German submarine U-419
German submarine U-419 was a Type VIIC U-boat of Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
She carried out one patrol. She was a member of one wolfpack. She did not sink or damage any ships.
She was sunk by a British aircraft in mid-Atlantic on 8 October 1943.
Design
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-419 had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of, a pressure hull length of, a beam of, a height of, and a draught of. The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two Siemens-Schuckert GU 343/38–8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to.The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of. When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at. U-419 was fitted with five torpedo tubes, fourteen torpedoes, one SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and two twin C/30 anti-aircraft guns. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.
Service history
The submarine was laid down on 7 November 1941 at the Danziger Werft at Danzig, as yard number 120, launched on 22 August 1942 and commissioned on 18 November under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Dietrich Giersberg.She served with the 8th U-boat Flotilla from 18 November 1942 and the 11th flotilla from 1 August 1943.
Patrol and loss
The boat's only patrol was preceded by a trip from Kiel in Germany to Bergen in Norway. U-419 then left Bergen on 13 September 1943 and headed for the Atlantic Ocean via the gap between Iceland and the Faroe Islands. On 8 October, she was attacked and sunk by depth charges dropped by a British B-24 Liberator of No. 86 Squadron RAF.Forty-eight men went down with the U-boat; there was one survivor.