German submarine U-44 (1939)

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-44.
U-37, (an identical U-boat to U-44) at Lorient in 1940
History
Nazi Germany
NameU-44
Ordered21 November 1936
BuilderAG Weser, Bremen
Yard number949
Laid down15 September 1938
Launched5 August 1939
Commissioned4 November 1939
FateSunk by a mine on 13 March 1940 off the coast of the Netherlands. All crew members were lost[1][2]
General characteristics
Class and typeType IXA submarine
Displacement
  • 1,032 t (1,016 long tons) surfaced
  • 1,153 t (1,135 long tons) submerged
Length
Beam
  • 6.51 m (21 ft 4 in) o/a
  • 4.40 m (14 ft 5 in) pressure hull
Height9.40 m (30 ft 10 in)
Draught4.70 m (15 ft 5 in)
Installed power
  • 4,400 PS (3,200 kW; 4,300 bhp) (diesels)
  • 1,000 PS (740 kW; 990 shp) (electric)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 18.2 knots (33.7 km/h; 20.9 mph) surfaced
  • 7.7 knots (14.3 km/h; 8.9 mph) submerged
Range
  • 10,500 nmi (19,400 km; 12,100 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
  • 65–78 nmi (120–144 km; 75–90 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth230 m (750 ft)
Complement4 officers, 44 enlisted
Armament
Service record
Part of:
Identification codes: M 13 206
Commanders:
Operations:
  • 2 patrols:
  • 1st patrol:
  • 6 January – 9 February 1940
  • 2nd patrol:
  • 13 March 1940
Victories: 8 merchant ships sunk
(30,885 GRT)

German submarine U-44 was a Type IXA[3] U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine that operated during World War II.[1] She was ordered in November 1936 and laid down in September 1938 in Bremen. She was launched in August 1939 and commissioned in November.[1]

During her service in the Kriegsmarine, U-44 conducted only two war patrols and sank a total of eight ships for a loss of 30,885 GRT. On 13 March 1940, she struck a mine that was located in field Number 7 off the north coast of the Netherlands. All 47 of her crew members went down with the submarine.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d Helgason, Guðmundur. "The Type IXA boat U-44". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  2. ^ Kemp, Paul (1997). U-Boats Destroyed, German Submarine Losses in the World Wars. Arms and Armour. p. 64. ISBN 1-85409-515-3.
  3. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "Type IXA". German U-boats of WWII - uboat.net. Retrieved 27 November 2019.