Name U-449 Yard number 283 Commissioned 29 May 1941 Launched 29 March 1941 Draft 4.74 m Builder Deutsche Werke | Ordered 20 October 1939 Laid down 25 May 1940 Construction started 25 May 1940 Length 67 m Beam 6.18 m Part of 3rd U-boat Flotilla | |
Fate Sunk by a British aircraft and a British warship southeast of Iceland, August 1941 | ||
German submarine U-452 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
Contents
She carried out one patrol. She sank no ships.
She was sunk by a British aircraft and a British warship southeast of Iceland, in August 1941.
Design
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-452 had a displacement of 769 tonnes (757 long tons) when at the surface and 871 tonnes (857 long tons) while submerged. 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 Brown, Boveri & Cie GG UB 720/8 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).
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). 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-452 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 an anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.
Service history
The submarine was laid down on 25 May 1940 at the Deutsche Werke in Kiel as yard number 283, launched on 29 March 1941 and commissioned on 29 May under the command of Kapitänleutnant Jürgen March.
She served with the 3rd U-boat Flotilla from 29 May 1941 for training and stayed with that organization for operations.
Patrol and loss
U-432's only patrol began with her departure from Trondheim in Norway on 19 August 1941. On the 25th, she was sunk southeast of Iceland after an attack by a Catalina flying boat of No. 209 Squadron RAF and HMS Vascama, an anti-submarine trawler.
Forty-two men went down with U-452; there were no survivors.