U-404

Type

VIIC

Ordered

23 Sep, 1939

Laid down

4 Jun, 1940

Danziger Werft, Danzig (werk 105)

Launched

4 Jun, 1941

Commissioned

6 Aug, 1941

Kptlt. Otto von Bülow (Oak Leaves)

Commanders

6 Aug, 1941 - 19 Jul, 1943	KrvKpt. Otto von Bülow (Knights Cross)
20 Jul, 1943 - 28 Jul, 1943	Oblt. Adolf Schönberg

Career

7 patrols

6 Aug, 1941 - 1 Jan, 1942 6. Flottille (training)
1 Jan, 1942 - 28 Jul, 1943 6. Flottille (front boat)

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).

See the 17 ships hit by U-404 - View the 7 war patrols

Wolfpack operations

U-404 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
   Pfadfinder (23 May, 1942 - 27 May, 1942)
   Stier (2 Sep, 1942 - 14 Sep, 1942)
   Letzte Ritter (30 Sep, 1942 - 2 Oct, 1942)
   Falke (31 Dec, 1942 - 22 Jan, 1943)
   Landknecht (22 Jan, 1943 - 28 Jan, 1943)
   Adler (7 Apr, 1943 - 12 Apr, 1943)
   Meise (20 Apr, 1943 - 27 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.