The Walter Boats

Type XVIIB

Small Coastal Research vessels

U-boat Builder Werk # Built:
U-1405 - U-1407 Blohm & Voss, Hamburg 255 - 257 1943 - 1944

Careers

U-1405. Type XVIIB. Launched on 1 Dec 1944 and commissioned on 21 Dec 1944.
Fate: Scuttled on 5 May 1945 in Eckernfjörde Bay. Later broken up.

U-1406. Type XVIIB. Launched on 2 Jan 1945 and commissioned on 8 Feb 1945.
Fate: Surrendered on 5 May 1945 at Cuxhaven, Germany along with all boats stationed there. Its crew abandoned the boat according to orders.

U-1406 and U-1407 were scuttled by Oblt. Gerhard Grumpelt without permission on 7 May. Read our article U—1406 and U—1407. Were they Scuttled or did they Surrender?.

Later raised and transported to the USA on the deck of the US transport vessel Shoemaker on 15 Sept 1945. She was used for trials by the US Navy and broken up in New York harbor sometime after 18 May 1948 (Waller & Niestlé, 2010).

U-1407. Type XVIIB.Commissioned on 13 Mar 1945.
Fate: Surrendered on 5 May 1945 at Cuxhaven, Germany along with all boats stationed there. Its crew abandoned the boat according to orders.

U-1406 and U-1407 were scuttled by Oblt. Gerhard Grumpelt without permission on 7 May. Read our article U—1406 and U—1407. Were they Scuttled or did they Surrender? (Waller & Niestlé, 2010).


Contracts

U-1408 through U-1410 (3 boats) were under construction at Blohm & Voss in Hamburg from 1943 but were not complete when the war ended.

U-1411 through U-1416 (6 boats) Under construction at Blohm & Voss in Hamburg (Werk # 260-266) but were cancelled on 20 Sept, 1943 in favour of the XXI.


Technical information

Displacement
(tons)

312 sf
337 sm
415 total

 Length
(m)

41.45 oa
27.30 ph

Beam
(m)

4.50 oa
3.30 ph

Draught/
Height (m)

4.30

 Power
(hp)

210 to
230 ehp sf
77.5 ehp sm
2,500 ehp sm*

Range
(nm/kts)

3000/8 sf
76/2 sm
123/25 sm*

 Speed
(kts)

8.5 to
8.8 sf
5.0 sm
25.0 sm*

Oil Supply
(tons)

20.2 max + 52 (H2O2)

Torpedoes
(Max #)

4

Max Depth
(meters)

Unknown

sm = submerged, sf = surfaced, ph = pressure hull,
oa = overall, hp = horsepower, nm = Nautical miles
* Walter turbine