U-404
Type | VIIC | |||||||||
| Ordered | 23 Sep 1939 | |||||||||
| Laid down | 4 Jun 1940 | Danziger Werft AG, Danzig (werk 105) | ||||||||
| Launched | 4 Jun 1941 | |||||||||
| Commissioned | 6 Aug 1941 | Kptlt. Otto von Bülow (Oak Leaves) | ||||||||
| Commanders |
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| Career 7 patrols |
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| Successes | 14 ships sunk for a total of 71,450 GRT 1 warship sunk for a total of 1,120 tons 2 ships damaged for a total of 16,689 GRT | |||||||||
| Fate | Sunk 28 July, 1943 in the Bay of Biscay north-west of Cape Ortegal, Spain, in position 45.53N, 09.25W, by depth charges from 2 American Liberator aircraft (A/S Sqdn. 4) and from a British Liberator aircraft (Sqdn. 224). 51 dead (all hands lost). | |||||||||
Wolfpack operations
U-404 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
Schlei (21 Jan 1942 - 24 Jan 1942)
Hecht (8 May 1942 - 11 May 1942)
Pfadfinder (23 May 1942 - 27 May 1942)
Stier (29 Aug 1942 - 2 Sep 1942)
Vorwärts (2 Sep 1942 - 26 Sep 1942)
Luchs (27 Sep 1942 - 29 Sep 1942)
Letzte Ritter (29 Sep 1942 - 1 Oct 1942)
Falke (28 Dec 1942 - 19 Jan 1943)
Landsknecht (19 Jan 1943 - 28 Jan 1943)
Without name (27 Mar 1943 - 30 Mar 1943)
Adler (7 Apr 1943 - 13 Apr 1943)
Meise (13 Apr 1943 - 20 Apr 1943)
Specht (21 Apr 1943 - 25 Apr 1943)
Attacks on this boat
26 Jan 1942
The periscope on U-404 was damaged during an air attack in the North Atlantic.
28 Jul 1943
The sinking of U-404
At 11.07 hours, the boat was located after a radar contact by an American B-24 Liberator aircraft (4th A/S Sqdn USAAF/Y, pilot Maj Stephen McElroy) but the attack failed because the depth charges failed to release. The aircraft waited for the boat to resurface and attacked again at 15.17 hours. Despite of an 20mm shell detonating inside the cockpit without hurting anyone, the pilot dropped eight depth charges into the swirl of the diving boat. AA damage to the radio and one of the engines forced the Liberator to return to base.Another American Liberator (4th A/S Sqdn USAAF/H, pilot 1Lt Arthur J. Hammer) attacked U-404 twice after resurfacing at 17.45 hours. Again the Liberator had to left due to AA hits in one of the engines, the tail and the fuselage. The last attack was seen by a third aircraft, the British Liberator BZ781 (224 Sqdn RAF/W, pilot F/O R.V. Sweeny), which eventually attacked and sank the boat. The third Liberator had also been hit by AA fire in one of the engines during the attack run and barely made it back to base after jettison all guns and other loose equipment. (Sources: Franks/Zimmerman)
2 recorded attacks on this boat.
Men lost from U-boats
Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-404 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.
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