German submarine U-461

Attack on U-461, which along with two other U-boats, was sunk on 30 July 1943 in the Bay of Biscay
History
Nazi Germany
Name	U-461
Ordered	14 May 1940
Builder	Deutsche Werke, Kiel
Yard number	292
Laid down	9 December 1940
Launched	8 November 1941
Commissioned	30 January 1942
Fate	Sunk, 30 July 1943
General characteristics
Class and type	German Type XIV submarine
Displacement	1,668 long tons (1,695 t) surfaced 1,932 long tons (1,963 t) submerged
Length	67.1 m (220 ft 2 in) overall 47.5 m (155 ft 10 in) pressure hull
Beam	9.35 m (30 ft 8 in) overall 4.9 m (16 ft 1 in) pressure hull
Height	11.7 m (38 ft 5 in)
Draft	6.5 m (21 ft 4 in)
Propulsion	2 × Germaniawerft F46 supercharged 6-cylinder diesel engines, 3,200 hp (2,400 kW) 2 × SSW Gu343/388-8 double-acting electric motors 750 hp (560 kW)
Speed	14.9 knots (27.6 km/h) surfaced 6.2 knots (11.5 km/h) submerged
Range	12,350 nmi (22,870 km; 14,210 mi) at 10 kn (19 km/h) surfaced 55 nautical miles (102 km; 63 mi) at 4 kn (7.4 km/h) submerged
Test depth	240 m (790 ft)
Complement	53–60 men
Armament	2 × 37 mm AA guns 2 × 20 mm AA guns
Service record
Part of:	4th U-boat Flotilla (30 January–30 June 1942) 10th U-boat Flotilla (1 July–31 October 1942) 12th U-boat Flotilla (1 November 1942–30 July 1943)
Commanders:	Kptlt. Hinrich-Oscar Bernbeck (30 January–21 April 1942) KrvKpt. Wolf-Harro Stiebler (22 April 1942–30 July 1943)
Operations:	1st patrol: 21 June–16 August 1942 2nd patrol: 7 September–17 October 1942 3rd patrol: 19 November 1942–3 January 1943 4th patrol: 13 February–22 March 1943 5th patrol: 20 April–30 May 1943 6th patrol: 27 July–30 July 1943
Victories:	None

German submarine U-461 was a Type XIV supply and replenishment U-boat ("Milchkuh") of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.

Her keel was laid down on 9 December 1940, by Deutsche Werke in Kiel as 'werk' 292. She was launched on 8 November 1941 and commissioned on 30 January 1942 with Oberleutnant zur See Hinrich-Oscar Bernbeck in command. Bernbeck was promoted to Kapitänleutnant by 21 April 1942, when he was relieved by Korvettenkapitän Wolf-Harro Stiebler.

Operational career

U-461 conducted six patrols. As a supply boat, she avoided combat.

1st and 2nd patrols

U-461's first patrol took her from Kiel to St. Nazaire in occupied France, via the gap between Iceland and the Faeroe Islands and out into the mid-Atlantic.

Her second patrol was much like her first; the most westerly point in the vast Atlantic wastes was reached on 30 September 1942.

3rd and 4th patrols

U-462's third sortie commenced with her departue from St. Nazaire on 19 November 1942. Travelling south, she reached the furthest spot in the patrol which was roughly between South America and Africa. There, she spent two days (according to her position reports), before moving a short distance west on 11 December 1942. She returned to her French base on 3 January 1943.

She steamed to a point west of the Canary Islands, which she reached on 2 March 1943. Having departed St. Nazaire on 13 February, she returned there for the last time on 22 March.

5th patrol

She left St.Nazaire on 20 April 1943, but was attacked on the return leg on 23 April by a Canadian Wellington of 172 squadron RAF, equipped with a Leigh Light. Three bombs were dropped, resulting in slight damage and, more seriously, a trail of oil. She returned to France, but this time to Bordeaux.

6th patrol and loss

She had left Bordeaux on 27 July 1943, but was hardly out of the Bay of Biscay, northwest of Cape Ortegal, Spain, when she was sunk on 30 July by an Australian Sunderland flying boat from No. 461 Squadron RAAF piloted by Flight Lieutenant Dudley Marrows. Coincidentally this aircraft had the registration "U", also making it known as 'U-461'. As a result of the attack, the pilot dropped an inflatable dinghy, fifteen of her crew survived; 53 were killed.

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Busch, Rainer; Röll, Hans-Joachim (1999). Deutsche U-Boot-Verluste von September 1939 bis Mai 1945. Vol. IV. Hamburg, Berlin, Bonn: Mittler. ISBN 3-8132-0514-2. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
• Gröner, Erich (1985). U-Boote, Hilfskreuzer, Minenschiffe, Netzleger, Sperrbrecher. Vol. III. Koblenz: Bernard&Graefe. ISBN 3-7637-4802-4. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)

External links

• U-461 at uboat.net
• U-461 at ubootwaffe.net

See also

• List of German U-boats