Type XIV submarine

U-459 sinking after being attacked by Vickers Wellington aircraft.
Class overview
Builders	Deutsche Werke (U-459 to U-464, U-487 to U-493) Germaniawerft (U-494 to U-500, U-2201-2204)[1]
Operators	Kriegsmarine
Preceded by	Type IX submarine
Succeeded by	Type VIIF (torpedo replenishment submarine)
Built	1940–1943
In commission	1941–1944
Planned	24
Completed	10
Cancelled	14
Lost	10
General characteristics
Type	Submarine tanker
Displacement	1,688 t (1,661 long tons) surfaced 1,932 t (1,901 long tons) submerged
Length	67.10 m (220 ft 2 in) o/a 48.51 m (159 ft 2 in) pressure hull
Beam	9.35 m (30 ft 8 in) o/a 4.90 m (16 ft 1 in) pressure hull
Height	11.70 m (38 ft 5 in)
Draught	6.51 m (21 ft 4 in)
Installed power	2,800–3,200 PS (2,100–2,400 kW; 2,800–3,200 bhp) (diesels) 750 PS (550 kW; 740 shp) (electric)
Propulsion	2 shafts 2 × diesel engines 2 × electric motors
Speed	14.4–14.9 knots (26.7–27.6 km/h; 16.6–17.1 mph) surfaced 6.2 knots (11.5 km/h; 7.1 mph) submerged
Range	12,350 nmi (22,870 km; 14,210 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced 55 nmi (102 km; 63 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged
Test depth	240 m (790 ft)
Capacity	613 tonnes of fuel oil 13 tonnes of lubricating oil 4 × G7 torpedoes (in external below-deck canisters)
Complement	6 officers and 47 enlisted
Armament	2 × 3.7 cm (1.5 in) SK C/30 anti-aircraft guns 1 × 2 cm (0.79 in) C/30 AA gun

The Type XIV U-boat was designed to resupply other U-boats,^[2] being the only submarine tenders built which were not surface ships. It was nicknamed in German the "Milchkuh/Milchkühe (pl.)" (English: milk cows).^[3]