List of all U-boats
U-204
Type | VIIC | |||||||||
| Ordered | 23 Sep 1939 | |||||||||
| Laid down | 22 Apr 1940 | F. Krupp Germaniawerft AG, Kiel (werk 633) | ||||||||
| Launched | 23 Jan 1941 | |||||||||
| Commissioned | 8 Mar 1941 | Oblt. Walter Kell | ||||||||
| Commanders |
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| Career 3 patrols |
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| Successes | 4 ships sunk, total tonnage 17,157 GRT 1 warship sunk, total tonnage 1,060 tons | |||||||||
| Fate | Sunk 19 Oct, 1941 near Tangier, in position 35.46N, 06.02W, by depth charges from the British corvette HMS Mallow and the British sloop HMS Rochester. 46 dead (all hands lost). | |||||||||
| Loss position | ||||||||||
Wolfpack operations
U-204 operated with the following Wolfpacks during its career:
West (5 Jun 1941 - 16 Jun 1941)
Kurfürst (16 Jun 1941 - 20 Jun 1941)
Breslau (5 Oct 1941 - 19 Oct 1941)
Attacks on this boat
19 Oct 1941
The sinking of U-204
Following the sinking of Inverlee by U-204, the corvettes of the 37th Escort Group were sent from Gibraltar to carry out an anti-submarine sweep off Cape Spartel, Marocco. At 21.46 hours, HMS Mallow obtained an asdic contact on her starboard quarter and eight minutes later dropped a pattern of seven depth charges. After regaining contact, the corvette turned around in order to carry out a second attack but the echo became woolly and she sighted a patch of oil approximately 200 yards long and 50 yards broad. After passing through it she regained contact but lost it before another attack could be carried out. At 22.21 hours, HMS Carnation obtained a contact which was judged to be a stationary U-boat on the bottom and dropped five depth charges after passing through the oil patch, but it this was apparently carried out on a doubtful contact as it happened two miles further eastwards. HMS Mallow then remained near the oil patch until joined by HMS Rochester at 09.00 hours on 20 October. The sloop eventually dropped five depth charges into the patch and observed how the amount of oil increased that was found to be diesel. Another pattern of five depth charges was dropped that produced a further volume of oil but no other evidence. A day later parts of a G7a torpedo were recovered about eight miles east of the position of the oil patch. U-204 must have been badly damaged or even sunk by the initial attack of HMS Mallow and the depth charges dropped by HMS Rochester either finished off the U-boat or broke up the wreck lying on the bottom.
(Sources: ADM 199/1782)1 recorded attack on this boat.
Men lost from U-boats
Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-204 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.
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