German submarine U-401

German submarine U-401 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II.

She carried out one patrol. She sank or damaged no ships.

She was sunk in mid-Atlantic, in August 1941 by Allied warships.

Service history
The submarine was laid down on 8 April 1940 at the Danziger Werft (yard) at Danzig (now Gdansk] as 'werk' 102, launched on 16 December and commissioned on 10 April under the command of Kapitänleutnant Gero Zimmermann.

She served with the 1st U-boat Flotilla from 10 April 1941 (training) and stayed with that organization from 1 July until her loss.

The boat's only patrol was preceded by the short journey from Königsberg (Kaliningrad) to Trondheim.

Patrol and loss
U-401 departed Trondheim on 9 September 1941. On 3 August she was sunk by depth charges dropped from the British destroyer HMS Wanderer, the Norwegian-crewed destroyer HMS St. Albans and the British corvette HMS Hydrangea.

Forty-five men died in U-401; there were no survivors.