German submarine U-417

German submarine U-417 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the Nazi German Kriegsmarine during World War II.

She carried out one patrol. She did not sink or damage any ships.

She was sunk by a British aircraft southeast of Iceland in June 1943.

Service history
The submarine was laid down on 16 September 1941 at the Danziger Werft (yard) at Danzig (now Gdansk), as 'werk' 118, launched on 6 September 1942 and commissioned on the 26th under the command of Oberleutnant Wolfgang Schreiner.

She served with the 8th U-boat Flotilla from 26 September 1942 and the 6th flotilla from 1 June 1943.

Patrol and loss
U-417 was sunk on 11 June 1943 southeast of Iceland by depth charges from a British B-17 Flying Fortress of No. 206 Squadron RAF.

Forty-six men were in U-417; there were no survivors.

Aftermath
U-417's anti-aircraft fire had been accurate. The B-17 ditched; all eight of the crew were forced to share a single dinghy. On 14 June, an American navy PBY Catalina attempted a landing but crashed. Its crew of nine found themselves adrift on two rafts. The B-17 crew were found and rescued by a British Catalina of 190 squadron on the same day of their ditching, but the Americans were not found for another five days. Only one man survived, the others died of exposure.