257
U-258
U-259
U-260
U-261
U-262
U-263
U-264
U-265
U-266
U-267
U-268
U-269
U-270
U-271
U-272
U-273
U-274
U-275
U-276
U-277
U-278
U-279
U-280
U-281
U-282
U-283
U-284
U-285
U-286
U-287
U-288
U-289
U-290
U-291
U-301
U-302
U-303
U-304
U-305
U-306
U-307
U-308
U-309
U-310
U-311
U-312
U-313
U-314
U-315
U-316
U-331
U-332
U-333
U-334
U-335
U-336
U-337
U-338
U-339
U-340
U-341
U-342
U-343
U-344
U-345
U-346
U-347
U-348
U-349
U-350
U-351
U-352
U-353
U-354
U-355
U-356
U-357
U-358
U-359
U-360
U-361
U-362
U-363
U-364
U-365
U-366
U-367
U-368
U-369
U-370
U-371
U-372
U-373
U-374
U-375
U-376
U-377
U-378
U-379
U-380
U-381
U-382
U-383
U-384
U-385
U-386
U-387
U-388
U-389
U-390
U-391
U-392
U-393
U-394
U-396
U-397
U-398
U-399
U-400
U-401
U-402
U-403
U-404
U-405
U-406
U-407
U-408
U-409
U-410
U-411
U-412
U-413
U-414
U-415
U-416
U-417
U-418
U-419
U-420
U-421
U-422
U-423
U-424
U-425
U-426
U-427
U-428
U-429
U-430
U-431
U-432
U-433
U-434
U-435
U-436
U-437
U-438
U-439
U-440
U-441
U-442
U-443
U-444
U-445
U-446
U-447
U-448
U-449
U-450
U-451
U-452
U-453
U-454
U-455
U-456
U-457
U-458
U-465
U-466
U-467
U-468
U-469
U-470
U-471
U-472
U-473
U-475
U-476
U-477
U-478
U-479
U-480
U-481
U-482
U-483
U-484
U-485
U-486
U-551
U-552
U-553
U-554
U-555
U-556
U-557
U-558
U-559
U-560
U-561
U-562
U-563
U-564
U-565
U-566
U-567
U-568
U-569
U-570
U-571
U-572
U-573
U-574
U-575
U-576
U-577
U-578
U-579
U-580
U-581
U-582
U-583
U-584
U-585
U-586
U-587
U-588
U-589
U-590
U-591
U-592
U-593
U-594
U-595
U-596
U-597
U-598
U-599
U-600
U-601
U-602
U-603
U-604
U-605
U-606
U-607
U-608
U-609
U-610
U-611
U-612
U-613
U-614
U-615
U-616
U-617
U-618
U-619
U-620
U-621
U-622
U-623
U-624
U-625
U-626
U-627
U-628
U-629
U-630
U-631
U-632
U-633
U-634
U-635
U-636
U-637
U-638
U-639
U-640
U-641
U-642
U-643
U-644
U-645
U-646
U-647
U-648
U-649
U-650
U-651
U-652
U-653
U-654
U-655
U-656
U-657
U-658
U-659
U-660
U-661
U-662
U-663
U-664
U-665
U-666
U-667
U-668
U-669
U-670
U-671
U-672
U-673
U-674
U-675
U-676
U-677
U-678
U-679
U-680
U-681
U-682
U-683
U-701
U-702
U-703
U-704
U-705
U-706
U-707
U-708
U-709
U-710
U-711
U-712
U-713
U-714
U-715
U-716
U-717
U-718
U-719
U-720
U-721
U-722
U-731
U-732
U-733
U-734
U-735
U-736
U-737
U-738
U-739
U-740
U-741
U-742
U-743
U-744
U-745
U-746
U-747
U-748
U-749
U-750
U-751
U-752
U-753
U-754
U-755
U-756
U-757
U-758
U-759
U-760
U-761
U-762
U-763
U-764
U-765
U-766
U-767
U-768
U-771
U-772
U-773
U-774
U-775
U-776
U-777
U-778
U-779
U-821
U-822
U-825
U-826
U-901
U-903
U-904
U-905
U-907
U-921
U-922
U-923
U-924
U-925
U-926
U-927
U-928
U-951
U-952
U-953
U-954
U-955
U-956
U-957
U-958
U-959
U-960
U-961
U-962
U-963
U-964
U-965
U-966
U-967
U-968
U-969
U-970
U-971
U-972
U-973
U-974
U-975
U-976
U-977
U-978
U-979
U-980
U-981
U-982
U-983
U-984
U-985
U-986
U-987
U-988
U-989
U-990
U-991
U-992
U-993
U-994
U-1051
U-1052
U-1053
U-1054
U-1055
U-1056
U-1057
U-1058
U-1101
U-1102
U-1131
U-1132
U-1161
U-1162
U-1191
U-1192
U-1193
U-1194
U-1195
U-1196
U-1197
U-1198
U-1199
U-1200
U-1201
U-1202
U-1203
U-1204
U-1205
U-1206
U-1207
U-1208
U-1209
U-1210

Type VIIC/41

U-292
U-293
U-294
U-295
U-296
U-297
U-298
U-299
U-300
U-317
U-318
U-319
U-320
U-321
U-322
U-323
U-324
U-325
U-326
U-327
U-328
U-691
U-827
U-828
U-929
U-930
U-995
U-997
U-998
U-999
U-1000
U-1001
U-1002
U-1003
U-1004
U-1005
U-1006
U-1007
U-1008
U-1009
U-1010
U-1011
U-1013
U-1014
U-1015
U-1016
U-1017
U-1018
U-1019
U-1020
U-1021
U-1022
U-1023
U-1024
U-1025
U-1063
U-1064
U-1065
U-1103
U-1104
U-1105
U-1106
U-1107
U-1108
U-1109
U-1110
U-1163
U-1164
U-1165
U-1166
U-1167
U-1168
U-1169
U-1170
U-1171
U-1172
U-1271
U-1272
U-1273
U-1274
U-1275
U-1276
U-1277
U-1278
U-1279
U-1301
U-1302
U-1303
U-1304
U-1305
U-1306
U-1307
U-1308

Type VIID

U-213
U-214
U-215
U-216
U-217
U-218

Type VIIF

U-1059
U-1060
U-1061
U-1062

Preceded by: Type II
Followed by: Type IX

List of U-boats of Germany

v t e Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in November 1942
Shipwrecks	2 Nov: Empire Antelope, Empire Leopard, Gifu Maru 3 Nov: East Indian Ro-65 4 Nov: Hobbema, U-132 5 Nov: U-408 6 Nov: Chulmleigh, City of Cairo, Dekabrist 7 Nov: Donbass, Eveleen, Ha-11, USS Majaba 8 Nov: Actéon, Albatros, Amphitrite, Argonaute, Brestois, Boulonnais, Fougueux, Frondeur, HMS Hartland, La Psyché, La Surprise, Milan, Oréade, Primauguet, Tornade, Tramontane, HMS Walney, West Humhaw 9 Nov: Ariane, HMS Cromer, Danaé, Diane, USS Leedstown, Typhon 10 Nov: HMS Broke, I-15, HMS Ibis, Jean Bart, HMS Martin, Méduse 11 Nov: Hōkoku Maru, USS Joseph Hewes, Sidi Ferruch, HMS Unbeaten, Viceroy of India 12 Nov: USS Edward Rutledge, USS Erie, Hokkai Maru, USS Hugh L. Scott, USS Tasker H. Bliss, HMS Tynwald, U-272, U-660 13 Nov: Akatsuki, USS Atlanta, USS Barton, USS Cushing, Isaac Sweers, USS Juneau, Kinugasa, USS Laffey, Le Conquérant, USS Monssen, U-411, Yūdachi 14 Nov: Hiei, Scillin, Narkunda, U-595, U-605 15 Nov: HMS Algerine, HMS Avenger, Ayanami, USS Benham, Kirishima, Le Tonnant, USS Preston, U-98, U-259, USS Walke 16 Nov: Irish Pine, U-173 17 Nov: U-331 18 Nov: Krasnoye Znamya, Tower Grange 19 Nov: USS YP-26 20 Nov: Prins Harald, Pierce Butler 21 Nov: U-517 22 Nov: Sokrushitelny 23 Nov: Benlomond 24 Nov: Hayashio 25 Nov: HMS Utmost 27 Nov: Achéron, Aigle, Algérie, Aurore, Bordelais, Caïman, Casque, Cassard, Colbert, Commandant Teste, Diamant, D'Iberville, Dunkerque, Dupleix, Eurydice, Foch, Foudroyant, Fresnel, Galatée, Gerfaut, Guépard, Henri Poincaré, Jean de Vienne, Kersaint, L'Adroit, La Galissonnière, Lansquenet, L'Espoir, L'Indomptable, Lion, Lynx, Mameluk, Marseillaise, Mogador, Naïade, Panthère, Pascal, Provence, Sirène, Siroco, Strasbourg, Tartu, Thétis, Tigre, Trombe, Valmy, Vauban, Vauquelin, Vautour, Vengeur, Vénus, Verdun 28 Nov: Empire Cromwell, HMS Ithuriel, Nova Scotia, Thomas T. Tucker 29 Nov: Dunedin Star 30 Nov: USS Northampton, HMCS Quinte, Takanami, Thor, Uckermark Unknown date: Sibylle, Saint Edmond, U-184
Other incidents	7 Nov: USS Thomas Stone 8 Nov: HMS Broke, USS Gunnel, USS Leedstown 9 Nov: Wandle 11 Nov: Giacinto Carini 14 Nov: USS Electra 15 Nov: HMCS Saguenay 16 Nov: USS Electra 17 Nov: Piemonte 20 Nov: HMS Bramham, I-175 26 Nov: USS Swordfish 27 Nov: Scuttling of the French fleet at Toulon 28 Nov: USS Alchiba 29 Nov: Akka, USS Tunny
1941 1942 1943 October 1942 December 1942