German submarine U-4 (1935)

U-1, the first Type II boat
History
Nazi Germany
NameU-4
Ordered2 February 1935
BuilderDeutsche Werke, Kiel
Cost1,500,000 Reichsmark
Yard number239
Laid down11 February 1935
Launched31 July 1935
Commissioned17 August 1935
FateStricken 1 August 1944, Gotenhafen, scrapped in 1945
General characteristics
Class and typeType IIA coastal submarine
Displacement
  • 254 t (250 long tons) surfaced
  • 303 t (298 long tons) submerged
  • 381 t (375 long tons) total
Length
Beam
  • 4.08 m (13 ft 5 in) (o/a)
  • 4.00 m (13 ft 1 in) (pressure hull)
Height8.60 m (28 ft 3 in)
Draught3.83 m (12 ft 7 in)
Installed power
  • 700 PS (510 kW; 690 shp) (diesels)
  • 360 PS (260 kW; 360 shp) (electric)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph) surfaced
  • 6.9 knots (12.8 km/h; 7.9 mph) submerged
Range
  • 1,050 nmi (1,940 km; 1,210 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) surfaced
  • 35 nmi (65 km; 40 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth80 m (260 ft)
Complement3 officers, 22 men
Armament
Service record
Part of:
Identification codes: M 13 167
Commanders:
  • Oblt.z.S. / Kptlt. Hannes Weingärtner
  • 17 August 1935 – 29 September 1937
  • Oblt.z.S. / Kptlt. Hans-Wilhelm von Dresky
  • 30 September 1937 – 28 October 1938
  • Oblt.z.S. / Kptlt. Harro von Klot-Heydenfeldt
  • 29 October 1938 – 16 January 1940
  • Oblt.z.S. Hans-Peter Hinsch
  • 17 January – 7 June 1940
  • Oblt.z.S. Heinz-Otto Schultze
  • 8 June – 28 July 1940
  • Oblt.z.S. Hans-Jürgen Zetzsche
  • 29 July 1940 – 2 February 1941
  • Oblt.z.S. Hinrich-Oscar Bernbeck
  • 3 February – 8 December 1941
  • Oblt.z.S. Wolfgang Leimkühler
  • 9 December 1941 – 15 June 1942
  • Lt.z.S. / Oblt.z.S. Friedrich-Wilhelm Marienfeld
  • 16 June 1942 – 23 January 1943
  • Joachim Düppe
  • 24 January – 31 May 1943
  • Oblt.z.S. Paul Sander
  • 1 June – 22 August 1943
  • Lt.z.S. / Oblt.z.S. Herbert Mumm
  • 23 August 1943 – May 1944
  • Oblt.z.S. Hubert Rieger
  • May - 9 July 1944[1]
Operations:
  • 4 patrols:
  • 1st patrol:
  • 4 – 14 September 1939
  • 2nd patrol:
  • 19 – 29 September 1939
  • 3rd patrol:
  • 16 – 29 March 1939
  • 4th patrol:
  • 4 – 14 April 1940
Victories:
  • 3 merchant ships sunk
    (5,133 GRT)
  • 1 warship sunk
    (1,090 tons)
Ubooty(Historia str.235)

German submarine U-4 was a Type IIA U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine before and during World War II. She was one of the longest lasting German submarines of the period, primarily since half of her time was spent on training duties in the Baltic Sea.

Commissioned on 17 August 1935, she was one of the first batch of Type IIA boats constructed following the Anglo-German Naval Agreement that repealed the terms of the Treaty of Versailles which ended the First World War and stated that Germany was not permitted to possess submarines. Built at the Deutsche Werke in Kiel as yard number 239, she was a highly sought after command before the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939. Once the war had begun however, she rapidly became obsolete. Before she was superseded, she carried out four combat patrols, mainly in support of the Norwegian campaign.

  1. ^ Busch & Röll 1999, p. 283.