U-241

Type

VIIC

Ordered

10 Apr 1941

Laid down

4 Sep 1942

F. Krupp Germaniawerft AG, Kiel (werk 675)

Launched

25 Jun 1943

Commissioned

24 Jul 1943

Ltnt. Arno Werr

Commanders

24 Jul 1943

18 May 1944

Oblt. Arno Werr

Career
1 patrol

24 Jul 1943	-	31 Mar 1944	5. Flottille (training)
1 Apr 1944	-	18 May 1944	3. Flottille (active service)

Successes

No ships sunk or damaged

Fate

Sunk on 18 May 1944 in the Norwegian Sea north-east of the Faeroe Islands, in position 63.36N, 01.42E, by depth charges from a British Catalina aircraft (210 Sqn RAF/S). 51 dead (all hands lost).

Loss position

View the 1 war patrol

Attacks on this boat and other events

18 May 1944
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down: British Catalina aircraft FP121 (333 Sqdn RAF/C, pilot S/Lt Harald E. Hartmann)

00.07 hrs, approx. 125 miles west of Ålesund, Norway: four days out from Bergen, U-241 was attacked by the Norwegian-crewed Catalina. Flak hits to the aircraft during the attack run apparently caused the depth charges to miss, but U-241 was sunk by another Catalina a few hours later. The starboard waist gunner was killed (Pty/O Kyrre D. Berg) and a large hole in the hull forced the pilot to beach the Catalina after landing on the River Tay, damaging it beyond repair.

(Sources: Axel Niestlé)

1 recorded attack on this boat.

General notes on this boat

The book Steuermann durch Krieg und Frieden (Helmsman through War and Peace) by Hans Schmid covers the loss of U-241. According to the book its author and 2 other men survived the sinking and were saved and put into POW camp.

This is a total nonense according to our sources. No German document is known which holds information about the rescue of any crew members of U-241. This boat sank with all hands according to all the offical documents. In only a handful of cases did survivors from sunk German U-boats off Norway get resuced by the Germans (or the Allies). German control of the waters around Norway ended at about 10 miles out.

Schnorchel-fitted U-boat

This boat was fitted with a Schnorchel underwater-breathing apparatus but the date of fitting or sailing date with the equipment is unknown.

Read more about the Schnorchel and see list of fitted boats.

Men lost from U-boats

Unlike many other U-boats, which during their service lost men due to accidents and various other causes, U-241 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.