German World War II submarine
German submarine "U-604" was a Type VIIC U-boat built for Nazi Germany's "Kriegsmarine" for service during World War II.
She was laid down on 27 February 1941 by Blohm &amp; Voss in Hamburg as yard number 580, launched on 16 November 1941 and commissioned on 8 January 1942 under "Kapitänleutnant" Horst Höltring (German Cross in Gold).
Design.
German Type VIIC submarines were preceded by the shorter Type VIIB submarines. "U-604" 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 Brown, Boveri &amp; Cie 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-604" 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 a C/30 anti-aircraft gun. The boat had a complement of between forty-four and sixty.
Service history.
The boat's service began on 8 January 1942 for training as part of the 5th U-boat Flotilla. After training was completed she transferred to the 9th flotilla on 1 August 1942 for active service.
In 6 patrols she sank 6 ships for a total of  gross register tons (GRT).
Wolfpacks.
She took part in five wolfpacks, namely:
Fate.
She was scuttled on 11 August 1943 at position in the South Atlantic after being depth charged by two US aircraft, a Ventura and a Liberator. Her crew was rescued by .
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