German submarine U-641 was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine for service during World War II. She was laid down on 19 November 1941 by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg as yard number 617, launched on 6 August 1942 and commissioned on 24 September 1942 under Oberleutnant zur See Horst Rendtel.
Design
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. U-641 had a displacement of when at the surface and while submerged. She had a total length of , a pressure hull length of , a beam of , a height of , and a draught of . The submarine was powered by two Germaniawerft F46 four-stroke, six-cylinder supercharged diesel engines producing a total of for use while surfaced, two BBC GG UB 720/8 double-acting electric motors producing a total of for use while submerged. She had two shafts and two propellers. The boat was capable of operating at depths of up to .
The submarine had a maximum surface speed of and a maximum submerged speed of . When submerged, the boat could operate for at ; when surfaced, she could travel at . U-641 was fitted with five torpedo tubes (four fitted at the bow and one at the stern), fourteen torpedoes, one SK C/35 naval gun, 220 rounds, and one twin C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.
Service history
The boat's short service career began on 24 September 1942 for training with 5th U-boat Flotilla, followed by active service on 1 March 1943 as part of the 7th U-boat Flotilla. It ended ten months later when she was sunk in the North Atlantic.
In four patrols she sank no ships.
Wolfpacks
U-641 took part in thirteen wolfpacks, namely: Neuland (4 – 6 March 1943) Ostmark (6 – 11 March 1943) Stürmer (11 – 20 March 1943) Seewolf (21 – 30 March 1943) Mosel (19 – 24 May 1943) Trutz (1 – 16 June 1943) Trutz 2 (16 – 29 June 1943) Geier 1 (30 June – 14 July 1943) Leuthen (15 – 24 September 1943) Rossbach (24 September – 9 October 1943) Borkum (18 December 1943 – 3 January 1944) Borkum 2 (3 – 13 January 1944) Rügen (13 – 19 January 1944)
Fate
U-641 was sunk on 19 January 1944 in the North Atlantic in position ; depth charged by Royal Navy corvette . There were no survivors.