U-480

Type

VIIC

Ordered

10 Apr 1941

Laid down

8 Dec 1942

Deutsche Werke AG, Kiel (werk 311)

Launched

14 Aug 1943

Commissioned

6 Oct 1943

Oblt. Hans-Joachim Förster

Commanders

6 Oct 1943

29 Jan 1945

Oblt. Hans-Joachim Förster (Knights Cross)

Career
3 patrols

6 Oct 1943	-	31 May 1944	5. Flottille (training)
1 Jun 1944	-	14 Oct 1944	9. Flottille (active service)
15 Oct 1944	-	29 Jan 1945	11. Flottille (active service)

Successes

2 ships sunk, total tonnage 12,846 GRT
2 warships sunk, total tonnage 1,775 tons

Fate

Sunk on or after 29 January 1945 in the English Channel south-west of Portsmouth, in position 50.22N, 01.44W, by a mine in the British field Brazier D2. 48 dead (all hands lost). (Axel Niestlé, December 2001).

Loss position

See the 4 ships hit by U-480 - View the 3 war patrols

Previously recorded fate

Sunk 24 Feb, 1945 in the English Channel south-east of Isles of Scilly, in position 49.51.783N, 06.06.750W, by depth charges from the British frigates HMS Duckworth and HMS Rowley. (British U-boat tracking room, March 1945)
Notes.
That attack instead sank the U-1208.

This boat is a dive site

The wreck of U-480 was discovered by divers in 1998 south of Isle of Wight in the position listed above.

More information (external link)

Depth: 190 feet (58 meters)
Position (lat, long): 50.22, -1.44

See more U-boat dive sites.

Attacks on this boat and other events

13 Jun 1944
Aircraft attack, aircraft shot down:Canadian Canso flying boat (162 Sqn RCAF/B, pilot Lawrence Sherman). The crew of this aircraft had sunk U-980 two days previously. Three of them died when the aircraft ditched and four more in the life rafts, leaving only one survivor, J.E. Roberts. (Sources: Blair, vol 2, page 591)

1 recorded attack on this boat.

General notes on this boat

U-480 was one of about ten German U-boats that were coated with rubber in an attempt to elude the Allied ASDIC and Sonar detection equipment. The coating process became known as Alberich. Apparently this worked quite well on this boat but overall this was troublesome as the rubber tended to peel off during passage.

Schnorchel-fitted U-boat

This boat was fitted with a Schnorchel underwater-breathing apparatus in May 1944.

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-480 did not suffer any casualties (we know of) until the time of her loss.